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Ecumenism |
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BASIC R.C.BELIEF See also Ecumenism: Cardinal Ratzinger's Statement No Salvation Outside Church Ecumenism: Responses to Ratzinger's Statement Historically, the only union Rome was interested in was in having people, churches and kings bow before her in subjection. POST VATICAN II In recent years, there has been strong support for the ecumenical movement. This has been largely the work of the World Council of Churches who, for years, had received a cold shoulder from Roman Catholicism. More recently, Roman Catholics have been actively pursuing ecumenism. This involves reconciliation with Eastern Orthodox Churches and friendly approaches to Protestants, who are now called separated brethren instead of heretics. It has especially been pursued since Vatican II, but the emphasis is still largely upon union on Rome's terms. "While acting in sincere ecumenism with brethren of other Christian confessions and with respect for all may (we) nevertheless know how to remain and behave as faithful children of the Church in which we have been baptized." (Pope John Paul II quoted in Philippine Pastoral letter, 1/27/89.) Vatican II document UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO, #3, "the spirit of Christ has not refrained from using non-Catholic Churches and Communities as means of salvation." Speaking over Radio Veritas, Manila, pope John Paul II said that the Roman Catholic Church accepted the truth and goodness found in Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Paying warm tribute to the many moral values enshrined in the three non-Christian religions, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church invited their adherents to common prayer that mutual understanding may grow and moral values may be strengthened. Ecumenical gestures have been made by Roman Catholics toward Jews, Buddhists and Communists. Abraham is presented as a possible ecumenical link between Catholics and Moslems. Pope John Paul II, a former moderate Cardinal in Poland, stated that he favors detente with the Communists, and has caused much speculation regarding future Catholic-Communist relations. The Vatican Council made it clear that other Christians, Jews, non- Christians and atheists can be saved and are united to the church as the people of God in varying degrees. One document said, "Those also can attain to everlasting salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, yet sincerely seek God and, moved by His grace, strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience." From Vatican II Decree on Ecumenism, "The manner and order in which Catholic belief is expressed should not in any way become an obstacle to dialogue with our brethren." From HOW TO FIND THE TRUE CHURCH, page 21, "The Catholic Church . . . has a special love for all good-living Protestants and always prays for their speedy return to the Church of their enlightened, faithful and pious ancestors." From THE PEOPLE OF GOD, Knights of Columbus, page 9, "Those who know and serve God earnestly to the best of their knowledge will be saved through Christ, even though they are not Catholics. Are these people saved `outside the Church, without the Church, apart from the Church?' By no means. They are saved through the grace of Christ Who lives in His Church. Every hour of the day, the Church offers the Sacrifice of the Eucharist. Christ through His Church constantly intercedes with the Father for the grace and salvation of all men." From Vatican II DECREE ON ECUMENISM. "In his church the wonderful sacrament of the Eucharist by which the unity of the Church is both signified and made a reality. "Jesus Christ, then, willed that the Apostles and their successors - the bishops with Peter's successor at their head - should preach the Gospel faithfully, administer the sacraments, and rule the Church in love." (Ed: Although the introduction speaks of the restoration of unity among all Christians, it is clear that when the word "Church" is used, it is speaking of the Roman Catholic Church.) From Vatican II UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO, No. 11. "Nothing is so foreign to the spirit of ecumenism as a false irenicism (a philosophy tending to promote peace) which harms the purity of Catholic doctrine and obscures its genuine meaning." David duPlessis, at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA, June 1979, said, "We used to be called heretics. Now we are separated brethren. That was a wonderful act of forgiveness by the Holy Father." Bernard Leeming, S.J., in THE