Pope Francis told a group of Lutheran leaders on June 25 that the desire for unity grows the more Christians understand how much Christ suffers over our divisions. In a June 25 meeting with representatives of the Lutheran World Federation, the pope said: “The passion for unity matures through the suffering that is felt in the face of the wounds we have inflicted on the Body of Christ.”
“When we feel pain for the division of Christians, we get closer to what Jesus experiences, continuing to see his disciples disunited, his garments torn apart,” he said.
Archbishop Panti Filibus Musa, president of the Lutheran World Federation, and the Rev. Martin Junge, the organization’s general secretary, were among those who met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday. In his speech, the pope thanked the group for gifting him a paten and a chalice made in the studios of the ecumenical community Taizé.