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STATUS CIVITATIS VATICANAE

VATICAN CITY STATE 

THE HOLY SEE

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SECRETARY OF STATE OF HIS HOLINESS: POPE PAUL VISITS WORLD COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS IN GENEVA
_{VATICAN CITY | ROME, JULY MCMLXIX}

 BREAKING THE SILENCE ON ECUMENISM 

GENEVA — THE WORLD'S CITY

_{"May the Lord bless everything you do for the case of Christian Unity." — Pope Paul VI to the World Council of Churches}

_{| SECRETARIUS STATUS SANCTITATIS SUAE - | Julius Caesar was one of the first Romans to set foot in Geneva 2,000 years ago when he demolished a bridge there to prevent the Helvetians from traversing across the Rhone River. Not to demolish bridges but to construct new ones was the mission for yet another famous Roman figure who visited Geneva last week. Pope Paul VI made an unusual "fraternal visit" to the World Council of Churches offices in the city of John Calvin and Rousseau as part of his seventh, shortest, and arguably busiest journey abroad during his pontificate.}

_{The trip to Geneva was somewhat of a letdown in terms of public interest. The crowds were remarkably sparse, with the exception of an evening Mass celebrated outside by the Pope in the Pare de la Grange, which drew 60,000 attendees. Nine Presbyterian clergy picketed the World Council headquarters with posters that said "No peace with Rome" just before the Pope arrived, and some Protestant traditionalists expressed their disapproval of the visit by conducting a prayer vigil near the alleged tomb site of Calvin. The main danger to the day's tranquility was the radical Rev. Ian Paisley of Ulster, who was scheduled to stage a demonstration, but papal security guards stopped him at the airport before he could make a scene. Officially, the Pope's main engagement of the grueling twenty-hour workday was his speech to the International Labor Organization's 50th anniversary conference, to which he had initially been invited to Geneva for. In a passionate 40-minute address spanning 4,500 words, Paul provided his audience with an understanding and nearly comprehensive analysis of the issues facing the working class. He invoked the New Left philosopher Herbert Marcuse, who bemoaned the threat that technology posed to reduce humanity to a "one-dimensional" creature, and he lavishly praised French socialist Albert Thomas, who established the International Labor Organization (ILO) fifty years ago. The Pontiff stated that adolescent rebellion against a technological society that has no meaningful place for them "resounds like a signal of suffering and an appeal for justice."}

_{Pope Paul's meticulously orchestrated hour-long visit to the World Council offices was arguably the most fascinating part of the entire journey. In his welcoming remarks, World Council General Secretary Eugene Carson Blake, a Presbyterian, recognized the historic significance of the Pope's presence, informing the Pope that his visit "proclaims to the whole world that the ecumenical movement flows on ever wider, ever deeper toward the unity and renewal of Christ's church." Pope Paul appeared to suggest that such unity might need to wait for a while. By bringing up his papal position directly, Paul surprised a few World Council members and raised the one problem that would probably keep the Catholic Church out of the organization for some time to come. "Our name is Peter," the Pope declared. "Scripture tells us which meaning Christ has willed to attribute to this name, what duties He lays upon us, the responsibilities of the apostle and his successors."}

_{In any case, it seems unlikely that Roman Catholics will be able to join the World Council while Paul is the Supreme Pontiff. "In fraternal frankness," said the Pope, "we do not consider that the question is so mature that a positive answer could or should be given. The question still remains a hypothesis. It contains serious theological and pastoral implications." Paul nevertheless praised the World Council with great affection, calling it a "marvelous movement of Christians, 'of children of God scattered abroad." The Pope gave the council the assurance that "the search for the unity willed by Christ" would always serve as a guiding principle of the Roman Catholic Church. Paul VI then attended a brief ecumenical service with Blake and other council officials, accompanied by his entourage. The ceremony included a shared recitation of the Lord's Prayer and a biblical reading by Jan Cardinal Willebrands. The interdenominational chapel of the council was not the venue chosen by the Pontiff for the service, although he did stop there for a silent prayer before departing.}

_{Even though Paul's address was cautious and less than promising, the World Council was still happy with his presence; noting that only a decade ago, the Vatican severely chastised a Catholic priest for attending a Geneva World Council luncheon. One World Council official at the top of the organization's echelons said, "The Pope's visit required courage." "This is a place where he is often rubbed the wrong way." According to some press officials, the fact that the Pope had visited in any case meant that Paul had "consecrated the Vatican II decree on ecumenism, which finally recognized 'the others' as churches in their own right." |}

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,

Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.