VATICAN COUNCIL AND CHRISTIAN UNITY, in the Foreword makes mention of "the large-heartedness of the Pope." From WITNESSING TOGETHER TO A DIVIDED AND HURTING WORLD. "We pray that the occasion of Pope John Paul's visit will aid all Christians..." signed, among others by a representative of Assemblies of God, NCC, Evangelical Lutheran Churches, Disciples of Christ, Church of the Brethren, Friends, Fuller Theological Seminary, Mennonite Church, Polish National Catholic Church, Swedenborgians, So. Baptist." Francis Johnson, a Fatima enthusiast, writes in FATIMA: THE GREAT SIGN, "The moslems, who have a certain devotion to Our Lady and recognize her Virgin Birth and Immaculate Conception, were intrigued by the fact that Mary had appeared at Fatima, which was the name of Mohammed's favorite daughter and regarded by the prophet as the highest woman in Heaven after Our Lady....The Moslem chief of the Ismaeli tribe in Mozambique placed a golden necklace about the statue's neck saying, `Thank you, Our Lady of Fatima for the work of love you are accomplishing in Africa. We praise you together with Almighty Allah.'" From St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary letter, 6/7/94. "...The bad news is that the official Church is even accelerating in its downhill plunge. Towards the beginning of last month the Consistory of Cardinals in Rome was due to consider with the Pope a document newly issuing from the Vatican Secretariat of State projecting ways to celebrate the Jubilee Millennial year of 2000. The Pope then broke his hip and the Consistory was at least delayed, but the projects are no less hair-raising from a Catholic point of view, for instance another major ecumenical meeting of Christians, Jews and Mohammedans, this time on Mt. Sinai! "The idea is to bring together the three religions that acknowledge Abraham as their ancestor, but in what sense, for instance, are the Jews of today's Synagogue the descendants of Abraham? Talmudic Jews are the spiritual descendants of the Pharisees, to whom already in his own day Our Lord has to say, 'If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham' (John 8:39). Jews who reject Jesus Christ reject thereby Abraham, yet here are Christ's own Vicar and many Cardinals apparently ready to pretend they are friends of Abraham! On the mountain of the Ten Commandments the one true God, Lord God of Hosts, three in one and one in three, struck holy terror into the hearts of His people (Exodus 21, 22). Just how much further will He allow Himself to be mocked by His own ministers?" CATHOLIC JOURNALS From L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, 7/31/89. Pope John Paul II, "Truly the Eucharistic mystery unites all believers, and that means us, but virtually it also reaches non-Christians because the Eucharist has a radiating power which in some way reaches those who do not yet shine with the light of faith." From CHARISCENTER USA, Sept/Oct 1989, "From May 7-14, 1989, a group of one hundred Pentecostal/charismatic leaders met in an upper room in the Notre Dame center outside the ancient walls of Jerusalem in a prayer vigil for world evangelization. The ultimate goal is for the world to have a Christian majority by the end of the century. Participants came from all of the streams of the charismatic movement, including Roman Catholics, Protestants, Pentecostals and nondenominationals. The vigil was led by an executive committee consisting of Larry Christiansen (Lutheran), Tom Forrest (Catholic), Michael Harper (Anglican), Bob McAlistar (nondenominational) and Vinson Synan (Pentecostal)." From DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER, 3/7/90. "LUTHERAN-CATHOLIC DIALOGUE DISCUSSES MARY. Jesus Christ is the "sole mediator" between believers and God the Father, said U.S. Lutheran and Roman Catholic theologians after seven years of dialogue on Mary and the saints. "In a major agreed statement released Feb. 20, the theologians urged their respective churches to take `two further steps' toward greater fellowship: "Lutherans, they said, should acknowledge `that the Catholic teaching about the saints and Mary as set forth in the documents of Vatican (Council) II does not promote idolatrous belief or practice and is not opposed to the Gospel. "Catholics, they said, should recognize `that in close but still incomplete fellowship, Lutherans, focusing on Christ the one mediator, as set forth in Scripture, would not be obliged to invoke the saints or affirm the two Marian dogmas defined in Catholic belief since the Reformation. "The dialogue partners said the post-Reformation Catholic dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption