Sir John Ribat, the newly appointed cardinal from Papua New Guinea says both Catholics and Protestants have to live with they pain they have because they cannot share Holy Communion during Mass.
“But that for the moment this is what they all have to live with as they push towards full Christian Unity.” he added
He was speaking on Vatican radio in an interview with Linda Bordoni while in Rome to receive his red cardinal’s hat.
Ribat said full Christian unity is a “pathway that leads to lasting peace and friendship especially at this moment in history which is seeing so many divisions and conflicts.”
He talked about his personal, very deep, experience of dialogue and sharing with other communions as he comes from a family where many of his relatives are from the Methodist tradition.
Ribat suggested that perhaps his ecumenical commitment is one of the reasons Pope Francis chose him to be part of the College of Cardinals.
Ribat is the chairman of the ecumenical movement in Papua New Guinea – to promote ecumenical dialogue in a region where a large percentage of the faithful belong to protestant denominations.
“While we are saying that the Catholic Church is the mother church, then we have to be true to our name and embrace all” he says.
Regarding other issues that he feels are particular challenges he is called to address, the cardinal spoke of the relationship his Bishops’ Conference has with Muslims – who are a minority in his geographical area – but whom have been invited to share their concerns with representatives of other faiths in this very difficult time.
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