I am so Blessed! What Jesus asked the Father for in John
17:21, “that we may all be one in Him”, is finally coming to pass.
Pope Francis is a man filled with the love of Jesus. All eight of us in
our meeting together with him were moved by the strong presence of the
Holy Spirit, and our love for one another was strengthened beyond
measure. Like I said, I am so BLESSED! What a time to be a believer!
- Kenneth Copeland
My Comment
Scripture states
categorically that the church is a pillar of truth(1 Tim 3:15). The Roman catholic church on the other hand is a pillar
of lies from the devil, the father of all lies(John 8:44). Kenneth Copeland and his cohorts should know that the unity talked about in
John 17 is a unity based on truth and not error. Copeland and James Robinson are insinuating that it was a mistake for me
and my other born again friends(
http://www.soulrefuge.org)
to live the catholic church. This is a hiss of the serpent. I have always
said and will continue to say that there is no salvation in the satanic Roman
catholic church. The Roman catholic church is an abomination to God and any one
who associates or ecumenises with the diabolical roman catholic church
is a candidate for hell. Period!!! If your pastor supports ecumenism with Rome or if he quotes Pope
Francis in his books or summons, run away from that serpent before it is too
late. It is even possible that some of these evangelical pastors supporting ecumenical
unity with Rome are Jesuit mercenaries implanted in the protestant movement
to take protestants back to Rome.
Keep your self in the Word of God to avoid deception.
MUST READ:
Despite Four Decades of
Ecumenism, Protestant Institutions are Not Churches, Says Rome
Entering the devil’s purple/scarlet curtain :
Kenneth Copeland Honors Pope’s Call For Christian Unity, As Pope Francis Speaks
Via Video At Copeland Conference : Former Senior Pastor Ulf Ekman Converts To
Roman Catholicism (Absolutely Incredible You Must Read This!)
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2014/03/entering-devils-purplescarlet-curtain.html
James Robison, Kenneth Copeland, John Arnott and
Other Evangelical “Leaders” Meet With Pope Francis As The Wicked Slide Into
Darkness and Apostasy Continues
Like Moths To The Eternal Flames: Joel Osteen
Meets With The Pope After Attending Roman Catholic Mass At The Vatican!
5 Pastors From Mexico Tell How Billy Graham Sent
The Roman Catholics Back To Their Own Catholic Church After They “Received
Christ.” [12 Years of Work Destroyed In One Night]
When Pentecostals get slain by the religious
devils of ecumenical Rome : Bishop Eddie
Long Church
Dedication in Oakland,
Ca. was a clear manifestation of infestation with religious ecumenical devils
Evangelicals and Catholics Together marks 20 years
We are one, but we want every one to be under
the authority and teachings of the only true church ; the roman catholic church
: Pope Declares in Heartfelt Message to Pentecostals
Spiritual hugs with the devil: Merging of
counterfeit Christianity : Pope Francis to Pentecostal Conference: Tears of
Love, Spiritual Hugs: Pope Francis' Message For Christian Unity At Keneth
Copeland Ministries: Kenneth Copeland’s thug Christianity and the road to Rome
Church is essential for faith; there are no 'free agents,' pope says
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
POPE-AUDIENCE Jun-25-2014 (400 words) With photos. xxxi
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians are not made in a laboratory, but in a community called the church, Pope Francis said.
At his weekly general audience June 25, Pope Francis continued his
series of audience talks about the church, telling an estimated 33,000
people that there is no such thing as "do-it-yourself" Christians or
"free agents" when it comes to faith.
Every Christian, he said, can trace his or her faith back to parents,
grandparents, teachers or friends. "I always remember the nun who taught
me catechism. I know she's in heaven because she was a holy woman," he
said.
Pope
Francis smiles as he meets children during his Wednesday general
audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican June 25. (CNS/Reuters) |
In the Old Testament, the pope said, God called Abraham and began to
form a people that would become a blessing for the world. "With great
patience -- and God has a lot of it -- he prepared the people of the
ancient covenant and in Jesus Christ constituted them as a sign and
instrument of the union of humanity with God and unity with one
another."
Pope Francis described as "dangerous" the temptation to believe that one
can have "a personal, direct, immediate relationship with Jesus Christ
without communion with and the mediation of the church."
Obviously, he said, it is not always easy to walk the path of faith with
other people. "Sometimes it's tiring. It can happen that a brother or
sister creates problems for us or scandalizes us, but the Lord entrusted
his message of salvation to human beings, to us, to witnesses," he
said.
