The Vatican and US Cuba Relations

Being Cuban, I suppose that I have a whole lot to say on this Cuba relations issue based on President Obama’s announcement recently founded on a request from Pope Francis. Since the announcement, Americans seem to think this is their issue alone, if you listen and see how they have politicized it on the news and on social media like Facebook, it seems they have placed it in there along with all the other issues that they are completely polarized on which is the very reason the popular votes in most recent elections in the US are almost all split right down the middle. Well, before I get side-tracked, this is about Cuba and Cubans mostly, and Cuba was a sovereign nation before the Castro’s, and I suppose since the president wants to assume now that the Castro’s are a legitimate government, we will somehow acknowledge it as sovereign nation. That is just how I feel; it isn’t as if because of Castro the physical presence of the island on our common planet went away just as if before 1948 Jews did not exist historically since there were no borders or a Jewish state called Israel. That would almost imply that the holocaust probably didn’t happen which would be completely wrong and malicious to assume. All this, however, is beyond me because this should probably go to referendum amongst all Cubans worldwide since we do have a diasporas similar to the Jews after 70 AD because of Castro’s revolution. For some reason with relevance to Castro, I continue to think of Dave Grohl’s lyrics: “hook me up a new revolution…cause this one was a lie” which would be an understatement when speaking about the Castro brothers. CNN already even took a poll, and the results were:

"About six in 10 Americans favor diplomatic relations with Cuba and two-thirds want the travel restrictions to the island lifted, according to the poll of 1,011 Americans conducted after Obama announced a landmark deal with Cuba to relax sanctions and ease some travel restrictions ((http://www.cnn.com/)."

Obviously, two-thirds want the travel restrictions removed, so maybe no one cares about the history we Cubans have endured, as long as Americans get to enjoy the hundreds of natural beaches the island has to offer once again. Whether Americans like it or not, I will perhaps on this issue alone agree with something Senator Marco Rubio said which was:

"Cuba already enjoys access to commerce, money and goods from other nations, and yet the Cuban people are still not free. They are not free because the regime—just as it does with every aspect of life—manipulates and controls to its own advantage all currency that flows into the island (http://www.wsj.com/)." 

But, I think the best article so far which reflects how I feel was written by Carlos Eire, professor of history and religion at Yale University, and his article is titled: As a Cuban exile, I feel betrayed by President Obama. The article was published by the Washington Post on December 22, 2014. I am sure that many of the Americans polled by CNN will not feel the same as many of us Cubans because simply they are NOT Cuban. I also would not assume that a poll taken of only 1,011 Americans, although scientific, really represents accurately how the 300 million plus of us Americans actually think on anything depending on how and what questions are asked, not to criticize CNN, I enjoy watching CNN often. Regardless, I highly recommend reading Carlos Eire’s article at the following link:

            http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/22/as-a-cuban-exile-i-feel-betrayed-by-president-obama/.

Seemingly, I have gotten side-tracked, some would say right about now because the title for this post is still The Vatican and US Cuba Relations. Well, not so fast, I did say I was Cuban, so obviously I was going to rant on about the topic more than most. Let us just say this was a much needed foundation and introduction to the post from my perspective, since this is also my blog. I really never thought in a million years that I would be writing about politics that are related to my own countries (I am a citizen of the US, and I was born in Cuba). The idea for my post was actually inspired by an article written by Bill Tammeus on his blog, Bill's 'Faith Matters' Blog. Bill’s article is titled: A long Vatican effort on Cuba: 12-20-21-14. I the article, Bill explains how,

"Pope Francis has received considerable credit for influencing Obama's decision, but as this piece correctly notes, several previous popes have lobbied for better relations between the U.S. and Cuba (http://billtammeus.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/12/12-20-21-14.html)."

As the whole story unfolds, we understand that secret meetings were held in Canada between Cuba and the US.

“Canada hosted about seven meetings between the U.S. and Cuba that helped lead to  Barack Obama's announcement Wednesday that the two countries will establish full diplomatic relations, a senior Canadian government official said....The meetings were held in Ottawa and Toronto from 2013 to 2014(http://bigstory.ap.org/article/954643e6d99c481b8b919ddd84744a9e/canada-hosted-secret-meetings-between-cuba-and-us.).”

