The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Sydney

Pope Benedict XVI warned Christian leaders Friday the ecumenical movement was at a "critical juncture", as Anglican bishops met amid a split in their church over the ordination of women and gays. The pontiff, in Australia for World Youth Day which has united hundreds of thousands of Catholic pilgrims in a show of spiritual force, called on around 50 Christian leaders to fight for unity within the broader faith.

"Dear friends in Christ, I think you would agree that the ecumenical movement has reached a critical juncture," the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics told a meeting in Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral.

"We must guard against any temptation to view doctrine as divisive and hence an impediment to the seemingly more pressing and immediate task of improving the world in which we live."

The pope, who was speaking to about 50 Christian leaders, including those from the Anglican, Uniting, Catholic and Lutheran churches, did not elaborate on what he saw as the critical juncture in the search for greater unity. But his comments came as Anglican bishops from around the world gathered at Canterbury in England this week for a once-a-decade Lambeth Conference amid splits between liberal and conservative elements of the church. Around 650 bishops were to attend the 20-day conference with the issue of the position of gays and women in the church expected to dominate.

About a quarter of the church's bishops-including most from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda-are staying away, a week after the Church of England approved the ordination of women bishops.

"Christians must work together to ensure that the edifice stands strong so that others will be attracted to enter and discover the abundant treasures of grace within," he said on the sidelines of a festival aimed at combating a global move towards secularism.

The pope later met leaders from the Muslim, Jewish and other faiths, telling them religions had a special role in maintaining peace.

"In a world threatened by sinister and indiscriminate forms of violence, the unified voice of religious people urges nations and communities to resolve conflicts through peaceful means and with full regard for human dignity," he said.

The Catholic church sought to listen to the spiritual experience of other religions, he added.

"My dear friends, I have come to Australia as an ambassador of peace. For this reason I feel blessed to meet you who likewise share this yearning and the desire to help the world attain it."

The 81-year-old pontiff received a rapturous welcome from some 200,000 young Catholic pilgrims as he took charge of World Youth Day celebrations Thursday after a spectacular arrival by "boat-a-cade" on Sydney Harbour.