Pope Francis visited the Waldensian Church in Turin and in a powerful, emotional moment, asked the Waldenses to forgive the Catholic Church for its historic and brutal persecution in the Middle Ages. Francis is the first pope ever to enter a Waldensian church.
“On the part of the Catholic Church, I ask your forgiveness, I ask it for the non-Christian and even inhuman attitudes and behavior that we have showed you,” said Pope Francis. “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us!”
Prior to the Pope’s remarks, Pastor Eugenio Bernardini, the pastor of the Waldensian community in Turin, asked why the church had been rejected by Rome. “What was the sin of the Waldensians,” he asked. “It was being a movement of popular evangelization, carried out by lay people using itinerant preaching from the Bible, read and explained in the language of the people.”
In his remarks, Bernardini, who is also the Moderator of the Waldensian Board, listed the representatives of other churches present including Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists and Adventists.
“As Moderator of the Waldensian Board, I want to thank you in particular for the words of fraternity you have repeatedly expressed towards our Church. By entering this temple, you have crossed a historic threshold, that of a wall that stood over eight centuries ago when the Waldensian movement was accused of heresy and excommunicated by the Roman Church.”
“We believe that Christian unity can and should be designed precisely so: as reconciled diversity…” he added. “This is precisely ecumenism: the end of self-churches; each church needs the other to fulfill its vocation,” Bernardini continued. “We can not be Christians alone.”
The moderator also gave a list of collaborations between the two churches.
“We believe that relationships between the Waldensian Church…
and the Roman Catholic Church, have already produced good results in various fields,” including the inter-confessional translation of the Bible in the vernacular (NASB), the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Christian collaboration at the level of theological faculties, collaboration in the formulation of the Ecumenical Charter, and the common Catholic-evangelical-Orthodox document signed March 9, combating violence against women, etc.”
He also significantly included the Eucharist, which is at the heart of the Roman Catholic Ecumenical agenda. “Among the things we have in common are the bread and wine of the Last Supper and the words that Jesus spoke on that occasion. The interpretations of those words are different between the churches and within each of them. But what unites Christians gathered around the table of Jesus are the bread and wine He offers us and His words, not our interpretations…”
Then urging that the Eucharist be the theme of the celebrations of the end of Protestantism in 2017, Bernardini said “It would be nice if in view of 2017 our churches would face together this theme.”
In conclusion, he said, “and it is our true ecumenical mandate, dear brother Francesco: what we called unity above all in proclaiming the Word because the world may believe” (John 17:21). Dear Pope Francesco, thanks for being with us and with us. God bless and enlighten your service.”
Pope Francis’ remarks also reflected on unity in diversity. He said the principle benefit of ecumenism “is the rediscovery of the fraternity that unites all those who believe in Jesus Christ and are baptized in His Name.” Then he added: “But the unity that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit does not mean uniformity. Brothers have in common the same origin, but they are not identical among themselves.”
Pope Francis’ ancestors come from the region around Turin where the ancient Waldenses lived before their persecutions. Some of Francis’ relatives still live in this area. After the visit to the Waldensian temple, he met and celebrated mass with approximately 30 of his family members including six cousins and their families. The Waldenses stridently objected to the Mass in the Middle Ages.
The Waldensians claim to currently have 45,000 followers, mostly in Italy, Argentina and Uruguay.
“And all the world wondered…” Revelation 13:3
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admin
Monday June 29th, 2015 at 02:57 PM“The Roman Church now presents a fair front to the world, covering with apologies her record of horrible cruelties. She has clothed herself in Christlike garments; but she is unchanged. Every principle of the papacy that existed in past ages exists today. The doctrines devised in the darkest ages are still held. Let none deceive themselves. The papacy that Protestants are now so ready to honor is the same that ruled the world in the days of the Reformation, when men of God stood up, at the peril of their lives, to expose her iniquity. She possesses the same pride and arrogant assumption that lorded it over kings and princes, and claimed the prerogatives of God. Her spirit is no less cruel and despotic now than when she crushed out human liberty and slew the saints of the Most High.” Great Controversy, page 571
geni
Monday June 29th, 2015 at 03:50 PMIf possible all those martyrs are rolling over in their graves. They paid for principle and dedication to God with their lives and this decision on the part of their descendants trivializes their sacrifice. May God bring them to their senses!