"It is through our brothers and sisters with their gifts and their
limits," the pope said, "that he comes to us and makes himself known.
This is what belonging to the church means. Remember: being Christian
means belonging to the church. If your first name is Christian, your
last name is Member of the Church."
At the end of his talk, the pope asked people to join him in praying
that they would never "give into the temptation of thinking you can do
without others, without the church, that you can save yourself, of
thinking you can be a laboratory Christian."
Christians, he said, are not manufactured in isolation, but belong to a
long line of believers who handed on the faith and challenged one
another to live it fully.
The audience was the last the pope was scheduled to hold before beginning a reduced summer schedule.
- - -
The text of the pope's audience remarks in English is available online
at
www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/audiences/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20140625_udienza-generale_en.html
The text of the pope's audience remarks in Spanish is available online
at
www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/audiences/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20140625_udienza-generale_sp.html
The Story Behind Brother Copeland’s Papal Visit
On June 23, 2014, Kenneth Copeland, along with James and Betty
Robison and other evangelical church leaders, met with the Pope in Rome
at the Pope’s request. On June 30, 2014, Kenneth Copeland explained to
his Partners and Friends at the Southwest Believers’ Convention the
significance of this meeting. He began his talk by reviewing key points
and scriptures:
In John 17:20-23, Jesus prayed that the body of Christ would be unified:
20 Neither for these alone do I pray [it
is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all
those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me
through their word
and teaching,
21 That they all may be one, [just] as
You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so
that the world may believe
and be convinced that You have sent Me.
22 I have given to them the glory
and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one:
23 I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one
and perfectly united, that the world may know
and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.
In Ephesians 4:1-3, Paul instructs us how to live a life worthy of our divine calling, which includes keeping unity:
1I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to
and beg
you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you
have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God’s
service,
2 Living as becomes you] with complete
lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness,
mildness), with patience, bearing with one another
andmaking allowances because you love one another.
3 Be eager
and strive earnestly to guard
and keep the harmony
and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.
Romans 10: 9-13 outlines the requirements of salvation:
9 Because if you acknowledge
and confess
with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to,
trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved.
10 For with the heart a person believes
(adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified
(declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses
(declares openly and speaks out freely his faith)
and confirms [his] salvation.
11 The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame
or be disappointed.
12 [No one] for there is no distinction
between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all [of us] and He
generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him [in faith].
13 For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved.
In the video above, Brother Copeland goes on to describe the Papal
visit, including events leading up to the invitation. James Robison also
joins him via telephone and offers his perspective about the visit.
You can learn more about James Robison’s comments about the Papal visit by clicking here:
http://bit.ly/1sXGW6A
Kenneth Copeland Reports In About His Meeting with Pope Francis
Brother Copeland just returned from his trip to the Vatican, which
included a visit with Pope Francis. Here’s what he had to say about his
meeting with the Pope:
I am so Blessed! What Jesus asked the Father for in John
17:21, “that we may all be one in Him”, is finally coming to pass.
Pope Francis is a man filled with the love of Jesus. All eight of us in
our meeting together with him were moved by the strong presence of the
Holy Spirit, and our love for one another was strengthened beyond
measure. Like I said, I am so BLESSED! What a time to be a believer!
- Kenneth Copeland
Witnessing the Miracle Jesus Prayed For
Satan – Lucifer, Beelzebub, the Father of all lies – has focused his
fury against the church of the living God. Perhaps in the center of
Satan’s crosshairs is his attack on the prayer of Jesus in John 17 that
all believers live in unity. God revealed this assault to me and many
other church leaders around the world, and also millions of saints and
prayer warriors who have been praying diligently for the prayer of our
Lord Jesus to be answered in our day. I believe I am beginning to see
the walls of division that have held many Christians captive and
divided, often silencing the witnesses of those Jesus commissioned to
take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
I believe we are going to be blessed to see Jesus’ prayer answered. For years on
LIFE Today,
I have encouraged our viewers with these words: “If you want your
prayers answered, seek to be an answer to someone else’s prayers.” Upon
hearing that challenge, many have found great comfort and released
rivers of compassion toward others.
