October 04, 2015:
Vatican says pope met with gay couple and meeting with Kim Davis not a form of support
Published October 02, 2015
| COMMENT: So who is telling the truth? |
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican is confirming that the only "audience" the pope had while he was in Washington was with a former student and his family: Yayo Grassi, an openly gay Argentine who visited Francis with his longtime partner and some friends.
The revelation Friday turned the table on the narrative of Francis' meeting with Kim Davis, the Kentucky law clerk who went to jail after refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
The Vatican on Friday distanced Francis from Davis, saying his encounter with her was by no means an endorsement of her cause. In the same statement, the Vatican said the only real audience the pope had was with a former student.
The Vatican on Friday distanced Pope Francis from Kim Davis, the focal point in the gay marriage debate in the U.S., saying she was one of dozens of people the pope greeted as he left Washington and that their encounter "should not be considered a form of support of her position."
After days of confusion, the Vatican issued a statement Friday with its version of Francis' Sept. 24 encounter with Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
Davis said earlier this week that she and her husband met briefly with the pope at the Vatican's nunciature in Washington and that he thanked her for her courage and encouraged her to "stay strong."
"Just knowing that the pope is on track with what we're doing and agreeing, you know, it kind of validates everything," she told ABC.
The Vatican statement made clear the pope intended no such validation.
However, Davis' lawyer, Mat Staver, told The Associated Press that the Vatican initiated the meeting as an affirmation of her right to be conscientious objector.
Click on Link:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/10/02/pope-francis-meeting-with-kim-davis-not-form-support-vatican-says/
Pope Pious: What Evangelicals Like About Francis
Disagreement over religious authority and salvation fades as piety trumps doctrine.
Chris Castaldo/ September 23, 2015
The office of the papacy is an enigma to most evangelical Protestants. The spectacle of medieval regalia, coats of arms, and the popemobile provoke curiosity, skepticism, and bewilderment. Add to these symbols the pope’s monarchial titles, infallibility, and a standing army, and the portrait gets even more perplexing.
Why then are some evangelicals flocking to Pope Francis ?
For example, after visiting the Vatican, Rick Warren was impressed with the humble quality of Francis’ ministry, and subsequently described him as “our new pope .” Luis Palau, whose friendship with Francis reaches back to earlier years in Argentina, also points to the pope’s “personal lifestyle” as a reason why evangelicals hold him in such high regard.
In March of 2014, the Green family , who own the Oklahoma-based company Hobby Lobby, enjoyed a warm visit with Francis after collaborating on a Bible exhibit. Charismatic leaders—including Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, and John Arnott of Catch the Fire Toronto—have also enjoyed papal audiences.
Geoff Tunnicliffe, formerly head of the World Evangelical Alliance, returned from his visit to the Vatican announcing a “new era in evangelical and Catholic relations.” And Timothy George, Dean of Beeson Divinity School, has written a popular article calling the pope “Our Francis, Too.” Evangelicals, it seems, have buried the hatchet on the papacy. Why?
Accordingly, Protestants and Catholics alike see Francis as a transparent, down-to-earth kind of servant who prefers washing the feet of prison inmates to the traditional pomp and circumstance of the Vatican. Such qualities resonate with evangelicals who generally see themselves as egalitarian and pietistic.
Another feature of Pope Francis that commends him to many Protestants is his personal identification with charismatic renewal. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis often prayed with Pentecostal pastors and routinely sat down with them in dialogue.
Click on Link:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/september-web-only/evangelicals-flock-to-pope-francis-but-what-for.html
Pope Francis' Visit Reminds Us: Catholics and Protestants Can and Must Stand Shoulder to Shoulder
By John Stonestreet |
October 2, 2015 | 10:39 AM EDT
What are evangelicals to make of the Pope Francis phenomenon? That’s a question I tackled recently with two thought leaders.
As was on full display during his recent visit to the United States, Pope Francis presents a paradox for many evangelicals, and in more ways than one. On one hand, we warm to the way the 78-year old Pontiff from Argentina models the compassion of Christ and speaks out for the dignity of human life.
And on the other, we scratch our heads at some of his comments, such as his critiques of capitalism, an economic system that has lifted the prospects of millions of the poor and disenfranchised, whom Francis so evidently loves.
And of course Protestants deeply disagree with the pope about much theology, even as we are touched by his Christ-like compassion and simplicity. Who is this paradoxical pope who some say combines the economic views of Bernie Sanders with the social outlook of Mike Huckabee?
Then we talked about the great distance evangelicals have traveled with regard to Roman Catholicism. Decades ago, prominent evangelicals commonly referred to the pope—any pope—as “Antichrist.” Now, Ed says polling by his organization, Lifeway Research, shows that over sixty percent of Protestant leaders in America see Pope Francis as a “brother in Christ.”
Timothy George quoted the great Presbyterian theologian J. Gresham Machen from a century ago, who said, “Evangelicals probably have more in common with Catholics today than they do with Mainline Protestants.” Machen saw that Catholics and Protestants had a common foe in theological liberalism. And that’s still true today, Timothy said. Timothy says, “One of the reasons so many evangelicals are resonating with Pope Francis is, in addition to the humility and leadership … is that he is indeed going to be a co-belligerent, a fellow battler in the midst of some of the cultural challenges.”
Click on Link:
http://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/john-stonestreet/paradoxes-pope-francis
Is Pope Francis an Evangelical Charismatic Catholic?
November 05, 2014
Experts in Evangelical Christianity and the Charismatic Movement discuss the roots and focus of the Holy Father's ecumenical dialogue and interaction
Labels are most often used not only to define a person, but to deny the person. Once we slap a label on them it is easy to limit them to that label. That’s why I used to tease people by describing myself as an “Evangelical, Charismatic, Catholic.”
I used the label to defy labels. I also used the description because I genuinely valued all three streams of Christian tradition. I wanted to affirm the Evangelical’s missionary zeal and love of the Scriptures, the Charismatic’s warmth and personal experience of the Holy Spirit, and the strong rootedness of the Catholic tradition.
Not long ago a priest friend admitted to to me that Pope Francis was “an enigma”. Now, a year and half into his papacy, after watching and listening to the pope carefully I’m convinced that he is, at heart, an Evangelical, Charismatic Catholic. Breaking out of common Catholic categories, Francis has reached out to Evangelicals and Charismatics both within the Catholic Church and beyond.
His friendship with bishop Tony Palmer is a good example. Before his untimely death, Palmer was a leader in a new church movement which weaves together the zealous missionary spirit of the Evangelicals, active use of the charismatic gifts, a love for liturgy, and the apostolic succession. Through Palmer, Pope Francis reached out to charismatic evangelist Kenneth Copeland, preached in a Pentecostal church in Rome and welcomed Evangelical leaders for a breakfast time visit.
To assess my hunch that Pope Francis is an Evangelical, Charismatic Catholic, I spoke to two Catholic leaders in the Church who are experts in Evangelical Christianity and the charismatic movement.