B16 On the Significance of Unity

Zenit's documents section has the Pope's address today to an ecumenical group. It's as good a summary of the importance of Christian unity --and thus of sincere ecumenism-- as I have seen. I particularly appreciated this:

Another urgent priority in ecumenical dialogue arises from the great ethical questions of our time; in this area, modern research rightly expects a common response on the part of Christians, which, thanks be to God, has often been forthcoming. But not always, alas. Because of contradictory positions in these areas, our witness to the Gospel and the ethical guidance which we owe to the faithful and to society lose their impact and often appear too vague, with the result that we fail in our duty to provide the witness that is needed in our time. Our divisions are contrary to the will of Jesus and they disappoint the expectations of our contemporaries.