After hip surgery five years ago when I battled staph infection and
was so weak I could not lift a cup of water to my lips, God got my full
attention. He spoke through Isaiah 58:6-12 and I saw the importance of
living in freedom, touching the suffering, the hungry, poor, and
downtrodden. I recognized the promise that our prayers would be answered
quickly and we would become a free-flowing stream and a well-watered
garden, restoring the foundations upon which we must build. During that
time God instructed me to focus my attention on Jesus’ prayer and
encouraging others to begin fulfilling it through us in our day.
I believe I am beginning to witness what Jesus prayed for.
Over three years ago, many respected evangelical leaders and
Spirit-filled Catholics began meeting together to pray for God’s will to
be done and to bring true believers together in supernatural unity. We
know it is God’s will for those who have been born from above to become
bold witnesses for His glory and Kingdom purpose and to go into all the
world and make disciples of Christ. We have been commanded to love God
with all of our heart and our neighbors as ourselves. The enemy has kept
many Christians from loving one another as Christ loves us and have
failed to recognize the importance of supernatural unity even with all
of the unique diversity.
I believe the prayers of earnest Christians helped lead to the choice
of Pope Francis. Many were amazed that a humble man, Jorge Mario
Bergoglio, filled with such love for the poor, downtrodden, and
overlooked from a radically socialist country (Argentina) could be named
Pope. From the moment it happened, I felt like it was an answer not
only to the prayers of truly concerned believers, but even a step toward
seeing Jesus’ prayer answered.
This week I was blessed to be part of perhaps an unprecedented moment between evangelicals and the Catholic Pope.
On Tuesday, for nearly three hours, a few of us were blessed to meet in
an intimate circle of prayerful discussion and lunch to discuss not
only seeing Jesus’ prayer answered, but that every believer would become
bold, joy-filled witnesses for Christ.
Consider some events leading to this supernatural gathering at the Vatican in Rome.
Years ago God told me to reach out beyond the safe, comfortable walls
of my Southern Baptist tradition. He wanted me to reach beyond
denominational barriers and seek to bring the family together so the
church would put His arms around a hurting world and pull everyone close
to His heart. I reached outside my sectarian Baptist comfort zone to
Pentecostals, Charismatics and Catholics, as well as those outside the
church.
To the shock of many, I stood on the platform next to the very
charismatic Ken Copeland and welcomed attendees of his Believers’
Convention to Tarrant County Convention Center. During that very brief
welcome as I was leaving the podium, Ken Copeland grabbed me by the
shoulder and said, “The Holy Spirit is all over you. Get back up there
and keep sharing.” I gave testimony of the dynamic power of God to set
captives free, even defeated preachers like I had been. Estimates were
that over 7,000 people flooded the altar even before I could give the
invitation. I have never stopped reaching out in love beyond walls that
have been have built for personal comfort and which, too often, diminish
the power of the Gospel message. Because of friendship, I have
continued to share my heart with Ken and Gloria and he has asked me to
speak into his life and to those he seeks to teach and help. They have
blessed me and Betty faithfully with their love and encouragement.
Unknown to either of us, Ken’s ministry and LIFE Outreach were both
supporting an evangelical Episcopal named Tony Palmer who ministered and
helped the poor in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There was a Catholic
bishop, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, overseeing the area who was also
ministering to the poor. Tony went to him and said, “I want to let you
know that I will work at your side. You are the senior minister in this
area and I will submit to your loving leadership.” Immediately in that
humble relationship, a bond of love and peace was formed. They knew they
were brothers in Christ and over the years their relationship continued
to grow. Our Missions Director, Steve Coetzee, was also very close to
Tony Palmer and encouraged us to faithfully support his mission
outreaches.
When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was chosen to be Pope Francis, Bishop Tony
Palmer was surprised and pleased. He felt, however, he would likely
never hear from him again and would certainly understand why. But
suddenly, he received a call from Pope Francis asking him to come to the
Vatican to visit. Tony assumed it would simply be a handshake, a moment
or two together and perhaps a photo, and then he would go back home.
But Pope Francis made it clear, “No, I want you to come to my private
apartment and spend the day with me.” There in prayerful discussion the
Pope talked about his desire to see the world evangelized for Christ. He
wanted to see Catholics and Protestants become a family as faithful
witnesses. He shared that he wanted us to be brothers and the importance
of the prayer in John 17 being answered. He wanted to personally know
Protestant and evangelical leaders.
Tony told him he would soon be going to a large ministers’ convention
that Ken Copeland hosts and there would be thousands of ministers
there. Tony asked, “Would you like to write them a message or send a
note?” Pope Francis said, “I would like to give them a video message.
