Meeting with Protestant and Orthodox leaders in Germany , Pope Benedict XVI pledged to move ecumenism forward during his pontificate, saying he realised that many Christians expect “concrete steps to bring us closer together.”

While he reaffirmed the Church's belief that unity already subsists in the Catholic Church, the pope said that does not mean eventual communion must bring uniformity in theology, liturgy and discipline.

The model should be “unity in multiplicity and multiplicity in unity,” the pope told some 30 non-Catholic representatives in Cologne Aug 19.

The cordial, 30-minute encounter took place in the Catholic cardinal's residence in the city centre, where the pope was residing during his four-day stay.

Pope Benedict repeated the pledge he made soon after his election in April, that he would make ecumenism a priority of his pontificate. He said the encounter in his homeland assumed special significance because Germany was not only the birthplace of the Reformation more than 400 years ago but had been a place of ecumenical ferment in recent decades.

Considerable ecumenical discussion took place in Germany ahead of the pope's arrival. Some Protestant leaders expressed discouragement, saying the encounter with the pope would bring no breakthroughs.

The pope, perhaps in answer to the criticisms, said dialogue must continue but without expecting easy solutions.

“I am well aware that many Christians in this country, and not only in this country, expect further concrete steps to bring us closer together. I myself have the same expectation,” he said.

“It is the Lord's command, but also the imperative of the present hour, to carry on dialogue, with conviction, at all levels of the Church's life,” he said.

But he added that “there can be no dialogue at the expense of truth.” Ecumenism today calls for sincerity, realism and patience, he said.

To the disappointment of many German Protestant leaders, the pope did not mention the controversial issue of shared Communion, which is generally not allowed by the Catholic Church. He said he would not outline a programme of immediate dialogue themes, saying that was something best left to theological experts.

But in impromptu remarks, he did indicate that on one thorny issue -- how the ministry of the pope is carried out -- there was some flexibility on the Catholic side.

The pope's words drew generally favourable comments from the non-Catholic participants.

Bishop Wolfgang Huber, head of the Evangelical Church in Germany , said afterward that the “unity in diversity” theme was important. He said he left the encounter encouraged about the possibilities of future dialogue.

He also said one of the most important areas of dialogue was making married couples in which one partner was not Catholic feel more welcome in the Church, a reference to the shared Communion issue.

Pope Benedict made a point of underlining the spiritual side of ecumenical dialogue, saying: “It could be said that the best form of ecumenism consists in living in accordance with the Gospel.”

He also encouraged a joint Christian front on contemporary ethical issues. He said modern research expects a common response from Christianity on these issues, but does not always get it.

“Because of our contradictory positions in these areas, our witness to the Gospel and the ethical guidance which we owe to the faithful and to society lose their impact and often appear too vague,” he said.

“Our divisions are contrary to the will of Jesus, and they disappoint the expectations of our contemporaries,” he said.

(CNS)