Pain of division can push Christians to seek unity, says pope Pope Francis described the five centuries of Catholic-Lutheran division as a 'journey from conflict to communion' Updated: June 26, 2021 07:20 AM GMT Trending Pope Francis receives Lutheran World Federation representatives at the Vatican on the 491st anniversary of the Augsburg Confession. (Photo: AFP) After receiving the gift of a chalice from leaders of the Lutheran World Federation, Pope Francis said divided Christians should suffer because they cannot share the Eucharist but that suffering should spur them to work and pray harder for Christian unity. As the formal Catholic-Lutheran dialogue proceeds, "it will be important to examine with spiritual and theological humility the circumstances that led to the divisions, trusting that, although it is impossible to undo the sad events of the past, it is possible to reinterpret them as part of a reconciled history," Pope Francis said June 25 as he welcomed the LWF delegation to the library of the Apostolic Palace.