On Saturday afternoon, 6 July, vying with what seemed like the first real taste of summer sun so far this year, the Focolare Centre for Unity in Welwyn Garden City was packed to overflowing as people came from far and wide to hear Cardinal Cormac Murphy-OāConnor deliver a memorial lecture to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Focolareās founder, Chiara Lubich. Members and friends of the Focolare representing various denominations were present alongside local clergy and ecumenical officers.
āThe ecumenical legacy of the Vatican Councilā was the Cardinalās chosen theme and those present were treated not so much to a formal lecture but to a deep and moving insight into ecumenism of one who had lived it with the wisdom of his years and who spoke with a warmth and a passion that communicated an optimism and a hope spurred on not least by the recent appointments of Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby.
The Cardinal began by recognising the contribution of the Focolare spirituality of unity and its ecumenical work which pre-dated the time of the Council. He spoke of Chiara Lubich as āone of the bright luminaries of our century, of the centuriesā and considered her ānumbered among the blessed in heavenā.
Cardinal Cormac summed up the legacy of Vatican II as one which held no space for prophets of doom. He recalled the Council decree on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, and its bold proclamation that āthere is no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart … without inner conversion, newness of attitude and unstinted loveā.
Suspicion, inertia and impatience were cited as the three enemies of ecumenism and drawing on his own rich experience both in his time as a priest and later Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, and in latter years as Archbishop of Westminster, the Cardinal summed up ecumenical endeavour as something which begins locally from a relationship with those around us believing that āecumenism is blessed where people areā.
Over the 50 years since the Vatican Council, the ecumenical journey has known significant historic moments. Among these the Cardinal highlighted Pope John Paul IIās visit to Canterbury Cathedral in 1982 which he saw as āa beginning of new life, new hopeā. The Cardinal also cited the importance of Pope Francisā recent meeting with Archbishop Justin Welby.
Cardinal Cormac spoke warmly of his time as co-Chair of ARCIC with Bishop Mark Santer as āa learning experience of prayer, friendship, and a new appreciation of what unites both Churches … ARCIC was an experience of the real communion that exists between our churches which unites us in the Holy Spirit and together we grow from thatā.
The Cardinal challenged those present saying that ecumenism isnāt an option; it is a road with no exit and we all have a part to play. The fact that Pope Francis refers frequently to himself as āBishop of Romeā seemed to suggest a spirit of collegiality already heralded in Vatican II and to those present it pointed to a bright ecumenical future.
The Cardinal concluded his lecture by recalling Pope Francisā recent address where he urged that bishops might be āshepherds for the flock … to tend hope and have sun and light in their heartsā. In recalling the Popeās words, Cardinal Cormac communicated an optimism reminiscent of the Vatican Council. This was not simply a looking back with nostalgia at the good old days but a looking forward conscious that āthe work of ecumenism is Godās workā and our joint task is āto communicate Godās love to his people with that same sun and light in our livesā.
Following a lively and inspiring question and answer session, Bishop Robin Smith, retired Anglican Bishop of Hertford, offered a vote of thanks reiterating the Cardinalās affirmation of personal relationships in ecumenism and underlined that it is on these that the future of the Church, not least the unity of the Church, depends.
