Pope Benedict XVI's Papal resignation, a direct affront to papolatry, is a prophetic act of Christian unity. What the resignation says, loud and clear, is that no mere man, even any particular Pope, is indispensable. Pope's come and go, Saint Peter remains! And every man, not just the Pope, is responsible to the Lord.
Summorum Pontificum and Anglicanorum coetibus should also be seen as part of the same tireless effort for unity under the one true God, Jesus Christ, in one Body, His Church.
Here is the relevant text from that first homily, Pope Benedict's "Mission Statement."
"With full awareness,...at the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome which Peter bathed in his blood, Peter's current Successor takes on as his primary task the duty to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers. This is his ambition, his impelling duty. He is aware that good intentions do not suffice for this. Concrete gestures that enter hearts and stir consciences are essential, inspiring in everyone that inner conversion that is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress.
"Theological dialogue is necessary; the investigation of the historical reasons for the decisions made in the past is also indispensable. But what is most urgently needed is that "purification of memory", so often recalled by John Paul II, which alone can dispose souls to accept the full truth of Christ. Each one of us must come before him, the supreme Judge of every living person, and render an account to him of all we have done or have failed to do to further the great good of the full and visible unity of all his disciples."
Today is the 13th anniversary of that homily.
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