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It
was described as a message in which the Pope
“disclosed his hopes.”
Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, president of the
Pontifical Council for the Laity, read the
message at the 11th International Conference
of the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic
Covenant Communities and Fellowships.
The
pope’s message was intended for Catholic
Charismatic groups all over the world.
However, the message may actually have had a
wider “intended” audience. You see
“charismatic” is a term that crosses
Catholic and Protestant boundaries.
Zenit,
News Agency from
Rome
commented the following way:
The
message appeals to Charismatics "to be
committed in this Eucharistic Year to take
initiatives so that the Eucharist will become
increasingly a factor of union and cohesion in
the People of God, in this world marked by
violence and division."
Perhaps
you are not aware. Pope John Paul II declared
the Year of the Eucharist beginning October,
2004 and ending October, 2005. The Year of the
Eucharist is in keeping with the “New
Evangelization” program Pope John Paul II
previously instituted, promoting the objective
to win the world to the Eucharistic Jesus and
the Roman Catholic Church.
Now,
I realize when I mention the term Eucharistic
Jesus, there will be some who have no idea
what this means. The Eucharistic Jesus is the
Jesus (according to Roman Catholic teaching)
that appears at Mass when a priest performs
the act of transubstantiation. It is this
Eucharistic Jesus the pope has asked Roman
Catholics to promote.
The
Zenit article further stated:
At
the opening of the meeting, Matteo Calisi,
president of the Catholic Fraternity said that
the new challenge is to spread the Eucharistic
message, confirm the presence of Christ in
society, and give hope to a world that is ever
more secularized.
Note
the twofold message – to promote unity
around the Eucharistic Jesus and spread the
message about the Eucharistic Jesus to “the
world.”
This
causes me to ponder. How do Protestant
Charismatics perceive the “New
Evangelization” program that will require
embracing the Eucharistic Christ? Will they
accept this Roman Catholic “Jesus” or
reject? What if down the road, signs and
wonders begin to happen? What if
manifestations of the Eucharistic Jesus are
associated with healings and the casting out
of demons? What if these miracles and
appearances were so convincing, people of
other faiths were drawn to an experience-based
“Christianity” which eventually causes
them to bow to the Eucharist?
Christian
Churches
Together
My
attention was directed to another article from
Zenit. In fact it was issued the very same day
(October 31, 2004) Zenit had released the
article reporting the pope was encouraging
Christian unity focused on the Eucharistic
Jesus.
This
second article was titled “
U.S.
Bishops to Consider Ecumenical Forum.”
This article was about a group a new
ecumenical forum founded in the
USA
called “Christian Churches Together”. This
entity has a goal to include all major
Christian evangelical denominations and the
Roman Catholic Church.
According
to the article, “Christian Churches
Together” had invited the Roman Catholic
Church to be a part of their group. As the
article stated, the Bishops were planning to
make a decision at their next Bishop’s
assembly, November 2004, whether or not they
would join.
The
Zenit Catholic News Agency introduced the
article the following way:
The
new entity, CCT-USA, is intended to include
all the major Christian denominations in the
country, including Pentecostals and
evangelicals. Its stated purpose is "To
enable churches and national Christian
organizations to grow closer together in
Christ in order to strengthen our Christian
witness in the world."
Now,
in case you are wondering why the Roman
Catholic Church had been invited to join with
CCT-USA, (founded by Pentecostals and
evangelicals) the article itself makes this
clear:
While
CCT-USA would not be able to speak on behalf
of any participant without its agreement, it
would bring Catholic teachings into a wider
ecumenical community, says the proposal. It
also notes that the Holy See encourages
Catholic participation in ecumenical entities
of this type.
Further,
the Zenit article indicated CCT-USA was open
to broadening their Protestant evangelical
horizons. The article stated:
Discussions
among US church leaders about the possibility
of forming a new ecumenical organization that
would provide a "broader table" than
the one provided by the National Council of
Churches (NCC) began in 2001. The leadership
of the NCC had recognized that since its
member churches represent only about one-third
of the Christians in the
United States
, a fuller and broader ecumenical witness was
needed.
So
what would this “broader table” that
promises to produce a “broader ecumenical
witness” eventually look like?
Where would the Eucharistic Jesus, the
heart and core of the Roman Catholic Church,
be placed?
Finally,
it appears that unity between
Rome
and the CCT is a forgone conclusion. As the
Zenit article stated:
At
a meeting hosted by Cardinal William Keeler in
Baltimore
, participants arrived at a consensus that a
broader structure of some kind would be
beneficial by its inclusion of the Catholic
Church and major evangelical and Pentecostal
groups that do not belong to the NCC. It was
decided at that meeting to call the proposed
new entity "The Christian Churches
Together in the
USA
."
Well,
for now, these are just some things for you to
think about. Remember, Jesus warned us to be
careful not to be deceived in the days before
He returned.
And keep your eyes on CCT-USA or
whatever the organization is called in the
future. Remember the Bible calls for Christian
unity, but unity must be based on the truth.
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