960 years ago (1054), when the Eastern Church centered around Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in the Eastern Roman Empire split from the Western Church (Roman Catholic), the Catholic Church, which had been a single church, experienced a major division. 463 years later (1517), the 'reformers,'' including Martin Luther, established a new church (Protestantism), and the pain of division once again was experienced.
The division did not stop. 17 years later, in 1534, when King Henry VIII of England's marriage to the queen was not accepted by the Pope, he established the Anglican Church with himself as its head.
They remained disconnected and lived as if they were 'different religions.' The movement for unity began in 1857 when Anglican priests in London, England, formed the 'Society for Promoting Christian Unity,'' a prayer group with Catholics.
Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) laid the foundation for the movement for church unity by using the warm term 'separated brothers' instead of 'heretics,' which Catholics used to refer to Eastern Orthodox Christians and Protestants. Popes after Leo XIII also showed an active attitude toward the movement for unity.
The 'Week of Prayer for Christian Unity' began in 1908 with the 'Week of Church Unity' advocated by American Father Paul Watson (Anglican). In 1926, the Protestant Movement for Faith and Order proposed a week of prayer for church unity.
The Second Vatican Council became an opportunity for the Catholic Church to actively participate in the movement for unity. The Decree on Unity, "Reconstruction of Unity," proclaimed in 1964, contained guidelines for joint dialogue and joint activities for developing the unity movement.
It also recommended Catholics pray with their separated brothers during prayers or meetings for unity. After the Decree was issued, the unity movement began to gain momentum. Today, Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox hold joint prayer meetings every year during Unity Week.
Korean Catholics also actively participated in the unity movement by establishing the "National Committee for Christian Unity" (now the Committee for Church Unity and Interreligious Dialogue) under the Bishops' Conference in 1965. From the late 1960s to the 1970s, they continued to hold joint prayer meetings, unity forums, and meetings of Christian religious leaders, making efforts for unity in various forms.
Since 1965, the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church of Korea have held joint prayer meetings. In 1986, the 'Joint Prayer Meeting for Christian Unity Week' began with the participation of Protestants and Orthodox Christians. In 2001, representatives of the denominations came together to officially start the 'Korean Christian Unity Movement.''
Since 2008, the Bishops' Conference has been organizing the 'Church Unity and Interreligious Dialogue with the Bishops' Conference program, where deacons from dioceses nationwide participate. This program allows deacons to broaden their understanding of the Orthodox Church and Protestantism.
Although each church leader is making steady efforts for unity, it is regrettable that many believers are still unaware or indifferent to the unity movement. Many believers do not even know when Unity Week is, and many believers perceive Protestantism as a 'different religion from us' and feel distant from it.
For the Christian unity movement to bear fruit, local parishes need to actively inform believers of its significance and necessity during Unity Week and make efforts to expand it into believers' lives. Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who visited Korea in October last year, emphasized that "the basis of the Christian unity movement is that all Christians remember unity during prayer."
The Council for Promoting Christian Unity, together with the World Council of Churches (WCC), produces and distributes a collection of materials for the Church Unity Week used by Christian denominations worldwide every year. This year, a collection of materials was published with the theme: "Is Christ Divided?" It includes a unity prayer service, Bible meditation, and prayer. Let us keep this in our prayers now and often during the year.
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