Benedict XVI is the Pope of Christian Unity

We should be speaking of Pope Benedict as "The Pope of Christian Unity".

Here is my manifesto on this project.

Liberals want you to allow them to define what ecumenism is, what religious liberty is.

The liberal Catholics will try to pull a sleight of hand.  They will attempt to get you to believe that what Pope Benedict is doing is not true ecumenism. 

They will claim to be the sole arbiters of true ecumenism.

They will claim that conservative Catholics, traditional Catholics are not interested in true ecumenism.

Do not accept their definition or their premises.

Pope Benedict is showing everyone a true Christian approach to Christian unity.

I hope the epithet will catch on. 

I just read an article in which the present head of the Traditional Anglican Communion said:

"If (the pope) deals with other groups as creatively and as warmly and pastorally as he has dealt with us, he is the pope of (Christian) unity," Archbishop Hepworth said. 

The parentheses are in the original.

See also these posts:

Quarant’ Ore and the Pope of Christian Unity by Fr. Finigan

Anglican ‘First Fruits’ for the ‘Pope of Christian Unity’ By Deacon Keith Fournier

You can do a search on "Pope of Christian Unity" to see who is picking this up.

We should be speaking of Pope Benedict as "The Pope of Christian Unity".

Use it.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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11 Comments

  1. Supertradmom says:

    Cool, which is a word the young have brought back in to the popular vocab. And, I am praying for the upcoming meeting between Benedict, the Pope of Christian Unity and Rowan Williams.

  2. Supertradmom says:

    Cool, which is a word the young have brought back in to the popular vocab. And, I am praying for the upcoming meeting between Benedict, the Pope of Christian Unity and Rowan Williams. I cannot help but wonder about that conversation.

  3. Timbot2000 says:

    It almost seems Tolkein-esque in a way.
    Paul VI was sometimes like Theoden King, only with not one, but a brace of Grima Wyrmtounges to contend with.
    JPII Was sometimes like the renewed Theoden, brave and exhorting his people, but so many of his best men fled, short of men, and short of allies
    BXVI is like Ganadlf and Aragorn rolled into one, or like Thorin from the Hobbitt
    ‘”To me! To me! Elves and Men! To me! O my kinsfolk!” he cried, and his voice shook like a horn in the valley.
    Down….Rushed all the Dwarves of Dain to his help. Down too came many of the lake men, for Bard could not restrain them; and out…came many of …the elves’

  4. stephenocist says:

    Well said, Father!

    And, as the usual suspects shriek about the apostolic constitution, we should also add the title

    “The Pope of Active Participation”

    for all of the opportunities for clerical and lay input that the Holy Father has given in the governing structures of the Anglican ordinariates. Surely those who have denigrated the TLM for its alleged lack of active participation will now praise the Holy Father for all of the opportunities he is providing to Anglicans.

    Or maybe not…

    I wrote about this earlier in the week for those who are interested:

    http://subtuum.blogspot.com/2009/11/pope-of-active-participation.html

  5. 3D says:

    Pope Benedict is the “Glory of the Olive,” as prophecized by St. Malachi in his list of future popes. It has been the belief for hundreds of years that this pope would be a great uniter because of the relation to the olive branch.

    The prophecy is coming true before our eyes.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophecy_of_the_Popes#Pope_Benedict_XVI_.28Gloria_olivae.29

  6. Jason Keener says:

    I know of a theology professor here in the Milwaukee, WI, area who is all upset about the Pope of Christian Unity’s outreach to the Anglicans. This professor believes that the Pope should not be trying to convert people. BALONEY!

    Catholics should be willing to walk across hot coals to convert every person to the Catholic Church, so that every person might have full access to the gifts Christ left to the True Church. With regards to ecumenism, the only charitable thing for the Pope to do is to work tirelessly so that all non-Catholics might finally have access to the Holy Eucharist, to true doctrine, and to the unity that is found in the Catholic Faith.

    Those “Catholics” who ridicule the Pope for opening the door to Anglicans should honestly be ashamed of themselves. Is the Vicar of Christ supposed to tell people who are knocking at the door of the Church that they should instead remain in their religion that is only partially true? And for what? So that no one like the Archbishop of Canterbury gets upset? So that we don’t rock the boat of political correctness? Wake up, people. Getting souls safely into the Barque of Peter is more important than any silly political correctness.

    This is truly an insane age that we live in where Catholic “thinkers” would elevate political correctness and dialogue above absolute truth and people’s eternal salvation.

    Frank Sheed, The Great Catholic Apologist, pray for us!

  7. Melania says:

    I completely agree that it’s important not to allow liberals to define “ecumenism” or in fact any other concept. Defining the terms of the debate is a very powerful strategy and we should not yield to any efforts by the Left to do so. I’ll certainly do my part.

  8. Al says:

    This is a MOST IMPORTANT initiative. The libs want to control the conversation, the agenda, this is how they always win by setting the terms. WE must set the terms with God’s Grace…The Pope of Christian Unity indeed!

  9. patrick_f says:

    The libs like the fact there are divisions, I would argue, because it gives their life purpose, their false ecumenism. Answer me this, what purpose would they serve at all, once complete reunification happens?

    The question is of course, rhetorical

  10. irishgirl says:

    When I offer my Rosary intentions, I now say, ‘For our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, the Pope of Christian Unity’.

    I know some traditional Catholics who do not like Pope Benedict, even more than they [dis] liked John Paul II. I don’t even know if they have ever read ‘Summorum Pontificium’ or even the Apostolic Constitution on the Anglicans. To them, ‘ecumenism’ is still a dirty word from VC II. I’m not smart enough-or eloquent enough-to tell them otherwise.

    But I will remain a lone “papist’ among the trads, and I’ll shout it out: ‘Long live Benedict XVI, the Pope of [true] Christian Unity’!

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