Site icon Rev. Brent L. White

Will Pope Francis recognize essential unity between Catholics and evangelicals?

Newly elected Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina waves as he leaves after praying at basilica in RomeIs this true? If so, that will make the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation more interesting. The fact that it appears in a Catholic publication lends credence to it.

If the Catholic Church will recognize our essential unity in the Spirit in spite of important differences over biblical and ecclesial authority, the Marian dogmas, and the meaning of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, then I’m all for it.

Somewhere in Pope Francis’s office is a document that could alter the course of Christian history. It declares an end to hostilities between Catholics and Evangelicals and says the two traditions are now “united in mission because we are declaring the same Gospel”. The Holy Father is thinking of signing the text in 2017, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, alongside Evangelical leaders representing roughly one in four Christians in the world today.

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