| Share with others: |
|
Tweet |
ROME (CNS) -- Meeting more than 50,000 Catholic charismatics in Rome's Olympic Stadium, Pope Francis admitted he was not always comfortable with the way they prayed, but he knelt onstage as they prayed for him and over him by singing and speaking in tongues.
"In the early years of the charismatic renewal in Buenos Aires, I did not have much love for charismatics," the pope said June 1. "I said of them: They seem like a samba school."
Little by little, though, he came to see how much good the movement was doing for Catholics and for the church, he told a gathering organized by the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services and the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships.
Pope Francis invited the crowd, which included charismatics from 55 countries, to come to St. Peter's Square for Pentecost in 2017 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the movement. The Catholic charismatic movement traces its origins to a retreat held in 1967 with students and staff from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh....
The celebration in Rome's Olympic Stadium began with the song, "Vive Jesus, El Senor," ("Jesus, the Lord, Lives") a Spanish-language song which Pope Francis -- who claims he is tone deaf - joined in singing with his hands open like many in the crowd. The pope said he likes the song, which charismatics in Argentina also sing.
"When I celebrated the holy Mass with the charismatic renewal in the Buenos Aires cathedral, after the consecration and after a few seconds of adoration in tongues, we sang this song with such joy and strength," he said.
At another point, when the crowd prayed that the Holy Spirit would fill Pope Francis, he knelt on the bare floor of the stage, while they sang with their hands raised toward him. After the song, many in the crowd kept their hands raised as they prayed in tongues, speaking in unfamiliar languages.
Read the full story at:
Catholic News: Pope at charismatic rally invites them to Vatican in 2017
Charismatics are supporting Pope Francis in his push for unity between Catholics and Evangelicals. Is this charismatic movement a fulfillment of the Great Controversy where Protestantism and Catholicism grasp hands across the gulf of spiritualism?
Americans to Join Pope Francis for Charismatic Conference in Rome
Pope meets with US Protestant delegation
Joel Osteen, American preacher, televangelist, author, and the Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church, the largest Protestant church, also went to meet the Holy Father.
Joel Osteen Attends Mass in St. Peter’s Square, Meets With Holy Father
Joel Osteen, in the Spirit of Ecumenism, meets Pope Francis
Watch Amazing Facts commentary here:
Read several authors' thoughts on papal Rome's history.
This article highlights quotes from historical and Catholic sources proving the Papacy's aggressive nature.
An Italian mystic. A minister to a British king. An Augustine monk. A Swiss farmer's boy. What do these men have in common? They were used by God in powerful ways to bring about the Protestant Reformation. Enter into the lives of these ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Inspiration for these articles comes from Gideon and Hilda Hagstoz' Heroes of the Reformation
