Pope Francis seeks ‘unity’ with non-Catholics in Geneva
GENEVA: Pope Francis vowed Thursday to seek deeper ‘unity’ between the Catholic Church and other Christian faiths as he arrived in Geneva, a centre of Protestantism, amid Christianity’s waning influence in Europe.
Francis touched down in Geneva, the home of French Protestant reformist Jean Calvin, shortly after 10am (0800 GMT), and was met by Swiss President Alain Berset and other government ministers.
“This is a trip towards unity,” the pontiff told reporters on the plane before landing.
He came at the invitation of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which was created in 1948 and groups 350 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican churches from more than 100 countries around the world, with around half a billion believers among them.
During his visit he will take part in an “ecumenical prayer” for the organisation’s 70th anniversary, highlighting his commitment to unity between various Christian denominations.
He will also celebrate Mass in front of tens of thousands of Catholics at the city’s Palexpo convention centre.
The Catholic Church is not part of the WCC but Francis is keen to close the gap between its 1.3 billionstrong faithful and the Churches under the WCC umbrella, in particular given the regularity of deadly attacks on Christians.
In December nine people were shot dead by a gunman who opened fire at a Coptic Christian church in Cairo in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group (IS). — AFP