On the morning of the following day, Wednesday March 16, Vassula had a meeting with Bishop Rodolfo Beltran DD, the current Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs of the CBCP, who was rather excited to meet Vassula in-person. Bishop Beltran would have liked to, but was not able to attend the TLIG Pilgrimage in Rome, in October 2015, due to medical reasons. The atmosphere between him and Vassula was pleasant. The discussion with Bishop Beltran focused on Church unity, unity in diversity, and the reinforcing of the Church. Vassula mentioned the recent, sad events of the murdering of Christians, saying: “When they killed the Christians, they did not ask them their denomination. They just asked them ‘are you a Christian?’” She then went on to ask Bishop Beltran: “How do you see complete unity, where one can say that ‘now we are united and one: in full communion?” The bishop replied: “Unity is when we all believe in the Word of God.” May God help us unite so that the triumph of both Jesus’ and our Blessed Mother’s Hearts triumph! It was a pleasant surprise for everyone present to see Bishop Rodolfo Beltran. The Bishop talked about his work as Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs in the Philippines. The bishop said: “when I was elected, “I did not have much idea about what I’d be doing, but when I started to work and I started to be associated with other people like the leaders of the different denominations in our country, I started to be more interested in it. And when I met also the members of Focolare and True Life in God, I said to myself: Oh, I have a lot of people collaborating with me, journeying together. (…) In my diocese now we have started to go from parish to parish to be able to meet with the leaders and members of different Churches, so that we pray together. And I was more interested and amused when I met this group, this community of TLIG. I know, they are doing a lot, not only in the Philippines, but for the Universal Church… He went on to say that conversions are required and that we should ask the Lord to forgive us, especially for our division, for the sin of division that inflicts wounds on Jesus…”
Bishop Rodolfo Bertran: Unity and Reconciliation