Cardinal Koch participates in ecumenical commemoration in Graz

Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, took part on 10 June in an ecumenical event marking the 25th anniversary of the Second European Ecumenical Assembly held in Graz from 23‒29 June 1997, in which he had participated as Bishop of Basel.

In his presentation on the challenges facing ecumenism in Europe today, Cardinal Koch spoke of the ecumenical movement as a “lighthouse” calling all the Christian churches to re-establish the unity which Christ exemplified and to which he aspired. Citing the letter of Paul to the Ephesians, Cardinal Koch reiterated, “We have one God, one baptism, one faith, one body”, stressing that unity in diversity should be the goal of all ecumenical efforts.

Cardinal Koch concluded with the hope that the 1700th anniversary in 2025 of Council of Nicea and the 500th anniversary in 2030 of the Augsburg Confession may both inspire a renewed impetus to the ecumenical movement.

^{Photos © Sonntagsblatt/Gerd Neuhold}