The Bruderhoff and JP II

This is a very minor footnote, but one I want to keep.
It illustrates the ecuminical spirit at its best.

Remembering Pope John Paul ll:

About ten years ago, my community, the Bruderhof, attempted to engage in dialogue with the Catholic Church for the first time. It was in great part due to the Pope's openness to ecumenical exchanges that we were soon given opportunities to foster understanding and even reconciliation. Like Mother Teresa, the Pope never failed to acknowledge the various expressions of Christian faith, but he always had a longing for greater unity.

My first personal contact with "Brother John Paul" - I always addressed him this way - took place in October 1995, at the residence of the late Cardinal O'Connor in New York City. My last exchange with him took place at the Vatican in June 2004, during a private audience where he thanked representatives of the Bruderhof for our ongoing commitment to defending the sacredness of all human life.