remain `an obstacle to full fellowship between our churches' until Catholics and Lutherans can find a way to transcend their current differences. "In their 1983 statement (on Justification by Faith), they agreed that `our entire hope of justification rests on Jesus Christ and on the Gospel. We do not place out ultimate trust in anything other than God's promise and saving work in Christ." From NEW COVENANT, November 1990 Report on Indianapolis Congress on the Holy Spirit and World Evangelism, August 15-19, 1990 (Indianapolis 1990). "About 48 per cent of the attendees were Catholic, followed by non- denominational (11 percent), Episcopal (9 per cent) and Pentecostals (3.8 per cent)." From AMERICA, May 1991. REVIEW OF FORGIVENESS: POPE JOHN PAUL II AND THE JEWS. This article outlines the efforts of the Roman Catholic Church to implement its statements in the Decree on Ecumenism, Vatican II, which noted a special position in God's Plan for Jewish people. It centered around the 13th meeting of the International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee, which represents the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultation. In his opening remarks, Archbishop Edward Cassidy was quoted as saying, "That anti-Semitism has found a place in Christian thought and practice calls for an act of Teshuvah (repentance) and of reconciliation on our part." Authors Jack Bemporad (senior rabbi at Temple Israel in Lawrence, NY) and Michael Shevack (a writer on religious matters) cite a "dramatic statement" authorized by pope John Paul II, in which anti-Semitism was said to be a "sin against God and humanity" and it was affirmed that "one cannot be authentically Christian and engage in anti-Semitism." Bemporad and Shevack conclude, "In short, the church had asked forgiveness." The pope "has repeatedly rejected any show of triumphalism, any imputation that Judaism is somehow an incomplete religion that can only find fulfillment in Christianity. He has suggested the terms "Old Testament" and "New Testament" be replaced by "Hebrew Bible" and "Christian Scriptures." During the pope's visit to a synagogue in Rome, he referred to the Jews as "elder brothers." The writers tackle three thorny issues: his welcoming Kurt Waldheim ("a former Nazi") as a man of peace, meetings with Yassir Arafat, and the lack of diplomatic relations with the State of Israel. They were considered individually. The writers contend, "To a certain extent it is fair to say that the Pope met with Waldheim, not as an accused individual, but as the representative...of the Austrian people." "With respect to Arafat," we are told, "it is clear that the Pope's intent was to dissuade Arafat and the P.L.O. from terrorism as a correct way to bring about peace. It is true that the Pope did acknowledge the right of the Palestinians to a secure homeland of their own. But he also...stressed that no Palestinian claim...should ever violate Israel's right to exist..." About Israel we are assured that "although there are no formal relations, certain diplomatic relations do exist...(R)emaining differences over Israel are due more to the unsettled nature of boundaries, the disposition of the city of Jerusalem and the security of Christian communities in Arab countries." From CATHOLIC TRENDS, a publication of the Catholic News Service, Washington, D.C. "Christians were urged to make personal contact with Jewish people a priority. All Catholics were urged to study and recognize the importance and meaning of the religious tradition of Judaism and how rich it is in religious values." Bishop John Nevins of Venice, FL added, "Always keep in mind the existing links between the Christian liturgy and the Jewish liturgy." That statement alone should spur our theologically-minded friends to explore the admitted relationship of the Catholic Mass to Jewish sacrifice. (For God's commentary, read Hebrews 10:11-18.) From OUR SUNDAY VISITOR, 5/19/91, page 6. "WHEN ST. FRANCIS MET THE SULTAN...St. Francis was considered a lunatic for even considering that the sultan might want to listen to him. Today he is considered a pioneer in Catholic-Muslim dialogue...Francis...now burned with a desire to convert the Muslims...This was at a time when even the clergy were calling the Muslims `sons of the devil,' `an abominable race,'and `vermin to be cleared from the Holy Land.' Few believed that Christians and Muslims could live in peace. "After Francis' death...his ideas about relations with the Muslims were almost forgotten by his own order, and remained forgotten for more than 700 years. But in 1985, ...the Second Vatican Council...called