"Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory." This doxology, this profession of faith is the theme which gathers hundreds of delegates and guests of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches for its general council in Ottawa. In a spirit of brotherly union I remember in my prayers this event which is of such decisive importance for the present and the future of the Reformed family throughout the world. The general council will offer a special opportunity for proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God to a world so gravely threatened by oppression and peril. This Reign of God is already inaugurated in the life, death and Resurrection of Christ. Today we must listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, amidst the practical and worldwide challenges and possibilities of our time, concerning how we are to be obedient to God's reconciling initiative in Jesus Christ. Blessed be the Lord who gathers you by his grace and love around central Christian truths. I pray that your gathering in the Spirit, your conversations together as a family, all the deliberations and the decisions which the council may take with a view to greater unity and to furthering the special mission of the World Reformed community, will serve the greater glory of God and give new hope to the world.

At the same time I would like to take this occasion of recalling with thankfulness the benefits received by our Communions in their journey of fellowship during the years of official dialogue and of countless expressions of common witness at every level of church life. The path we have walked together permits of no going back, only of further progress. This is why we are striving to manifest more perfectly and more visibly the unity which we believe to be God's will for all his followers.

My cordial greetings go to you, Mr president, in your high responsibilities, and to all who take part in word and deed in this council. I likewise send a fraternal greeting to all the delegates and guests who are representing Christian communities from all over the world.

Mindful of so many unforgettable meetings, in many countries and here in Rome, with representatives of Christianity of the Reformed Tradition, I greet you in a spirit of friendship and in the love of our one Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is for all of us "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14.6).

From the Vatican, July 26 1982.

Joannes Paulus II.