The Second Vatican Council pointed out the theological instructions for the ecumenical task: baptism and the "elements of truth and goodness" possessed by Churches and ecclesial communities that are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. This moved in the perspective of the whole Church, of the universal Church.

      On the occasion of the new Ecumenical Vademecum ("The Bishop and Christian Unity", 5-VI-2020), aimed at fostering Christian unity from the local and particular Churches, it is worth considering first the importance of this task, which we call ecumenism. Secondly, we present the contents and most relevant aspects of the document.

      1. The Council taught that the promotion of Christian unity is part of the Church's great and unique "mission statement" (bringing humanity to God) because Christ expressly willed it. Christ affirmed that, in the fulfillment of this mission statement, Christian unity was a necessary condition, and for this reason he prayed for it in his priestly prayer just before his passion: "That they may all be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (Jn 17:21).

 Therefore, the unity of Christians, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit before it is our task, has a profound and supreme model in the unity of the Trinity. And it has a purpose in history: "so that the world may believe"; that is, the purpose of the mission statement. All Christians are responsible for spreading the Gospel, each according to his or her circumstances. Therefore, all of us must also participate in the ecumenical task, which is an important part of evangelization.

In addition to this fundamental motive, other motives can be adduced. These are the ones pointed out by John Paul II when he wrote about the prayer of Jesus.

"The invocation that they may be one is at once an imperative that compels us, a strength that sustains us and a salutary reproach for our idleness and narrowness of heart. The confidence that we can achieve, even in history, the full and visible communion of all Christians rests on the prayer of Jesus, not on our own abilities" (Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, 2001, n. 48).

Pope Wojtyla had previously pointed out that "the Church must breathe with her lungs," the Western and the Eastern (encyclical Ut unum sint, May 25, 1995).

            In final, the missionary (or evangelizing) commitment and the ecumenical commitment go together, because the fundamental witness that we Christians have to give in order to carry out our evangelizing mission statement is, above all today, that of our unity. That is why this unity is urgent and concerns all Christians (*).

            2. This ecumenical vade-mecum is therefore situated in relation to John Paul II's encyclical Ut unum sint (1993). In it he confirmed the ecumenical commitment that the Catholic Church had irreversibly acquired at Vatican II. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of that encyclical, Pope Francis had already announced this "vademecum for bishops" in a letter to the Pontifical committee for Christian unity on June 24 of this year.

            This vademecum recalls the duty and obligation on the part of the bishops to promote the unity of Christians from their own Church and also among all the baptized (since the bishop, by belonging to the episcopal high school , also participates in the "application for all the Churches").

            The document consists of an introduction and two parts.

            In the introduction the following aspects are underlined: the search for unity is essential to the nature of the Church; the faith that other Christians have with the Catholic faithful a real communion, even if incomplete; the conviction that the unity of Christians is a vocation of the whole Church (it also concerns the local or particular Churches and, therefore, the bishops as visible principles of unity; the service that this vademecum wishes to render as guide for the bishop in his function of discernment.

            The first part sample promotes ecumenism within the Catholic Church, in its own life and Structures, as a challenge first and foremost for Catholics. Bishops should promote dialogue with other Christians, orienting and directing ecumenical initiatives taking place within Catholic communities. To this end, they should organize local ecumenical Structures and take care of the ecumenical training of all the faithful (laity, seminarians and clergy), as well as of the media in relation to this topic.

The second part delves into the relationship of the Catholic Church with other Christians. It explains the various modalities of the ecumenical task in this engagement with other Christian communities. It should be noted that on internship much ecumenical activity will involve several of these modalities simultaneously.

            1) "Spiritual ecumenism" (based on prayer, conversion and holiness on the part of all).

            He stresses the importance of the Holy Scriptures, the "purification of the report" (which St. Paul VI began at the time of the Second Vatican Council, and to which Francis has contributed in 2017 with the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation) and the "ecumenism of blood" (because of the persecution and martyrdom of Christians).

            2) The "dialogue of charity", based on human fraternity and above all on baptism. This is the framework of the "culture of meeting" promoted by Francis.

            3) The "dialogue of truth", as exchange of the gifts that everyone can bring, in order to lead to the restoration of the unity of the faith. It is a dialogue that does not aim at the lowest common denominator, but "must be carried out with the acceptance of the whole truth" (Encyclical Ut unum sint, 36). This dialogue takes the form of theological dialogue at the international, national and diocesan levels, and requires "reception" (i.e., discernment and assimilation by Christian communities of the authentically Christian teaching ).

            4) The "dialogue of life", within the scope of the evangelizing and pastoral mission statement , in service to the world and through culture, with patience and perseverance.

            In this fourth context, three areas can be distinguished:

            a) What is called "pastoral ecumenism", that is, the promotion of Christian unity through pastoral ministry, missions, catechesis, sacramental life and liturgy, and the welcoming of those who wish to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.

            b) "Practical ecumenism", through the joint cooperation of Christians in the different fields of ethics and social justice, care for the most needy, care for life and the created world, etc. It emphasizes the common service of Christians as a witness to their faith and hope, while promoting an integral Christian vision of the dignity of the person.

Also important is interreligious dialogue between Christians and other religious traditions, which aims to cooperate and establish good relations with believers of various religions, although it is a different task from ecumenical dialogue. As the 1993 ecumenical directory already pointed out, through this mutual ecumenical cooperation in dialogue with other religions, Christians can deepen the Degree communion that exists among themselves; and they can combat anti-Semitism, religious fanaticism and sectarianism.

            c) "Cultural ecumenism", aimed at the understanding of the respective cultures and the promotion of the inculturation of the Gospel through concrete common cultural projects (of subject academic, scientific or artistic).

As has been said these days, ecumenism has much to do with dialogue. That is why the bishops must be people of dialogue, they must promote it as a method of evangelization, and encourage the existence of spaces for dialogue at all levels. Certainly, dialogue has been considered as an icon of ecumenism. Dialogue does not replace the advertisement of faith, but is a way and a path that Jesus himself walked, to lead us to truth and full life.

The present vademecum offers orientations and "practical recommendations" for the exercise of ecumenism in the local and particular Churches. It is a good occasion to rekindle faith and prayer, commitment and responsibility of Christians in this area, so important for various reasons; for, as it is said in the conclusion of the document, "the death and resurrection of Christ mark the victory final of God over sin and division; the victory over injustice and over every form of evil".

Therefore, as Cardinal Ouellet rightly pointed out at presentation , "a Catholic never tires of taking the first step towards rapprochement, because the charity that inhabits him compels him to forgive, to share and to persevere in his commitment".

(*) Among other fundamental texts for orientation in matters of ecumenism, the following should be highlighted: the decree Unitatis redintegratio (1964) of the Second Vatican Council; the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (1990); the Code of Canon Law of the Eastern Churches (1990); the directory for the application of the principles and norms on the ecumenism (1993); the encyclical of John Paul II, Ut unum sint ( 1995).