Hold up your iPhone and record what I say.” That message was like a
glorious shot heard around the world, not just because of the love and
compassion expressed, but also the desire for God to heal His family and
that everyone would know Christ and believers would be like a family
and become bold witnesses. It was joyfully received by thousands of
ministers and Kenneth Copeland responded by simply reading the desire of
God expressed through Paul in Ephesians 4:13, “Until we all attain to
the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a
mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness
of Christ.”
When the Pope received that message and
others also saw the Pope’s message on LIFE Today as Pope Francis encouraged Tony to share the message on our program around the world,
he then asked for Tony Palmer to invite Betty and me, Ken and Gloria,
and a few other evangelicals to come meet with him in Rome.
Bishop Tony Palmer brought the group of seven together. (Gloria
Copeland was unable to attend because she was speaking at a conference.)
We went to the Vatican and met in the presence of the Lord. The love
coming from every person was overwhelming.
During lunch everyone shared their gratitude for what God was doing.
The Pope made it very clear that he wanted every believer to become
Spirit-filled, joy-filled witnesses. After Ken had lovingly spoken a few
words of encouragement and prayed for the Pope with meekness and
humility, I asked through the translator if I could say a few personal
words to Pope Francis. In those moments I talked about being an
evangelist and how for 50 years we have been seeking to win people to
Christ and challenging Christians to become faithful, compassion-filled
witnesses. I went on to say that so many people in our Protestant
churches do not really know Christ.
I shared the testimony of how I was christened in the Episcopal
Church as a boy, but did not know Jesus. Later, I had a supernatural
new-birth experience and Jesus became the Lord and love of my life. As a
fatherless, homeless boy, I now had a father and the love of God flowed
out like a river. Amazingly, God called me to be an evangelist and I
have never stopped proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth. I
told him how Betty had been baptized through immersion in a Baptist
church, but during our relationship and hearing the excitement that
filled my heart, she said, “James, I don’t know Jesus like that. He’s
just someone I’ve always heard about.” One glorious Sunday morning the
little Baptist Sunday school teacher left her seat in the choir, came
forward, put her hand in the pastor’s hand, and said, “Brother Hale, I
just gave my life to Jesus.” He said, “You’re the best girl in our
church!” She said, “Preacher, stop telling me how good I am. I just met
Jesus and He changed my life!” That was 53 years ago and she is full of
Jesus. I said to Pope Francis many Protestants have never had a personal
relationship with Christ even though they are church members, and I
have seen many Catholics who don’t seem to know Jesus.
Pope Francis had written recently that, “Too many Catholics look like
they’ve been to Lent with no Easter… It’s a mistake for them to look
like they’ve been to a funeral” as he challenged Catholics to witness
and never try to control the Holy Spirit, but yield to Him. The Pope
responded in our personal conversation with such a dynamic evangelical
message desiring all people who have religious associations (all
Protestants, all Catholics – no matter who they are) as Paul said to the
Corinthians, “to examine themselves whether they be of the faith.” He
said he wanted everyone to have a personal life-changing encounter with
Christ and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus and become bold
witnesses for the Gospel. Religion is not the way; Jesus is.
So fervent was his message that as he concluded I said, “
As an evangelist, I want you to know what you just said deserves a high five!” The translator communicated what I was saying and in a moment of exuberance he raised his hand and
gave his first high five ever. What a beautiful picture of love and supernatural oneness for the sake of the Gospel and those Jesus came to redeem.
We continued in such glorious fellowship that words could never begin
to describe it. I am fighting back tears even as I write, so glorious
was the manifest presence of Jesus. I couldn’t help but wonder in those
moments if Jesus, as He did when Stephen was stoned leading to the
conversion of Saul of Tarsus to become Paul the Apostle, perhaps once
again stood at the right hand of the Father looking down on that scene
in Rome between Evangelicals and the Pope, turn to the Father and say,
“Look, I think my prayer is about to be answered. Look, Dad, maybe we
can put Your arms around the world that I died to redeem and I live to
fill to overflowing with Your joy, peace and love.”
Oh, how I hope and I pray that is the case and in my lifetime I
cannot only see the prayers of so many answered, but above all I will
live to see the prayer of the Lord Jesus answered for His glory and
kingdom purpose. Dear God, please let it happen and let me gladly be a
part of it.
