아시아 12/01/20 Pastor calls for Christian unity - Says faithful must move beyond toleration and embrace others as part of body of Christ..Stephen Hong

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Pastor calls for Christian unity

Says faithful must move beyond toleration and embrace others as part of body of Christ

Stephen Hong, Seoul
Korea
January 20, 2012

Orthodox priests blessing wine and Korean rice cake during their traditional liturgy.

A pastor yesterday told an assembly of interdenominational Church leaders that true Christian unity must extend beyond mere tolerance and involve recognition of all Christian people as being in communion with Christ.

Reverend Park Wi-geun addressed about 100 participants of a prayer meeting for unity among Korea’s Orthodox Church at St Nicholas Cathedral in Seoul.

“If a Christian feels hatred or jealousy towards other Christians, [they] must realize that we are all parts of the body of Christ,” he said.

“To be one, we need to start from mutual understanding, recognize the differences among us and pay regard to each other.”

Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, apostolic nuncio to Korea, expressed congratulations during a speech to the assembly for what he called the steady movement towards ecumenism in the country and a significant change in the relations among believes.

But citing Pope Benedict XVI, he said the re-establishing of unity cannot be reduced to mere recognition of reciprocal differences and peaceful coexistence.

He said Christians yearn for “the unity expressed in the communion of faith, sacraments and ministry.”

Reverend Kim Young-Ju, secretary general of the National Council of Churches in Korea, reminded the assembly that Christians in the early Church valued experiencing the liturgy together and the sharing of bread, and that modern Christians needed to live as the “bread of the world.”