The Charta Oecumenica offers common guidelines for churches in Europe in response to today’s challenges, strengthening unity, dialogue, peace, and shared Christian witness. “To whom does our primary loyalty truly belong?” Bedford-Strohm asked the congregation. “Does it truly belong to Christ, as we repeatedly profess?” He addressed the path towards the visible unity of the churches. “The key is the spirit of Jesus – the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood, of human encounter and the closeness that arises from it,” he said. “The power of ecumenical friendship, which grows on the pilgrimage towards the visible unity of the churches, is still far too often underestimated.” A striking example of such unity, Bedford-Strohm added, occurs at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. “Time and again, I am amazed at the tremendous impetus that this World Council of Churches institution – operating far from the headlines – has had and continues to have for global ecumenism,” he said. “I then want to point to Bossey and say: this is what it can look like when we, as a church, radiate the unity and love we talk about all the time.” Bedford-Strohm, on 16 September also offered a lecture at a gathering of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen in Deutschland. He recalled the theme of the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany: “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” This theme itself was a challenge, he acknowledged. “One need only pause for a moment to realise what it means when thousands of people from all over the world, with completely different national and cultural backgrounds, take part in such an assembly,” he said. “The chasms that are opening up in this world were a central theme.” We are all aware of these chasms and divisions, Bedford-Strohm said. “All these chasms and many more were discussed at the assembly in Karlsruhe, and yet the participants, coming from vastly different home contexts, jointly identified directions on key issues for humanity’s future that went far beyond mere compromises of form,” he said. “Despite these divisions, it is essential to maintain dialogue.” Bedford-Strohm identified the misuse of the Christian religion as a major challenge in today’s world, citing several examples. “Although the complete distortions of the message of love – even love for one’s enemies – as preached in the Sermon on the Mount are obvious, the political instrumentalisation of Christianity appears to be very successful,” he lamented. “That is why a global awakening is needed to protect the precious heritage of the Christian faith, challenging its unscrupulous political exploitation by the authoritarian leaders of our time.” | 
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