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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has become the first pope to visit a Pentecostal church, pressing his outreach to evangelicals who represent Catholicism's greatest competition for Christian souls around the globe.
Francis flew by helicopter Monday to visit the under-construction Evangelical Church of Reconciliation in the southern city of Caserta. He met privately with Pentecostal preacher Giovanni Traettino, an old friend.
It's going to be fun watching the spin that the catholic apologists are going to have to put on the stuff he's doing in the next few years. He's going completely against what RCC teaching and doctrine is.
Ever since I've been alive the church has always been ecumenical. I remember as a kid the Holy Sister teaching us in catechism encouraged us to go to an ecumenical event the church was holding during the week. The funny part is I did not know what the term, "ecumenical," meant so my dad, a friend and I went. Going into it I genuinely believed it was some kind of special Catholic Mass, like some kind of celebration.
What it turned out to be was a guy in a suit, using the altar as a stage, trying to prove some kind of point with some kid asked to extend his hands out as if he were crucified, and ending with the idea that we all line up and he would put his hands on our head and we were supposed to feel his power and fall. I remember when it came to the hand thing I thought, "I'll just humor the man," and so I fell down. My dad is funny because the guy put his hand on his head, my dad didn't respond, and he literally shoved him into the grown not brutally or violently but assertively.
On the ride home I was still confused. I asked my friend, were those Catholics? And she indicated no an ecumenical is when we allow other denominations to teach in our churches.
As for the Council of Trent, well, I think Pope Benedict was a concession to that and that didn't work out so well. However, I am a huge fan of Pope Francis. However, ultimately I am grateful to have been born during the time of Pope John Paul. I will always say the happiest day of my life was when I was in Rome and had direct contact with the great Pope John Paul.
Know thy enemy. Poaching souls is truly a genuine Christian practice.
(that said, though I am not a Catholic, I like this pope. he seems to have a genuine humanitarian drive)
He has extended open arms to the Word of Faith movement. Kenneth Copeland recently played a video of him calling for unity between the RCC and Word of Faith believers. For the next several decades, RCC apologists are going to be trying to do damage control.
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