On Saturday 23rd January, at the Archbishop’s Curia, Floriana, Archbishop Paul Cremona O.P. welcomed those involved in ecumenical activities in the Archdiocese of Malta. This meeting – the first of its kind – was organized by the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission on the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
In a short welcome address, Fr Hector Scerri, President of the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission, thanked the Archbishop for graciously hosting those who locally are actively engaged in ecumenism. He described the positive atmosphere during the Ecumenical Service held on Thursday at St Andrew’s Scots Church, Valletta, an atmosphere marked by common prayer, fraternity nd common witness. He referred to the conclusion of the homily at the service where it was said that Christian witness is not a message which becomes an experience, but an experience which becomes a message.
In his message, Archbishop Cremona said that Christians from different Churches and communities are to give greater importance to what unites them rather than to what divides them from each other. He stressed that Christian witness – a witness which is to be borne jointly – is the result of a deeply personal relationship with Jesus. This is what Christians together are to transmit to society.
Those present at the meeting included the members of the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission, the Malta Ecumenical Council, priests and pastors from the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Church of England and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. At the meeting there was a delegation from the Female Branch of Catholic Action who are members of the Ecumenical Forum of European Christian Women (EFECW).
Click on the photo to enlarge. The photos of the Archbishop’s events may be purchased from PHOTOCITY, Valletta. Tel: 21236723. Email: [email protected]