Vatican City, Sep 4, 2006 / 22:00 pm
A meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and German Protestant ministers in Regensburg, scheduled for his upcoming trip to his homeland, “is a very interesting and important step,” even though the dialogue doesn’t look very promising, Cardinal Walter Kasper, told APCom today.
The Cardinal, who is not only President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity but also a German, said that the meeting “represents a confirmation that Benedict XVI wants to advance on the path of ecumenism.”
The Cardinal said, however, that “the ecumenical situation in Germany has become a little more difficult. The development (of the situation), in effect, depends on both partners, not just one.”
“Nonetheless, the meeting of the Pontiff with the Protestants represents a significant sign: the pope has decided to move forward on the way of dialogue,” he concluded.