Roman Catholic Bishops Carry Skull in France |
Roman Catholic Bishops Carry Skull in France |
Joel Osteen Meets with Pope Francis at Vatican: ‘He’s Made the Church More Inclusive’
http://christiannews.net/2014/06/08/joel-osteen-meets-with-pope-francis-at-vatican-hes-made-the-church-more-inclusive/
June 8, 2014
ROME – Megachurch speaker and author Joel Osteen was among a group of political and religious leaders who met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday.
According to reports, Osteen was part of a delegation organized by the International Foundation in an effort to encourage interfaith relations and ecumenicism. Utah Senator Mike Lee (R), a Mormon, Gayle Beebe, the president of the interdenominational Westmont College in California, and Pastor Tim Timmons, founder of South Coast Community Church also in California, were among those who who greeted the pope, along with Osteen.“I just felt very honored and very humbled,” Osteen told local television station Click 2 Houston. “It was amazing. And even to go back into that part of the Vatican—there’s so much history there, the place that they took us through. You feel that deep respect and reverence for God.”
The Lakewood leader also met with other Vatican staff during his visit, including Cardinal Pietro Paroli, Secretary of State for the Vatican, and had dinner with an unspecified staff member.
Osteen attended mass in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday prior to the meeting in the midst of a crowd of 100,000 people.
“Afterward, [the pope] spent an hour and a half going through the crowd with the Popemobile, greeting people,” he recalled to the Houston Chronicle. “It was very heartwarming to see him caring for people.”
Osteen told reporters that he believed the pope’s message and focus is one of unity.
“I love the fact that’s he’s made the Church more inclusive,” he said. “Not trying to make it smaller, but to try to make it larger—to take everybody in. So, that just resonates with me.”
But others have expressed sadness about Osteen’s recent meeting at the Vatican, stating that ecumenicism is far from biblical.
“Joel Osteen has joined the rank of all other popular ministries in bowing his knee to the anti-Christ system, and those that blindly follow his leadership will be the first ones in line with their hand out to be marked by the beast,” Pastor Mark Herridge Sr. of Pentecostal Lighthouse Church in Livingston, Texas told Christian News Network.
“Any Protestant ministry that links up with the pope and Catholicism is betraying the sacrifice of millions of faithful Christians that have died at the hands of this brutal, dictatorial and oppressive religion that has never represented the Church of the Living God as outlined in New Testament teaching,” he said.
Amy Spreeman of Stand Up for the Truth said that it is important that Christians take note of these developments.
“You might be saying to your evangelical self, ‘Who cares what Joel Osteen does, or what the pope does, or what a Mormon senator does? These things surely don’t apply to my faith, do they?’” she wrote. “[P]erhaps it’s time to stop focusing on those audacious dreams and life tips and start paying attention to your Bible and to those pesky news headlines that threaten to wake us from our slumber. ”
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Pastor Joel Osteen, Mormon Senator, Other US Leaders Meet With Pope Francis in Rome (VIDEO)
By Nicola Menzie , Christian Post Reporter
June 7, 2014|11:12 am
Joel Osteen, bestselling motivational author and evangelical pastor of America's fastest-growing megachurch, was among a small group that included Mormon Sen. Mike Lee, to meet privately with Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome, this week.
Osteen said he was honored to meet with Pope Francis, who leads the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
"I like the fact that this pope is trying to make the church larger, not smaller. He's not pushing people out but making the church more inclusive. That resonated with me," Osteen told the Houston Chronicle.
The megachurch pastor, who ministers to 52,000 worshippers weekly and reaches millions through his books and television broadcasts, added that the group's meeting with Francis was cut short due to the death of a cardinal, Simon Lourdusamy. Osteen added, however, that the pope asked the group to pray for peace in the Middle East as well as for him.
According to Deseret News, the meeting with Pope Francis on Thursday was "part of a multiday, unofficial visit to Italy to promote ecumenical prayer and interfaith understanding."
In addition to Sen. Lee's and Osteen's presence, the publication reports that others in attendance included Tim Timmons, a pastor and author based in Newport Beach, Calif., and Gayle D. Beebe, president of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Fellowship, or The International Foundation, reportedly organized the trip. The Fellowship is led by evangelical Christian minister Douglas Coe, who was noted by the Vatican Information Services as one of many guests received by Pope Francis on Thursday, cited simply as: "Doug Coe of the National Prayer Breakfast, U.S.A., and entourage." The Fellowship is the main organizer behind the annual National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C.
Beebe, president of the interdenominational Christian liberal arts school Westmont College, was included in the party meeting the pope as a representative of "Christian higher education in the ecumenical conversation." According to Westmont College, Francis had invited more than a dozen "North American Protestant leaders" to discuss the question: "Can we find common ground in order to advance the life and ministry of Jesus so more people can experience the joy of Christian faith?"
