At 12:30pm today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a delegation from the Czech Republic, on the occasion of the 600th Anniversary of the death of Jan Hus.
Dear friends,
I welcome you, illustrious representatives of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and of the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brothers, who have come to Rome to celebrate, at the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, a Liturgy of Reconciliation on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the death of the reformer Jan Hus. I extend a cordial greeting to Cardinal Miloslav Vlk.
This meeting offers us an opportunity to renew and to deepen the relations between our respective communities. In obedience to the will of the Lord Jesus, who on the night before his passion and death, prayed to the Father for unity among his disciples (cf Jn 17:21), have a duty to promote an ever-growing reciprocal knowledge and active cooperation. Many disputes of the past beg to be revisited in the light of the new context in which we live, agreements and convergence will be achieved if we face the traditional conflicting questions with a new focus. Above all, we cannot forget that the shared profession of faith in God the Father, in his Son and in the Holy Spirit, in which we have been baptized, already unites us in bonds of authentic fraternity.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
to the delegation from the Czech Republic
Dear friends,
I welcome you, illustrious representatives of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and of the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brothers, who have come to Rome to celebrate, at the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, a Liturgy of Reconciliation on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the death of the reformer Jan Hus. I extend a cordial greeting to Cardinal Miloslav Vlk.
This meeting offers us an opportunity to renew and to deepen the relations between our respective communities. In obedience to the will of the Lord Jesus, who on the night before his passion and death, prayed to the Father for unity among his disciples (cf Jn 17:21), have a duty to promote an ever-growing reciprocal knowledge and active cooperation. Many disputes of the past beg to be revisited in the light of the new context in which we live, agreements and convergence will be achieved if we face the traditional conflicting questions with a new focus. Above all, we cannot forget that the shared profession of faith in God the Father, in his Son and in the Holy Spirit, in which we have been baptized, already unites us in bonds of authentic fraternity.
It has been six centuries since the tragic death of the renowned preacher and rector of the University of Prague, Jan Hus. Already in 1999, Saint John Paul II, intervening in an international Symposium dedicated to this memorable figure, expressed his profound regret for the cruel death imposed upon him, and ranked him among the reformers of the Church. In the light of this approach, we must continue our study of the person and the work of Jan Hus, who has long been a source of contention between Christians, even though today he has become the subject of dialogue. This research, conducted without ideological conditioning, will be an important contribution to historical truth, to all Christians and to all of society, even beyond the borders of your nation.
The Second Vatican Council affirmed that the renewal of the Church, which consists essentially in fidelity to its mission ... and without a doubt the basis of movement toward unity ... This renewal therefore has a particularly ecumenical importance (Unitatis redintegratio, 6). Today in particular, the need for a new evangelization of many men and women who appear indifferent to the joyful news of the gospel, makes it our urgent duty to renew through every ecclesial structure in order to provide a positive response to all those to whom Jesus offers his friendship (cf Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, 27). Visible communion between Christians will surely make this proclamation more credible.
The Second Vatican Council affirmed that the renewal of the Church, which consists essentially in fidelity to its mission ... and without a doubt the basis of movement toward unity ... This renewal therefore has a particularly ecumenical importance (Unitatis redintegratio, 6). Today in particular, the need for a new evangelization of many men and women who appear indifferent to the joyful news of the gospel, makes it our urgent duty to renew through every ecclesial structure in order to provide a positive response to all those to whom Jesus offers his friendship (cf Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, 27). Visible communion between Christians will surely make this proclamation more credible.
Responding to the call of Christ for continued conversion, which we all need, we can move forward together on the path of reconciliation and peace. Along this path, we learn, thank God, to recognize one another as friends and to consider motives of others in the best possible light. My wish is that such bonds of friendship might be developed at the level of local communities and parishes.
With these sentiments, I am spiritually united to the penitential liturgy which you will celebrate here in Rome. May God, who is rich in mercy, grant us the grace to recognize ourselves as sinners and to know how to forgive one another. I assure you of my prayer and I ask you all please to pray for me and for my ministry. Thank you.
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