Those who met with Pope Francis on Tuesday are, from left,
Carol Arnott, the Rev. John Arnott, the Rev. Brian Stiller, the Rev.
Kenneth Copeland, Pope Francis, the Rev. Thomas Schirrmacher, the Rev.
Geoff Tunnicliffe, the Rev. James Robison, Betty Robison and Bishop Tony
Palmer.
Check out the piece below from a charismatic hypocrite who
supports ecumenicalism with the Roman Catholic Church
Unity In Diversity
by
Bruno Ierullo on Jun 25th, 2014
Bruno has been at Catch The Fire Toronto (formerly TACF) since 1989, and Naomi since 1993 when they were married....
On June 24, 2014, Saint Jean Baptiste Day, annually celebrated in Canada we also celebrate what took place at Palazzo Santa Marta, Vatican City where invited guests gathered at Pope Francis’s private residence. Guest include John and Carol Arnott (Founders of Catch The Fire), Kenneth Copeland (Founder of KCM Ministries), James Robison (Founder of Life Outreach Int.), Geoff Tunnicliffe (Head of Worldwide Evangelical Alliance), and Tony Palmer (Bishop & Int. Ecumenical Officer of the Communion Evangelical Episcopal Churches). These ministries met for a cordial gathering and lunch to begin a friendly relationship that could have a far reaching impact.
This initiative by Pope Francis is a further reaching out to the Evangelical world after his
cell phone message recorded earlier this year. This time it is followed up by bringing the five ministry leaders who represent a large portion (in total approx. 900 Million Evangelicals) of the body together for a historical event, which is undeniably God-orchestrated. At the age of 77, Pope Francis is full of strength, bold, outgoing, a people’s person, charismatic, and Spirit-filled. Weekly, tens of thousands of people flock to St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday mornings to hear him share. People are drawn into experiencing the fullness of being a Christian through a daily relationship with Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. He has the potential of being one of the greatest evangelists of the Gospel today! One of the pivotal reasons of today’s meeting was to start a conversation together in what it means to receive SALVATION personally. This was the beginning of a Joint Declaration between this large faction of the Evangelical world and the Roman Catholic Church.
All churches — Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox — at times make audacious statements about one another, negating the other and affirming itself, as if the individual church had a monopoly on what it means to be Spirit-filled and born again. From my experience as an Evangelical minister with Charismatic/Pentecostal influence, unless our church remains prophetic, we have a tendency towards institutionalism and legalism. If it smells like “Religion”, I don’t want it. I want God and a relationship with him, not a form of religion. If you can say amen to this, you probably use the same Evangelical language most of us as Evangelical ministers do. However, I have to enlighten you. I first heard this kind of language through the mouth of Pope Francis. We may be more in sync with our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters and the Orthodox than we are aware.
Now imagine that every church’s core aim was to be made up of followers of Jesus who are born again and Spirit-filled. Will you not rejoice and pray for Pope Francis? He is a man of influence and popularity who has a large weekly audience — with probably some of the largest open air meetings in our time. Many have had the privilege of seeing Pope Francis in action. Out in the square 40 minutes before the weekly meeting starts, he blesses children, touches all who he can reach, and walk freely in the crowd. After all the mingling, the service starts, and he sticks with the script and preaches the Gospel, but he periodically puts the script aside and spontaneously speaks to people's hearts. Once the service is officially over, he is back mingling with the people and ends the day praying for the sick. Doesn’t this sound like Jesus?
In the weeks to come we are going to be hearing many news reports, articles and TV shows, both good and bad. Let me encourage you not to entertain some of the negative reports that have always been around regarding deceptive conspiracies. If you have embraced some of them, may I ask you to be open to hearing the heart of what John & Carol Arnott may have to say with their experience with the Pope or James Robison and
others? We will hear more from them in the days to come. Many of us
have been trained in our thinking to question things by saying, “could
any good come out of Rome?” I have been encouraged by the leaders who have had positive dreams considering te Catholic Church, such as Steve Long (Senior Leader at Catch The Fire) and Dan Slade (International Coordinator of the Partners In Harvest Network). Dan had a dream (or a possibly a visitation) where he literally saw gold falling on Roman Catholics. I personally like to joke with my Romans Catholic friends by saying that they were the last mainline church that came into the Charismatic Renewal in 1967, but that they could possibly be the first to be in the greatest move that is yet to come before the return of our Lord. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.
