This week is the fiftieth anniversary of the Joint Working Group between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches. It is an occasion of thanksgiving to Almighty God for the meaningful ecumenical relationship which we enjoy today. It is also  a moment to thank the Lord for all that the ecumenical movement has achieved since its beginning over one hundred years ago, inspired by a longing for the unity which Christ intended for his body, the Church, and by an emerging sense of sorrow for the scandal of division between Christians. Since its inauguration in 1965, the Joint Working Group has fostered the necessary conditions for a greater common witness of the Catholic Church and the Churches and Ecclesial Communities of the World Council of Churches. Reflecting on these past fifty years, we should be encouraged by the collaboration which the Joint Working Group has promoted and