for friendly dialogue with non-Christians...Brother Jean Gwenole Jeusset, the president of the (Franciscan) order's Commission on Islam, has called St. Francis' words `a prophetic commentary on Vatican II.'" From CATHOLIC TRENDS, May 25, 1991. The Lutheran and Catholic bishops of North Carolina signed a covenant of cooperation in mid-May, making North Carolina the second state after Virginia with a state-wide Catholic- Lutheran covenant. The two-page covenant document affirms central elements of faith already shared by the two communions and sets out a 16-point plan of cooperation aimed at "enabling us to achieve the full communion Christ desires for the church." RELIGIOUS JOURNALS From HORIZON, published by Kentuckiana Interfaith Committee, Box 4671, Louisville, KY 40204. "NCC DELEGATION WILL EMPHASIZE UNITY IN APR. 10-14 VISIT TO VATICAN. Strengthened ties with Roman Catholics in the United States will be the goal of top Protestant and Orthodox church leaders when they visit the Vatican. "According to Rev. Brower (Gen'l Sect of NCC), the agenda will include issues that face us together as we move toward the 21st century. He said he hopes that concrete ecumenical goals can be set for the third millennium since Christ's birth." From FOUNDATION, Nov-Dec 1989, page 22. "FOUR WAY BAPTISM MAKES ECUMENICAL HISTORY. ...participating bishops from the Roman Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church, the Armenian (Orthodox) Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church (baptized) four children, each in his own Christian tradition, but under one roof, in the water of one font, knit together by one liturgy, celebrated in the power of the Holy Spirit, by one people." (Quoted from news report of NCC) From CALVARY CONTENDER, 3/15/90. "Last October 17 (1989), Paul and Jan Crouch (Trinity Broadcasting Network) welcomed three Catholics to their program. Paul smoothed over any Protestant-Catholic differences as `simply matters of semantics' and eagerly embraced Transubstantiation, a heresy that caused thousands to die at the stake. He said it is `time for Catholics and non-Catholics to come together as one in the Spirit and one in the Lord.'" From FOUNDATION, July/August 1990. "THE COMING OF THE COSMIC CHRIST is the title of a blasphemous book by Matthew Fox, Roman Catholic theologian. On page 228 under Section 29 titled THE COSMIC CHRIST AND DEEP ECUMENISM, Fox writes as follows: `The Cosmic Christ and the living cosmology that the Cosmic Christ ushers into society and psyche have the power to launch an era of what I call deep ecumenism. Deep ecumenism is the movement that will unleash the wisdom of all world religions - Hinduism and Buddhism, Islam and Judaism, Taoism and Shintoism, Christianity in all its forms, and native religions and goddess religions throughout the world. This unleashing of wisdom holds the last hope for the survival of the planet we call home. Universalism is a common characteristic to all the traditions of the Cosmic Christ in the Scriptures and in Western history that we have considered above.' Although the pope officially `silenced' Fox for one year because of his heretical writings on a variety of subjects, Fox's views are becoming more and more popular both inside and outside the Roman Catholic Church. Fox's censure by his church has only given him greater publicity. Furthermore, the view of `Deep Ecumenism' he sets forth is very little different from the views of many ecumenical leaders. True wisdom is to be found only in the Word of God, not in the religious traditions and philosophies of ungodly men." From OUR INHERITANCE published by W.P.U., 130 South Coast Road, Peacehaven, Sussex BN10 8SP, England. "At Brighton 91, organized by the International Charismatic Conference on World Evangelism (ICCOWE), Archbishop George Carey welcomed "the many positive changes that Charismatic Renewal has brought to God's church...and for enriching my theology and experience of the Holy Spirit." He drew attention to the presence of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Bishops for Sussex as "a marvelous sign of our very unity." After referring to "our divisions as a terrible wound affecting our evangelism," he said, "the barriers are being torn down. And God's Spirit is working - through the reforms begun by the second Vatican Council; through unity schemes, through charismatic renewal where a significant bridge has been erected. And it is my hope that in this decade of evangelism we shall grow together, not by denying or ignoring our rules, but by patient affirmation of one another's Christianity. The time will come when we shall say in