This ceremony, along with the blessing of Advent wreaths on the First Sunday of Advent, is one of the longstanding ecumenical liturgies with which many parishioners have become familiar. The sharing of the Word and the desire to change and turn back to God is common to all Christians. The stress of Vatican II was to look at what we hold in common before looking at the differences. That goes for the relationship of the Catholic Church to non-Christians as well as other ecclesial communities or churches not in full communion with Rome. It is a reality that there is work that remains to be done. The Joint Declaration on Justification in 1999 was a major step forward but much of the implications of that document are yet to emerge. A shared idea of authority and the sacraments are examples of that. For the moment we should rejoice to share in prayer as we are all Christians. Nevertheless, there should be no false ecumenism which dilutes the faith or papers over the cracks that exist in the minds of the faithful as well as the theology of the academics and clergy. As attitude of repentance and sorrow for the outrages and bigotry of the past is appropriate however it is not a substitute for the truth when it comes to doctrine.
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