stephen
Thursday July 16th, 2015 at 01:23 PMThe Roman Church,has not changed any of her false teachings,one bet.Satan always transforms himself into a angel of light.don’t be taken in by him.I am a christain,i hold to no doctrine of the roman church,not ever her doctrine of the \trinity.Beware of this apostate church.
valda Walsh
Monday June 29th, 2015 at 04:21 PMIn the books of Daniel 7, Revelations 13, 17 18 is plainly the fact that this antichrist power will fight against God to the end of time , so she will never change. These apologies are just to woo people on their side. Remember that this pope is a Jesuit , with the plan and aim to set up the pope as ruler of the world, and they pledge to let nothing stand in their way of accomplishing this.may God help not to allow this charmer of a man to woo us over.
margaret Robinson
Tuesday June 30th, 2015 at 05:22 AMO how dreadful is this latest compromise with the antichrist…and the whole world wandered after the beastHow close is the time of trouble..
Ester Compton
Tuesday June 30th, 2015 at 10:32 PMwe should not be deceived just read Matthew 24 that even the very elect will still be deceived,God forbids.to all remnant brethren let us focus the author and finisher of our faith,no other only face to Jesus alone…
EyesWideOpen
Friday July 3rd, 2015 at 05:17 AM>>>“And all the world wondered…” Revelation 13:3
Indeed brother.
Carbon is the element of ALL Organic life on Earth (Material Creation). It is #6 on the Periodic Table of Elements, and consists of only 3 components as do all the elements.
99% of Carbon Atoms have:
– 6 Protons
– 6 Neutrons
– 6 Electrons
…Carbon is 666, and ALL economic transactions are linked to a carbon transaction.
Is not Pope Francis now promoting that Carbon Credits and Derivatives be sold to offset the ‘destruction of the Earth’ through C02 (a false prophecy? a false prophet? not moral sin but the sin of having been born with a carbon footprint?).
No Buying and Selling without an ID# that tracks an individuals Carbon Footprint will be enforced by the UN when the economy collapses late this year and next, and the Cashless society is implemented worldwide (happening now).
Pope Francis’ namesake is Francis of Assisi, the grandson of the Doge of Venice, and in Catholic Hagiography, Francis is specifically known as the ‘Saint’ of Environmentalism!!!
For more info on this, the 1986 Assisi Abomination of Desolation where a Buddha was placed on a Tabernacle and Altar in a consecrated Church, ALL major heads of Christian denominations were forced to watch without any protesting, and some background on a Rockefeller plan to rearrange global religion around Buddhism, please visit the following link:
http://aamichael666.com/2015/05/07/852015-white-lotus-day-and-the-mecca-clock-of-1000-points-of-light-part1/
Also, World Heritage Site#666, just happens to be Lumbini, Nepal, the Birthplace of Buddha, where a 5mile x 5mile White Lotus Flower Masonic city is being built using Rockefeller and Chinese Communist money, centered on Site#666.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/666
Buddhism: Karma and Dharma is compatible with an Environmental Gaia Cult, whereas Abrahamic Religions are not.
Is this Pope a salesman for the House of Windsor and the City of London Derivatives prison. Protestantism + Catholicism, means a healed Beast as you said, and ALL are now false prophets recreating the Image of the Roman Empire as the United Nations.
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast (United Nations), that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast (Carbon 666 Environmentalist Cult) should be killed.
edward hahu
Tuesday July 14th, 2015 at 07:16 AMi don1t believe this! This is unreal! What is happening to the Protestant churches- Do they read their history? This current Pope is marching into any church he feel like..with open arms the Protestants are crying and crawling to mother church..brothers and sisters, Catholicism never changes, it is the Protestants that are begging to be taken back into the arms of Catholicism. God help us!! 1Timothy 4:1- is taking place now!!
admin
Tuesday July 14th, 2015 at 11:36 AMBelieve it or not, it happened. But it was actually the Pope that was begging; begging forgiveness of the Waldenses, not the Waldenses begging forgiveness of the pope. That may come later, but for now, the papal charisma and popularity has the protestants googly-eyed and blinded. They are marching back to Rome, but Rome has opened her arms wide to bring everyone into her fold. They don’t have to do much begging, at least for now. The noose will tighten however. Pr. Mayer