Over 240 representatives of all denominations met in Ghana to “discuss together the challenges that the global Christian community is facing today”, Pope Francis said in a message
Also Pope Francis sent a message from him at the fourth world meeting of Global Christian Forum (GFC), held in Accra, the capital of Ghana, from 16 to 19 April. The event brought together representatives of different Christian faiths, with the aim of deepening commonalities and sharing community experiences. «Your assembly – wrote the Pontiff in the message read by Monsignor Flavio Pace, secretary of the Dicastery for the promotion of Christian Unity – sees participants from all over the world, which reflects the beautiful mosaic of contemporary Christianity with its rich diversity while being grounded in our shared identity as followers of Jesus Christ.”
More than 240 people arrived in Accra, coming from 60 countries, with representatives of the Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal faiths; Representatives of independent Churches and international ecumenical organizations also took part. «This year’s theme, “And the world knows” (Jn 17, 23b) – continues Pope Francis – calls Christians to embody the unity and love of the Triune God in their personal ecclesial lives, so as to offer their own testimony in a world marked by divisions and rivalries».
The Global Christian Forum has been trying to promote this unity for 25 years, through regional and global meetings and gatherings. The Accra Forum created a space for discussion for new expressions of Christianity, in relation to which the Holy Father underlined how the proposals contributed above all to strengthening the bond between Christian faiths with different histories, pushing them to grow in brotherhood thanks to the encounter in Christ.
About twenty Catholics were present at the gathering and several lay people, priests and members of various religious communities who actively engaged in the implementation of the program, which included liturgies, biblical exegesis, reflections and testimonies in plenaries and round tables. The topics of discussion changed daily: “Wounded in their humanity”, “Healed through Christ” and again “Sent by God”. The program also included a visit to Cape Coast Fort, one of the slave trade forts, built by European slavers. The responsibility of the Churches in the slave trade was recognized during one of the celebrations held in the Methodist cathedral of Accra, during which the faithful asked for forgiveness and called for reconciliation.
Monsignor Flavio Pace, during his speech, also recalled that ecumenical unity represents one of the fundamental points for continuing the synodal path of the Catholic Church started by the Pope in 2021, as also stated in the Summary Report of the Ordinary General Assembly of Synod of bishops meeting in October 2023: “There cannot be synodality without the ecumenical dimension.” Precisely for these reasons, delegates from other confessions will also be present at the next Assembly in October, in greater numbers than last year. A clear signal of the desire to work increasingly together in the future for the promotion of the Gospel.
It is with a note of hope that Pope Francis’ message ends: «May this meeting, precisely on the occasion of the silver anniversary of the Forum, be able to intensify your faith and give new life to your fraternal love by praying together, exchanging your personal stories and discussing the challenges facing the global Christian community today.”