The ecumenical meeting was a part of Pope Francis' on-going efforts to bring unity among Christians, previously stating in public remarks, "Divisions among us, but also divisions among the communities: evangelical Christians, orthodox Christians, Catholic Christians, but why divided? We must try to bring about unity."
He added, "Seek unity, unity builds the Church and comes from Jesus Christ. He sends us the Holy Spirit to build unity!"
However, Pope Francis's call for unity goes beyond the Christian community. During his recent visit to the Middle East, Francis invited Israeli Jewish and Muslim leaders to join him in prayer for peace for their region at the Vatican this Sunday. Israel's Chief of State Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Abu Mazen will be joined by a delegation of rabbis, Islamic imams, and Israeli Druze community leaders, according to news reports.
In the video player below, Pastor Osteen talks with KPRC-TV in Houston about his meeting with Pope Francis:
"I like the fact that this pope is trying to make the church larger, not smaller. He's not pushing people out but making the church more inclusive. That resonated with me," Osteen told the Houston Chronicle.
The megachurch pastor, who ministers to 52,000 worshippers weekly and reaches millions through his books and television broadcasts, added that the group's meeting with Francis was cut short due to the death of a cardinal, Simon Lourdusamy. Osteen added, however, that the pope asked the group to pray for peace in the Middle East as well as for him.
According to Deseret News, the meeting with Pope Francis on Thursday was "part of a multiday, unofficial visit to Italy to promote ecumenical prayer and interfaith understanding."
In addition to Sen. Lee's and Osteen's presence, the publication reports that others in attendance included Tim Timmons, a pastor and author based in Newport Beach, Calif., and Gayle D. Beebe, president of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Fellowship, or The International Foundation, reportedly organized the trip. The Fellowship is led by evangelical Christian minister Douglas Coe, who was noted by the Vatican Information Services as one of many guests received by Pope Francis on Thursday, cited simply as: "Doug Coe of the National Prayer Breakfast, U.S.A., and entourage." The Fellowship is the main organizer behind the annual National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C.
Beebe, president of the interdenominational Christian liberal arts school Westmont College, was included in the party meeting the pope as a representative of "Christian higher education in the ecumenical conversation." According to Westmont College, Francis had invited more than a dozen "North American Protestant leaders" to discuss the question: "Can we find common ground in order to advance the life and ministry of Jesus so more people can experience the joy of Christian faith?"
The ecumenical meeting was a part of Pope Francis' on-going efforts to bring unity among Christians, previously stating in public remarks, "Divisions among us, but also divisions among the communities: evangelical Christians, orthodox Christians, Catholic Christians, but why divided? We must try to bring about unity."
He added, "Seek unity, unity builds the Church and comes from Jesus Christ. He sends us the Holy Spirit to build unity!"
However, Pope Francis's call for unity goes beyond the Christian community. During his recent visit to the Middle East, Francis invited Israeli Jewish and Muslim leaders to join him in prayer for peace for their region at the Vatican this Sunday. Israel's Chief of State Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Abu Mazen will be joined by a delegation of rabbis, Islamic imams, and Israeli Druze community leaders, according to news reports.
In the video player below, Pastor Osteen talks with KPRC-TV in Houston about his meeting with Pope Francis:
June 5 - Sen. Mike Lee, Dirk Kempthorne, Joel Osteen meet with Pope Francis at Vatican
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, left, shakes hands with Pope Francis during a meeting with the pontiff on Thursday, June 5, 2014, at the Vatican. Lee was part of a delegation of political and religious leaders from the United States. In the middle is U.S. Senator Dirk Kempthorne, R-Idaho. |
Sen. Mike Lee, Dirk Kempthorne, Joel Osteen meet with Pope Francis at Vatican
WASHINGTON — A small group of political and religious leaders from the United States, including Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, met privately with Pope Francis at the Vatican today.
Part of a multiday, unofficial visit to Italy to promote ecumenical prayer and interfaith understanding, Lee was joined in the private audience by former U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne; Lakewood Church pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen; Tim Timmons, a pastor and author based in Newport Beach, California; and Gayle D. Beebe, president of Westmont College, an evangelical school in Santa Barbara, California.
Lee said The International Foundation, a private nonprofit, arranged the trip.
The Utah Republican conversed with the Pope in Spanish, which is the pontiff's mother tongue, about the need for faith in Jesus Christ and to build families. Lee, who served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, speaks fluent Spanish.
