Pope says Christian unity efforts at 'critical juncture'
SYDNEY (AFP) — Efforts to promote unity within different denominations of the Christian faith are at a "critical juncture", Pope Benedict XVI told other Christian leaders in Australia Friday.
His statement came as Anglican bishops gathered at Canterbury in England amid growing splits between liberals and conservatives over the ordination of women and gays as bishops.
"Dear friends in Christ, I think you would agree that the ecumenical movement has reached a critical juncture," the pope said at a meeting with leaders from other churches in Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral.
The pope, who has joined about 200,000 Catholic pilgrims in the city for World Youth Day, went on to say that doctrine should not be seen as divisive.
"We must guard against any temptation to view doctrine as divisive and hence an impediment to the seemingly more pressing and immediate task of improving the world in which we live."
The pope said accepting spiritual gifts from other Christians made it easier to perceive the truth.
"Dear friends, your presence fills me with the ardent hope that as we pursue together the path to full unity, we will have the courage to give common witness to Christ."
Benedict did not elaborate on what he saw as the critical juncture in the search for greater unity but his comments came as the Anglican Church faces a growing crisis.
Anglican bishops from around the world gathered at Canterbury this week for a once-a-decade meeting amid splits between liberal and conservative elements of the church.
Around 650 bishops were to attend the 20-day conference with the issue of the position of gays and women in the church expected to dominate.
About a quarter of the church's bishops -- including most from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda -- are staying away, a week after the Church of England approved the ordination of women bishops.
The pope was to meet leaders from the Muslim and Jewish faiths later Friday before taking part in a special staging of the stations of the cross depicting the last days of Jesus Christ's life.
World Youth Day, aimed at strengthening the faith of young Catholics, ends on Sunday with a mass, which organisers hope will attract 500,000 people.
