VATICAN - The Holy Father tells members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches: “The world needs a visible sign of the mystery of unity that binds the three divine Persons and, that two thousand years ago, with the Incarnation of the Son of God, was revealed to us.”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – At the close of the Meeting held by the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received the participants in an audience on January 31. He began, saying: “At the end of this week of dedicated work we can give thanks together to the Lord for your steadfast commitment to the search for reconciliation and communion in the Body of Christ which is the Church.”
“The world needs a visible sign of the mystery of unity that binds the three divine Persons and, that two thousand years ago, with the Incarnation of the Son of God, was revealed to us... Our communion through the grace of the Holy Spirit in the life that unites the Father and the Son has a perceptible dimension within the Church, the Body of Christ, 'the fullness of him who fills all in all' (Eph 1:23), and we all have a duty to work for the manifestation of that essential dimension of the Church to the world.
Benedict XVI then expressed his delight at recalling that the meeting, “has taken important steps precisely in the study of the Church as communion. The very fact that the dialogue has continued over time and is hosted each year by one of the several Churches you represent is itself a sign of hope and encouragement.” Encouraging them to look to the Middle East, the Pope highlighted that “true seeds of hope are urgently needed in a world wounded by the tragedy of division, conflict and immense human suffering.”
In closing, the Pope recalled the recent Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which concluded with a ceremony in the Basilica of Saint Paul, saying that “Paul was the first great champion and theologian of the Church’s unity. His efforts and struggles were inspired by the enduring aspiration to maintain a visible, not merely external, but real and full communion among the Lord’s disciples. Therefore, through Paul’s intercession, I ask for God’s blessings on you all, and on the Churches and the peoples you represent.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 2/2/2009)