"I was told it would not only be the proper protocol, but also appreciated if I were to address him in Spanish," Lee said in a telephone interview from Rome. "The invitation to meet came from Pope Francis' desire to invite more people to come unto Jesus Christ," he added.
Lee said Francis asked his guests to pray that more people would serve and protect the family.
Ecumenical outreach
According to a Westmont College statement, the pontiff "invited the Protestant leaders to discuss the question: 'Can we find common ground in order to advance the life and ministry of Jesus so more people can experience the joy of Christian faith?'"
Lee and his wife were apparently the only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the delegation.
"There was a very good spirit with him. I enjoyed the interaction," Lee added. "He's a very humble man."
Lee said he told Francis about the ecumenical prayer breakfasts held in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, and that the pope replied he supported such ventures. But beyond that and the usual pleasantries, Lee said, the pontiff had no specific message for him.
During his days in Rome, Lee said, he observed Francis in action when the pope met with more than 50,000 charismatic Roman Catholics during a worship service at Rome's Olympic Stadium. After arriving in a Ford Focus and asking the crowd for prayers, Lee said, the pontiff knelt on the ground to pray, the traditional "kneeler" cushion not being available.
A former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Francis Rooney, applauded the pope for meeting with the group. "I think the Pope, in reaching out, is broadening the concept of ecumenical dialogue, and he's reaching out to people who can touch other Christians," Rooney said
He noted that Pope John XXIII reached out to Jewish leaders, "having served as a papal nuncio (ambassador) and appreciated (their) plight" during World War II. And Pope John Paul II, who along with John XXIII was canonized in April, continued the outreach to Jews and included Eastern and other Orthodox Christian leaders, Rooney explained, and now Francis is widening the circle.
"This pope's a whirlwind," Rooney said. "He's making a great contribution to the world, I think. He's doing great things for the world. … I think the Pope, in reaching out, is broadening the concept of ecumenical dialogue and he's reaching out to people who can touch other Christians."
Lee also met with Cardinal George Pell, former Roman Catholic archbishop of Sydney and current prefect of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy, and Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. He said his talks included a discussion on unemployment and the need to help out-of-work individuals keep and maintain hope.Part of a multiday, unofficial visit to Italy to promote ecumenical prayer and interfaith understanding, Lee was joined in the private audience by former U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne; Lakewood Church pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen; Tim Timmons, a pastor and author based in Newport Beach, California; and Gayle D. Beebe, president of Westmont College, an evangelical school in Santa Barbara, California.
Lee said The International Foundation, a private nonprofit, arranged the trip.
The Utah Republican conversed with the Pope in Spanish, which is the pontiff's mother tongue, about the need for faith in Jesus Christ and to build families. Lee, who served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, speaks fluent Spanish.
"I was told it would not only be the proper protocol, but also appreciated if I were to address him in Spanish," Lee said in a telephone interview from Rome. "The invitation to meet came from Pope Francis' desire to invite more people to come unto Jesus Christ," he added.
Lee said Francis asked his guests to pray that more people would serve and protect the family.
Ecumenical outreach
According to a Westmont College statement, the pontiff "invited the Protestant leaders to discuss the question: 'Can we find common ground in order to advance the life and ministry of Jesus so more people can experience the joy of Christian faith?'"
Lee and his wife were apparently the only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the delegation.
"There was a very good spirit with him. I enjoyed the interaction," Lee added. "He's a very humble man."
Lee said he told Francis about the ecumenical prayer breakfasts held in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, and that the pope replied he supported such ventures. But beyond that and the usual pleasantries, Lee said, the pontiff had no specific message for him.
During his days in Rome, Lee said, he observed Francis in action when the pope met with more than 50,000 charismatic Roman Catholics during a worship service at Rome's Olympic Stadium. After arriving in a Ford Focus and asking the crowd for prayers, Lee said, the pontiff knelt on the ground to pray, the traditional "kneeler" cushion not being available.
A former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Francis Rooney, applauded the pope for meeting with the group. "I think the Pope, in reaching out, is broadening the concept of ecumenical dialogue, and he's reaching out to people who can touch other Christians," Rooney said
He noted that Pope John XXIII reached out to Jewish leaders, "having served as a papal nuncio (ambassador) and appreciated (their) plight" during World War II. And Pope John Paul II, who along with John XXIII was canonized in April, continued the outreach to Jews and included Eastern and other Orthodox Christian leaders, Rooney explained, and now Francis is widening the circle.
"This pope's a whirlwind," Rooney said. "He's making a great contribution to the world, I think. He's doing great things for the world. … I think the Pope, in reaching out, is broadening the concept of ecumenical dialogue and he's reaching out to people who can touch other Christians."