But, where does Pope Francis get in on this matter as President Obama said? Pope Francis wrote a book back in 1998 titled: Dialogues between John Paul II and Fidel Castro. Back then Pope Francis was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and when Pope John Paul II visited Cuba at the time, he also attended and was present. Consequently, I am sure we can all put two and two together and see this is not a new interest for the now Pope Francis. A Huffington Post article says the following about Pope Francis’ 1998 book:

"Bergoglio harshly criticized socialism and by extension Castro's atheist revolution for denying individuals their "transcendent dignity" and putting them solely at the service of the state. At the same time, he denounced the U.S. embargo and economic isolation of Cuba that impoverished the island...Bergoglio fervently believes as did John Paul that dialogue was the only way to end Cuba's isolation and its hostility to the Catholic Church while promoting democracy (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/20/pope-francis-cuban-book-_n_6360274.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000051.)”

I personally have not read the book in reference: however, it seems that the Pope’s interest is that the Cuban people eventually have a democracy for a government instead of a tyranny, and this indeed is my wish as well. Since this is an ecumenism blog, I believe and think that the interaction between various church groups is and should be of utmost importance to the entire ordeal. However, how dialogue is done and conducted in the future must somehow be representational of all Cubans on this planet, as well, and how we feel should be taken into consideration since this is the soil we were all born on. It would be best if the matter could be put as a referendum vote for all Cubans, as I said before, but obviously since Cuba is a dictatorship that would be impossible under current conditions, so this whole thing is a very complex matter as I have said to so many of my friends. To conclude, although I could probably talk about this topic endlessly, no opinion of any Cuban that is living should be disregarded, as Thomas Jefferson once said in a letter to James Madison "the earth belongs in usufruct to the living." Blessings and Merry Christmas! I hope all those who celebrate Hannukah, as I also do, had a wonderful eight days!

References:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/954643e6d99c481b8b919ddd84744a9e/canada-hosted-secret-meetings-between-cuba-and-us

http://billtammeus.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/12/12-20-21-14.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/23/politics/cuba-poll/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/20/pope-francis-cuban-book-_n_6360274.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000051

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/22/as-a-cuban-exile-i-feel-betrayed-by-president-obama/.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/marco-rubio-the-turning-point-in-relations-with-cuba-1418862936

The Call for a Reformation?

The following is a post that I published on my other blog, Arango's Apologetics Page on Sunday, May 13, 2012. I wanted to share it on here because some of the ideas I present on it are very relevant to the reasons why I started this ecumenism blog. I hope everyone enjoys reading it.

.................................................................................................................................

In 1054, the Eastern and Western Church separated in what has been called the “Great Schism.” This dissension or split is perhaps the elephant in the room to this very day which goes against the teachings of Jesus Christ himself since Jesus prayed in John 17:21: "...that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me."1 Five centuries after the “Schism” the Roman Catholic Church was basically governing western Europe perhaps not only spiritually, but administratively in political influence and every aspect of life. However, the influence of the Church had become a very corrupt and indeed great dissolution existed towards it, as Isabella of Castile said in 1500: “the dissolution is such, that the souls entrusted to the clergy receive great damage.”2 Indeed, change was needed due to many factors and issues that were not correct with the fundamentals of Christianity within the Roman Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic Church had strayed from its foundations even in the understanding of the Scriptures, especially the New Testament. Half a century before all of these needs for reform, Constantinople had fallen, and this brought scholars to Western Europe with ideas different from the West because they brought manuscripts, and these manuscripts “alerted Western scholars to the many changes and interpolations that had taken place in copying…ancient texts.”3The previous aided in comparing the Vulgate to older manuscripts thus getting a better interpretation. The foregoing also makes one think or perhaps confirms that the “Schism" mentioned prior was indeed very bad and a sign of things to come. The printing press facilitated the foregoing translations and exposure to texts immensely. The Catholic Reformation was taking place. The New World was also discovered around this time.

Spain was very influential in the discovery of the New World. The Protestant Reformation was also taking place. Spain was also influential in the Catholic Reformation because it was the enforcer in the Inquisition to prevent the spread of Protestantism, and by all means, even by torture, they enforced. Indeed, a transition was taking place, from an old world to a new one. Moreover, Western Europe’s worldview was changing. Perhaps on scholarly levels, the names of two individuals resonate with relevance to the era, and they are Erasmus and Luther.

