The impulse to ecumenism was another of the great themes from the beginning of the Second Vatican Council. This was not the case with the reflection on dialogue with religions, which came later.

Benedict XVI has pointed to the fact that Protestant and Catholic Christians suffered persecution under Nazism as an important factor in the fact that, during the Council, especially the German episcopate pushed for a greater deepening of unity among Christians (cf. Unpublished published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Vatican Council, 2-VIII-2012 and also the meeting with the Roman clergy, 14-II-2013).

He had addressed this topic on November 15 last year, before the plenary assembly of the Pontifical committee for Christian Unity, gathered to study "the importance of ecumenism for the new evangelization".

In the context of the Year of Faith, the Pope quoted the words of the conciliar decree on ecumenism, when, lamenting the division among Christians, he affirmed: "This division clearly and openly contradicts the will of Christ, is a scandal to the world and harms the most holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature" (Decree Unitatis redintegratio, n. 1).

The Council refers to the "priestly prayer" of Jesus, who addresses the Father, that his disciples "may be one, so that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21). Benedict XVI observed: "In this great prayer (Jesus) invokes unity four times for the disciples of that time and for those of the future, and twice he indicates as goal of such unity that the world may believe, that it may 'recognize' him as the one sent by the Father. Thus," the Pope said, "there is a close link between the fate of evangelization and the witness of unity among Christians.

On that occasion, the Pope made the current framework even more concrete, referring to the crisis of faith that is affecting a large part of the world, especially in countries that were the first where the Gospel was proclaimed and flourished for centuries. Although a certain search for spirituality survives, "the spiritual poverty of many of our contemporaries - who no longer perceive the absence of God from their lives as deprivation - represents a challenge for all Christians". 

"In this context," Benedict XVI maintained, "we believers in Christ are asked to return to what is essential, to the heart of our faith, to bear witness together to the living God to the world, that is, to a God who knows us and loves us, in whose gaze we live; to a God who awaits the response of our love in everyday life.

And he insisted: "In fact, bearing witness to the living God, who has come near in Christ, is the most urgent imperative for all Christians, and it is also an imperative that unites us, despite the incomplete ecclesial communion that we still experience. We must not forget what unites us, that is, faith in God, Father and Creator, who has revealed himself in his Son Jesus Christ, pouring out the Spirit who vivifies and sanctifies. This is the faith of the Baptism we have received and it is the faith which, in hope and charity, we can profess together."

Hence also the importance of theological dialogues, prayer and cooperation in fundamental aspects of human promotion (the dignity of the person, the defense of life and the family, the application for justice and attention to the most needy, etc.) with our separated brethren. But above all, the Pope pointed out, let us not forget that unity is a gift of God and not the fruit of our own efforts. For this reason we must seek communion - full and visible - in faith, in the sacraments and in the ecclesial ministry.

Finally, in relation to faith, the Pope pointed out that unity is, on the one hand, the fruit of faith and, on the other, a means and almost a budget to proclaim the faith or to help rediscover it. When partnership human with the divine gift, "true ecumenism, recognizing the primacy of divine action, requires above all patience, humility, withdrawal to the will of the Lord", and ultimately, both ecumenism and the new evangelization require the "dynamism of conversion"; that is: "sincere willingness to follow Christ and to adhere fully to the will of the Father".

With regard to dialogue with non-Christian religions, in the meeting with the priests of Rome, Benedict X evoked, in a simple and lively way, some facts known to specialists, but not to the general public, about the conciliar declaration Nostra aetate. His account has the special value of one who witnessed and, to a great extent, played a leading role in those events and the evaluation of one who has followed his development both from the theological and pastoral point of view, especially in these years of his pontificate.

"Our Jewish friends were present from the beginning, and they said, above all to us Germans, but not only to us, that after the sad events of this Nazi century, of the Nazi decade, the Catholic Church should say a word about the Old Testament, about the Jewish people. They said: 'Although it is clear that the Church is not manager of the Shoah, those who committed those crimes were largely Christians; we must deepen and renew the Christian conscience, even knowing well that true believers have always resisted against these things'. And so - the Pope continues his explanation - it became clear that the relationship with the world of the ancient People of God had to be the object of reflection".

And he added: "It is also understandable that the Arab countries - the bishops of the Arab countries - were not so enthusiastic about this: they were a bit afraid of a glorification of the State of Israel, which they naturally did not want. They said: 'Well, a truly theological indication about the Jewish people is good, it is necessary, but if you talk about this, talk also about Islam; only then are we in balance; also Islam is a great challenge and the Church must also clarify its relationship with Islam.' Something that we, at that time, had not understood much, a little perhaps, but not much. Today we know how necessary it was".

The reflection on religions did not stop there. "When we also started working on Islam, we were told: 'But there are also other religions in the world: all of Asia. Think of Buddhism, Hinduism...'. And so, instead of a declaration initially thought only about the ancient People of God, a text on interreligious dialogue was created, anticipating what thirty years later was shown in all its intensity and importance."

The conciliar text on religions, the Pope affirmed, briefly indicates the essential. The uniqueness of Christ is affirmed, that is, "the reality of the living God who has spoken, and is a God, is an incarnate God, therefore a Word of God, who is truly the Word of God". At the same time, the diversity of faith and religious experience is taken into account: the light of reason from creation, and therefore the possibility of dialogue and of advancing in peace among all the children of God.

The Pope also referred to dialogue with non-Christian religions in his unpublished text -already cited- of August 2, 2012. At the end of that text, he observed that the Second Vatican Council did not develop something of which there has been a growing awareness since then: the reference letter to "unhealthy and distorted forms of religion, which from the historical and theological point of view have a great scope". For this reason, he concluded, the Christian faith has from the beginning been critical of religion, both inwardly and outwardly.