If you are a leader in your Christian community and/or Church and have any questions and/or desire to learn more about reconciliation and unity and about what God is doing in the Roman Catholic Church (specifically in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal) come and join Bishop Tony Palmer and other leaders such as Professor Matteo Calisi and Deacon Carlos Nogueira of the Archdiocese of Toronto.
The details are as follows.
Please email me personally for an invite to RSVP.
Friday, August 22, 2014, 9am-5pm. (Leaders only by invitation)
Location: Attwell Centre
272 Attwell Dr. Toronto (nearby the Toronto Airport)
M9W 6M3 Canada
The program for Friday evening and for the following day, Saturday, August 23, is open to all. Bishop Tony Palmer will be the invited speaker at the family service on Sunday, August 24 at Catch The Fire Toronto Church. Service starts at 10:30 a.m. The meetings are not just geared to helping Evangelicals learn about Catholics. Generally speaking, there has been an equal struggle for Catholics. It has been long upward journey for Catholics to accept the Evangelical world. There has been a greater openness with the pontificate of Pope Francis. With the last four Popes we have seen an increase of acceptance. Prior to the Second Vatican Council II the thought of having any kind of “Joint Declaration”, especially regarding Faith and Mission, was unheard of but now possible and a reality.
Outside of building a common relationship, what is it that such a gathering will bring? It is not some kind of scheme to win back those who have left the Roman Catholic Church, nor is it a unifying ploy to return the Church back to Rome as it once was. In a Global context it would really be interesting to see how Jesus sees His church that He is returning for and gave His life as a ransom.
After Vatican Council II, Evangelicals were referred to as “separated brethren” and the idea of this separation in light of ecumenism took on a more cordial form with a term used by Pope John Paul II as “Organic Unity”. The Roman Catholic Church spoke of this term often but the problem with it is that it very distant and non-relational. The thought behind the concept is, “we can’t make it happen, so let us be spectators of it". It grows on its own to a higher ecclesial level (Church level) and eventually to the magisterium (Church authority). Any honest Catholic would say that the strides forward in this motion were short and slow.
What we have today with Pope Francis is a term called “Reconciled Diversity”. This term and concept was being explored when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before his election as Pope, presented it to a group of Waldensians in 1993. It seems humorous and ironic that the term and the concept used today by Pope Francis is taken from a Lutheran Theologian, Oscar Cullman who died in 1999. It is very clear for those who have ears to hear that many Catholics still hold to the “old school”, as I call it, of Organic Unity. Organic Unity in itself is still a valid form when considering the Holy Spirit is still behind the scenes to make things happen, and that there are those who hope that all will become restored to Rome. All the same, Pope Francis would like to see something different happen: Reconciled Diversity.
Reconciled Diversity means a “Unity In Diversity” without compromise. Therefore, it is possible to create a Joint Declaration for the purpose of Faith and Mission. The five ministries' leaders, as seen in the photos above and below, will together proclaim and affirm the pre-existing article on the ‘Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification’ (3:15):
15. In faith we together hold the conviction that justification is the work of the triune God. The Father sent his Son into the world to save sinners. The foundation and presupposition of justification is the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ. Justification thus means that Christ himself is our righteousness, in which we share through the Holy Spirit in accord with the will of the Father. Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.
When these ministries, represented by the five delegates, speak of Salvation they mean the first and fundamental conversion necessary for all, even for those baptized before hearing the Gospel. This conversion consists of coming under painful conviction that one is a sinner, and that a once and for all repentance from that state of being is essential. This is a decision to trust Jesus’ completed work on the cross to remit and break the hold of sin, with a personal and on-going surrender to him as Lord.
There
is much more to all this - the leaders presented Pope Francis concrete
ways forward in his initiative by presenting him their written intention
of a Joint Declaration, similar to that of the Lutheran Church. There
is mention in the intent that it would be great joy to celebrate 2017
with an act of Reconciliation. The delegation intend to commit
themselves to mutual love and fraternal fellowship while embracing each
other's unique diversities, and recognizing their common commitment to
the core of the Christian faith, while not minimizing each other's
distinctive gifts.
The most exciting part is the commitment to Unity of Faith and Mission, and it will be a miracle to stand united in essential Christian beliefs, while expressing them in varied
forms, so that we can evangelize together and cooperate as disciples of
Christ in visible unity, for the well-being of all Humanity, so that
the World will believe that the Father sent His Son!
Yours in Christ,
United In Christ, Canada
President
Dr. Bruno Ierullo
