Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has called Catholics and Lutherans to strengthen their shared witness to Christ and continue their ecumenical journey towards greater Christian unity.
The Pope made the appeal on Thursday during an audience with representatives of the Lutheran World Federation. He welcomed the progress made in Lutheran Catholic relations in recent decades, particularly in spiritual and theological dialogue.
Pope Leo noted that international dialogue between the Lutheran and Catholic Churches is now in its sixth phase. He encouraged both communities to continue building on this progress while keeping Christ and the Gospel at the centre of their efforts.
Recalling an invitation made by Pope Francis in 2021, Pope Leo said ecumenism can help Christians purify memories and move beyond rigid attitudes that have contributed to divisions among Christians.
He stressed that ecumenism should not be understood simply as negotiations between Churches. Instead, he described it as a journey of grace that depends on God's grace rather than only on human agreements.
The Pope said the aim of this journey is renewed communion in the apostolic faith, the sacraments and ministries, with Catholics and Lutherans walking together under the guidance of the Gospel.
Looking ahead, Pope Leo highlighted the year 2030, which will mark 500 years since the Augsburg Confession. He said the anniversary could provide an opportunity to revisit a moment that became a source of division and turn it into a significant ecumenical experience that brings Christians closer to full and visible unity.
The Augsburg Confession, also known as the Confessio Augustana, was originally intended as a document that expressed a desire for reconciliation within the Church. Over time, however, it came to be understood as a text associated with confessional division.
Pope Leo recalled the words of Pope St. John Paul II, who pointed to the intention of the authors of the Augsburg Confession to bear witness to their faith in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
As Christians prepare for the 2030 anniversary, Pope Leo encouraged Catholics, Lutherans and particularly theologians to focus their attention on Christ and rediscover the common foundations of their faith.
He called them to return to the faith of the early Church and the Church Fathers and to rediscover the apostolic heritage that existed before later confessional divisions.
The Pope also emphasised the shared missionary responsibility of Catholics and Lutherans. He warned against allowing Christ to become a distant or unfamiliar word in today's world and urged Christians to make the Gospel known through their common witness.
He concluded by stressing the need for Christians whose lives and actions point others towards Christ, saying that Christ alone is the living source capable of responding to humanity's deepest longings.