unison, `this is madness; we have no reason to stay apart.' For the last thirty years the search for unity has taken the form of theological dialogue; I believe the form the search should now take is in a common witness to the world that Jesus Christ has revealed himself as our Lord and our God." SECULAR JOURNALS From OUT! MAGAZINE. "ST. FRANCIS CATHEDRAL HOSTS SERVICE OF SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WITH AIDS AND HIV. ...a large crowd of diverse faiths, cultures, ethnic groups and ages had joined in a service of support and prayer for the AIDS and HIV affected community. "...a procession of representatives from numerous Santa Fe denominations, including a Buddhist monk, community and Pueblo leaders and Archbishop Robert Sanchez. "...Those with AIDS minister to us, (from PRAYER JOURNEY, by Robert Nugent, which was used as liturgy for the evening's service." From ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL, 1/22/94; Page 10, Section B. "...Thomas Merton - who lived 27 years as Father Louis, a cloistered Trappist monk... - was also a powerful voice for social justice and peace...And before his death on Dec. 10, 1968 at the age of 53, he was increasingly known for his openness to and sympathetic understanding of Eastern religious traditions, including Zen, Taoism, Buddhism and Islam." From HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 11/15/94, page 10A. "...(Pope John Paul II) also proposed that Christians, Jews and Muslims arrange historic joint meetings in the Holy Land to prepare for the celebration of the Third Millennium. "The pope said the Catholic Church was working to arrange interfaith meetings of the world's three great monotheistic religions in places of exceptional symbolic importance, like Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Mt. Sinai, to further dialogue among Christians, Jews and Muslims, "And he underscored the importance of new steps toward restoring Christian unity." CHRISTIAN COMMENTS Excerpts from CAN VISION 2000 SEE THE DEEP END by Amos Gottleib. Vision 2000 is an ecumenical strategy fathered by the Lausanne II Committee for World Evangelization which held a conference in Manila in July 1989. Official observers and special guests at this conference came from the Vatican and from the World Council of Churches. Dr. Leighton Ford was questioned about Roman Catholic involvement, and replied that Lausanne II's purpose was "not to draw as narrow a circle, but as wide a circle as possible." A workshop dealing with evangelical/Roman Catholic dialog was conducted; "Evangelization 2000," which is the Catholic program of worldwide evangelization, was presented as a viable model for evangelicals to consider; and many statements were made during the conference which clearly indicated that the majority of evangelicals are, indeed, favorable to working with Roman Catholics more and more in the days to come. "The Holy Spirit will not be locked into any one form of religious faith...Global interdependence requires a global ecumenical awakening so that the power and blessing of healing and compassion that all faiths can teach their people might ignite all peoples of the world in which we live. The ecumenical movement--understood as the energizing of all faiths of this planet by celebration, by interaction for justice and compassion, by dialog and mutual study of one another's faith--holds out for then human race one of the last great hopes for redemption." (Quoted from MANIFESTO FOR A GLOBAL CIVILIZATION by Matthew Fox, R.C. theologian.) "55...inter-religious dialogue is a part of the Church's evangelizing mission...56. Through dialogue, the Church seeks to uncover the `seeds of the Word', a `ray of truth which enlightens all men;' these are found in individuals and in all the religious traditions of mankind." (from REDEMPTORIS MISSIO, John Paul II, 1/22/91.) "In many parts of the world the decline of the ecumenical movement has been replaced by a new sort of ecumenism, the sharing of those who have discovered fresh life in the Holy Spirit - a sharing which goes right across denominational and cultural norms, and touches the place where dogma can't reach...Pope Paul VI affirmed, `The Church needs an eternal Pentecost,' and it is significant that it is the Roman Catholic Church, in some ways the most structured and traditional of all churches, that this renewal movement has broken out most strongly and has been most influential." (From I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT by Michael Green, Plenary Speaker at Vision 2000 National Leadership Consultation.) Go to Evangelicals and Catholics Together |
