Pope welcomes Lutheran delegation from Finland

(January 19, 2009) While welcoming a Lutheran delegation from Finland on Monday, Pope Benedict XVI fervently hoped that the already good relations between Lutherans and Catholics will continue improving. The Lutheran delegation was on an annual visit to Rome during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, to mark the January 19 feast of St. Henrik, the patron of Finland. “These pilgrimages,” the Pope told the delegation, “are an occasion for shared prayer, reflection and dialogue in the service of our quest for full communion.” Reminding the group of the theme of the Week of Prayer of Christian Unity, “That they may become one in your hand”, taken from the Boook of Ezekiel, the Pope said ‘in the context of ecumenism, it speaks to us of God who constantly draws us into deeper unity in Christ, by renewing us and liberating us from our divisions.’ Commending the Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue Commission’s continuing work in Finland and Sweden on the ‘Joint Declaration on Justification’ the Pope said, “it is my fervent hope that your visit to Rome will further strengthen the ecumenical relations between Lutherans and Catholics in Finland, which have been so positive for many years.