This morning, Our Most Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI received in audience the participants of the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. After a greeting address by the Prefect of the Congregation, Card. William Joseph Levada, in which he mentioned his new responsibility of President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, the Pontiff delivered a
very strong allocution, of which I have translated here some paragraphs concerning two points we have been following here on the NLM in a special way, i.e. the efforts for unity with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X and with groups of Anglicans:
First of all, I want to emphasize how your congregation participates in the ministry of unity, which is entrusted, in a special way, to the Roman Pontiff, by means of his commitment to doctrinal fidelity. The unity is in fact primarily a unity of faith, supported by the sacred deposit, of which the Successor of Peter is the first guardian and defender. To confirm the brethren in the faith, keeping them united in the confession of Christ crucified and risen constitutes for him who sits on the Chair of Peter the first and fundamental task conferred to him by Jesus, It is an indispensable service on which depends the effectiveness of the evangelizing action of the Church until the end of time.
The Bishop of Rome, in whose potestas docendi your congregation participates, is beholden to constantly proclaim: "Dominus Iesus" - "Jesus is the Lord." The potestas docendi, in fact, entails obedience to the faith in order that the Truth which is Christ continues to shine in its greatness and to resonate for all men in its integrity and purity, so that there be only one flock, gathered around the one Shepherd.
The achievement of a common witness of faith of all Christians is therefore the priority of the Church in every age, in order to lead all men to the encounter with God. In this spirit, I trust in particular in the commitment of the Congregation for the doctrinal problems to be overcome which still remain for the attainment of full communion with the Church by the Fraternity of St. Pius X.
I would also like to rejoice in the commitment to full integration of groups of faithful and of individuals, formerly belonging to Anglicanism, in the life of the Catholic Church, according to what is established in the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus. Faithful adherence by these groups to the truth received from Christ and propounded by the Magisterium of the Church is not in any way contrary to the ecumenical movement, but it shows, on the contrary, its ultimate goal which is to achieve full and visible communion of the disciples of the Lord.