Prayer breakfasts
The senator said the group had met with "30 or 40 members of the Italian parliament from every political persuasion" about the possibility of organizing similar prayer breakfasts for that body to the ones conducted in Washington.
He also met with Angelino Alfano, Italy's interior minister, who noted the 70th anniversary this week of the "D-Day" invasion of Europe and America's efforts "to save Italy from fascism," Lee said
The visit by the delegation is part of what appears to be a greater outreach by Francis to non-Catholics in an effort to spur Christian unity and interchange. While previous popes, particularly St. John Paul II, were noted for interreligious dialogue, Francis hosted a number of non-Catholic leaders at the Vatican shortly after his election last year, including General Linda Bond, who was then serving as international leader of The Salvation Army.
During his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis, then known as Cardinal Jose Mario Bergoglio, engaged in active interfaith dialogues with Rabbi Abraham Skorka as well as Sheik Omar Abboud, the former Islamic Center of Argentina secretary-general. Both clerics accompanied Francis to Jordan and Israel during his recent journey there.
Lee's audience with Pope Francis came more than a century after another prominent Utahn has met with the top Roman Catholic leader at the Vatican. According to Orson Whitney's History of Utah, Sen. Thomas Kearns, himself a Catholic, traveled to Rome in April 1901, where he had an audience with Pope Leo XIII and "received his blessing." Michael Kearns of Silver King Publishing and a descendant of the late senator, confirmed the account in an email that noted that Perry Heath, then-publisher of The Salt Lake Tribune, also attended the meeting.
The International Foundation is also known as The Fellowship Foundation. The nonprofit's website describes its purpose as encouraging "one another and people throughout the world to carry out the first and Great Commandment 'to love God first' and 'to love your neighbor as yourself.' This is accomplished by seeking to adhere to the teachings and precepts of Jesus."
The group is also involved in the National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C., each February. Lee spoke this year at a dinner connected to that event.
WCC general secretary sees positive outcomes from meeting of Pope and Ecumenical Patriarch
26 May 2014
The weekend meeting of Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople holds significance for global churches and the ecumenical movement beyond the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).
Referring to the text of the Common Declaration issued by the two church leaders on Sunday, 25 May, Tveit pointed to their confirmation of the call to church unity, the importance of their meeting in Jerusalem and the Holy Land and their shared conviction that we are all on our way as pilgrims together on a pilgrimage of justice and peace.
In their common declaration Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew pledged to continue on the path toward unity between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. “Our fraternal encounter today is a new and necessary step on the journey towards the unity to which only the Holy Spirit can lead us, that of communion in legitimate diversity,” the document said.
“It is important that the Bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople met to confirm this calling of the church toward unity just as their predecessors did 50 years ago,” Tveit said. “And that this is viewed as a necessary step toward communion in ‘legitimate diversity.’”
“The need for and understanding of respectful diversity within the church was confirmed at our 10th Assembly in October last year, where both Orthodox and Roman Catholic leaders were present together with representatives of all the WCC member churches and beyond,” Tveit said. “To hear this directly from them adds to the inspiration we experienced at the assembly.”
The document also pointed toward the importance of their having met in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and the significance of this fact for churches in the region of the Middle East. The two leaders said, “We express our shared profound concern for the situation of Christians in the Middle East and for their right to remain full citizens of their homelands. In trust we turn to the almighty and merciful God in a prayer for peace in the Holy Land and in the Middle East in general.”
“Their meeting in Jerusalem this past weekend and their joint prayer is a strong sign of commitment to justice and peace for all people in the region. It strengthens the church in the region, even while the church continues to struggle under pressure of conflict in the region, suffering under occupation, as with the Christians in Palestine, and regional economic hardship,” Tveit said.
Tveit also expressed hope in the two leaders’ declaration concerning the role of inter-religious dialogue. “This is of vital importance to our entire fellowship of churches, whether they are a religious majority or religious minority in their societies,” Tveit said. “This dialogue is of particular importance in a setting such as the Middle East.”
Tveit said the meeting of the two church leaders “is a sign of hope and inspiration for churches around the world as our unity, even in diversity, allows the church to move together on its common pilgrimage of justice and peace.”
The WCC is a global fellowship of 345 churches including nearly all of the world’s Orthodox churches as well as Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Evangelical, Pentecostal and Reformed Churches. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was one of the founding members of the WCC in 1948, and as early as 1920 had invited all Christian churches to form together a League of Churches similar to the League of Nations. Through its member churches the WCC represents more than 560 million Christians in more than 100 countries around the world.
While the Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, the two work formally in close cooperation on projects related to Christian unity, common witness, inter-religious dialogue and relations, ecumenical formation, human rights, migration and peace and justice.
Full text of Joint Declaration by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis
Cooperation between the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church
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