The Vatican takes many different approaches in its quest for absolute supremacy within Christendom. These include the "shared values" approach, the "common enemy" approach, and "greater good" approach. All of these have worked well over the past few decades as non-Catholic Christian churches have drawn nearer and nearer to Rome.
Recently, Pope Benedict has taken a new approach. This one--which I will call the "Christological" approach--essentially holds that, since all Christians profess the centrality of Jesus Christ to their faith, all Christians should be formally not only in spirit but in form. Benedict has emphasized Jesus like no other pope before him. In authoring the two part book "Jesus of Nazareth," he has attempted to convince Christians that Catholicism is more than mere Mary-worship and priestcraft. He has tried to depict Christ as the ultimate shared value, and the reason why all Christians should throw in their lot with Rome. In doing so, Benedict has deftly sidestepped the deep doctrinal differences that have prohibited full ecumenism in the past. He knows that, by using Jesus as Christianity's lowest common denominator, he has effectively ended all argument.
Unfortunately, many Christian groups are buying what Benedict is selling. If he can get them to agree that Rome alone holds the right to dispense the grace of God, he will have succeeded where no other pope in history has. It is for good reason that he has become known as the "ecumenical pope."
Ecumenism, while sometimes less exciting than other areas, is still one of the most important fronts on the Vatican's quest to expand its power across the globe.
This article comes from Zenit.
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Pope: Christ is Center of Christian Unity
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 24, 2010 (Zenit.org).- As the Church concludes its Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which ends Monday, Benedict XVI is affirming that communion with each other comes through Christ.
The Pope stated this today in the public address he gave before praying the midday Angelus with the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.
He referred to today's liturgy, which featured St. Paul's writings about the Body of Christ.
"The Church is understood as a body," the Pontiff said, "which forms with Christ, who is the head, one single whole."
The Apostle "wishes to communicate" the "unity in the multiplicity of charisms, which are the gifts of the Holy Spirit," the Holy Father noted.
He continued, "Thanks to these gifts the Church presents itself as a rich -- and not a uniform -- living organism, the fruit of the one Spirit who leads all into a profound unity, assuming the differences without abolishing them and realizing a harmonious ensemble."
Benedict XVI pointed out that "it is precisely in Christ and in the Spirit that the Church is one and holy, that is, an intimate communion that transcends and sustains human capacities."
The Pope affirmed that, as is tradition, he will close the Christian unity week Monday, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, with the celebration of Vespers in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Representatives from other churches and ecclesial communities in Rome will participate in this event, and will "ask God for the gift of the complete unity of all the disciples of Christ," the Pontiff said.
"In particular," he continued, "according to this year's theme, we will renew the commitment to being together witnesses of the crucified and risen Lord."
"The communion of Christians," The Holy Father affirmed, "makes the proclamation of the Gospel more credible and efficacious."
He concluded, "May the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, obtain for us always to make progress in communion, to transmit the beauty of being one in the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
