When Pope Francis visits Sweden this coming October 31-November 1, he will participate in ecumenical events that mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The two-day, two city trip will include an ecumenical prayer service in Lund Cathedral and a public event at Malmö, and a Catholic Mass on Nov 1. Additional events on the pope’s schedule will be announced later by the Vatican.
The trip is jointly sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation. The events will highlight 50 years of ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans. The celebration, in which Francis will participate, is being structured around the themes of “thanksgiving, repentance and commitment to common witness.”
“The aim is to express the gifts of the Reformation and ask for forgiveness for division perpetuated by Christians from the two traditions,” they say. The prayer will be based on a recently published Catholic-Lutheran “Common Prayer” liturgical guide.
The event in the Malmö Arena will focus on the “common witness and service of Catholics and Lutherans in the world.” The event, which will host 10,000 people, will include highlights of joint efforts by the Lutheran World Federation’s World Service and the Catholic Charity Caritas Internationalis around the world, including care for refugees, peacebuilding and advocacy for climate change.
The historic joint event will make history when both Catholic and Lutheran leaders visit the two cities “to encourage all of us to go further on the road towards Christian unity.”
The full-blown Protestant Reformation began on October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints Church in Wittemberg. The ecumenical event, which would be considered to be an abomination by Martin Luther, will commemorate the beginning of the reformation one year before the 500th anniversary.
Pope Francis has made great strides in maturing the ecumenical movement during his pontificate. He has reached out to Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Baptists, Waldenses and others.
“Of the 2.3 billion Christians in the world today, 1.2 billion are Roman Catholics and 600-700 million are Protestants of various denominations and groupings, together representing more than three-quarters of the total Christian population.” Getting Protestants to join Catholics in ecumenical dialogue, social activism and ministry limits their protest to the papal falsehoods and blasphemies and leads them ever closer to Rome’s aim of uniting them around the sacramental table in full, visible, sacramental union.
The deadly wound of Revelation 13:3 has two aspects, the religious and the political. The political deadly wound can never be fully healed until the religious deadly wound has been healed. Pope Francis is working very diligently to re-unite Catholics, Evangelicals (as Protestants like to be called), Orthodox and other Christian groups under the leadership of Rome.
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:3
Comments
Glenn Farinola
Monday June 6th, 2016 at 08:25 AMWhere is bringing people to know Jesus and His love in your message?
admin
Monday June 6th, 2016 at 02:41 PMGood question Glenn! Its everywhere! The signs of the times tell us that we are nearing the second coming of our beloved Lord and powerful Savior Jesus Christ. While we don’t make that point in every Prophetic Intelligence Briefing we publish (because they are just short briefings to link current events with Bible prophecy), we do make that point in our full length sermons, over and over again. It is, however, the underlying issue with all our Prophetic Intelligence Briefings. Our mission is not like “every body else.” We are an end-time focused ministry concentrating on Christ’s second coming and the signs of the times. We continually urge our listeners and readers to get to know the love of Christ and prepare to stand with Him in the time of trouble (which is also all about Christ and His love as well as His power). We serve an amazing Christ, who promises to stand by the side of His faithful people in the most difficult time in history! Now that’s love!!! And it is wonderful assurance in Christ!! Open your eyes… Every link between current events and Bible prophecy is full of Christ’s love. After all, it is Christ’s love that warns us of the signs of the times and the things we are to expect to happen in the last days. Every Christian should be fully on board with that (unless they happen to believe in the false doctrine of the so-called rapture). If you are only receiving our briefings, perhaps you’d like to receive our CDs as well. They are a free subscription that is available to all. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot, even the movements of the papacy involve the love of Christ. Rome is attempting to arrange matters through the ecumenical movement so that God’s true people will be cornered and will be forced if possible to break Christ’s Ten Commandments, the most loving set of lifestyle and moral principles heaven (Christ) has ever provided to humanity, and to which the papacy is determined to undermine with her own set of moral principles and commandments. It’s all about Christ and His love!!
NR
Friday June 10th, 2016 at 06:20 PMAmen. Yes, prophecy does indeed show Jesus Christ’s love and it is out of love for Christ why we need to warn the world of what is taking place. Love is not a feel-good, speak well-of-all sentiment but love is found in telling the truth about world events, organizations and nations including denouncing those that go against God.
Keep the Faith continue to do the work of making sense of current events, warning a dying world and calling people to give their lives to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Thank you for your ministry.
Gary Coffey
Friday July 1st, 2016 at 03:22 AMOur Mission in this world is to spread the Three Angels Messages and for the World to Turn To KING JESUS CHRIST our SAVIOUR in Full repentance and Obedience and Trust to CHRIST JESUS , however we are also shown through Revelations , Daniel and the writings of Paul to be watchers against the great whore of Babylon which is the RCC System of worship and I thank JESUS that we still have watchers in the World Thank you Pastor Mayer for keeping us informed