Pope John Paul II expressed strong support Monday for Christian unity but warned that Catholics had important disagreements with other churches that could not be compromised.

At an ecumenical service in a Christchurch Catholic cathedral, on the last day of his visit to New Zealand, the Pope said that despite progress toward unity there were still real and serious divisions in the Christian community.

The pontiff, winding up the fourth stage of a six-nation tour, said Catholic commitment to ecumenism was irreversible.

“At the same time I am aware that the Catholic participation makes new demands of the other churches and ecclesiastical communities taking part in the ecumenical movement,” he said.

“We are convinced that the goal is not simply partnership. It is nothing less than the fullness of communion in a visible organic unity. The ecumenical way cannot be one of reduction.”
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Pope John Paul II acknowledged today that ”real differences” between Roman Catholicism and other churches are blocking progress toward Christian unity.

Speaking to leaders of other Christian faiths, the Pope also conceded that his church presents demands that complicate the ecumenical movement.

The Pope’s speech today was his first public statement on ecumenism since the leadership of the Church of England took the important step of saying it would accept some sort of papal authority in a unified church.

John Paul’s comments were also significant because New Zealand’s Catholics have been particularly energetic in pursuing ecumenical contacts.
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by Marjorie Hyer, Los Angeles Times Support for the World Council of Churches and its quest for Christian unity remains strong in this country despite attacks in recent years on its social and political stands, according to the ecumenical agency’s general secretary. “The aim of the World Council of Churches is to promote unity of
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