NEW DELHI, Feb. 5 -- A person's dying wish is sacred. Jesus' last desire, when "he raised his eyes to heaven" (Jn 17:1), was "that they may be one like us" (v11) and again "May they all be one" (v21). Jesus' call to oneness (unity) of his disciples was based on his deep relationship with the Father. That being so, can Christian unity be an optional extra for his disciples?

Ecumenism is rooted in the Greek oikoumene, which means "the whole inhabited world". It is not just about unity among Christians, even though that is what it is usually associated with. We have just concluded the Christian Unity Octave (CUO), which is celebrated every year between the 18th and 25th of January. This is a joint effort of the Catholic Church and the World...