Erasmus vs. Luther, one might say: looking in retrospect, were perhaps a fork in the road. Erasmus was seeking a reformation in moderation, Luther eventually broke with Erasmus. Luther looked for another extreme. This writer believes that Luther, although very spiritual, was also an anti-Semite racist that believed Germans were superior to all others. The foregoing is very obvious in his writings on The Jews and their Lies, and Luther also said: “…Poor Germans that we are—we have been deceived! We were born to be masters, and we have been compelled to bow the head beneath the yoke of our tyrants.”4 The foregoing statement alone is evidence that thoughts of German superiority and not of humility ran through Luther’s mind; however, the scriptures do tell that “all have sinned.” Perhaps Erasmus was the best way or route for reform to follow since he said: “I detest dissension, because it goes both against the teachings of Christ and against a secret inclination.”5 Indeed, if the church is not one, it is not following the desire of Jesus’ own heart which was “that they may all be one.” Perhaps Erasmus was right that dissension was not the route to follow because when we see Christianity today it is divided in many ways, with many denominations and groups that usually do not agree on one thing or another, or perhaps many things. The church today perhaps needs to look ahead, but also look back at liturgical traditions that look back to the time the Didache was written and prior as well. This writer does not believe that the further away in time one is from the source that one is closer to the truth, it is on the contrary. Dissension was not at the heart of Jesus; however, it seems that every newly formed group of believers believes that they know better than all who came before, indeed, this is “Chronological Snobbery” as C.S. Lewis would have said.


1 ESV Bible
2 Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume II. P. 7.
3 Ibid. p. 9.
4 Bettenson, Henry. Maunder, Chris. Documents of the Christian Church, Fouth Edition. P.209.
5 Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume II. P. 18.




Bibliography:

Bettenson, Henry. Maunder, Chris. Documents of the Christian Church, Fouth Edition. Oxford
University Press: Oxford, England, 2011.

ESV Bible

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume II, The Reformation to the Present Day.
New York, NY: Harper One, 2010.

Reference:

Arango's Apologetics Page: The Call for a Reformation?

Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the Possibility of Unity between East and West

Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew may not be on the same page with relevance to unity, just yet, but they sure seem to be heading in that direction. We know that 1054 is the year in which the Eastern and the Western Churches separated in what is known as The Great Schism, but in 2014 things seem to be looking better than ever for the possibility of unity perhaps in the near future both Churches once again. Both Churches may have very different theological views on many issues, but some of the statements made by both leaders recently seem to lead one to make deductions for possible unity in the future. Pope Francis was visiting Turkey last week, and after the Divine Liturgy on November 30th, 2014 both leaders spoke. Some statements made by each are as follows:

Pope Francis said: "I want to assure each one of you gathered here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic Church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith ((www.huffingtonpost.com)...."

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said: "The modern persecutors of Christians do not ask which church their victims belong to," he said. "The unity that concerns us is regrettably already occurring in certain regions of the world through the blood of martyrs (www.huffingtonpost.com)."

The article titled: Pope Francis Bows, Asks For Blessing From Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew In Extraordinary Display Of Christian Unity, may be read on HUFF POST RELIGION via the link provided below.

Pope Francis Bows, Asks For Blessing From Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew In Extraordinary Display Of Christian Unity

Reference:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/30/pope-francis-ecumenical-patriarch-bartholomew-_n_6243414.html.

Happy 100th Anniversary

Wishing a wonderful 100th Anniversary to the National Council of Churches in India this week.

"Nagpur: National Council of Churches in India is celebrating 100 years of Ecumenism in India. In Nagpur, the celebrations are observed from November 6-10, 2014 in the Civil Lines campus. While talking exclusively with Nagpur Today General Secretary of NCCI Reverend Roger Gaikwad said that the Centenary celebrations of NCCI will be on the theme, ‘Towards Integral Mission and Grass-root Ecumenism (Nagpur Today).’"

NCCI celebrates 100 years of Ecumenism in India : Nagpur News




Reference:

http://www.nagpurtoday.in/ncci-celebrates-100-years-of-ecumenism-in-india/11051911

The Church and Indigenous Peoples’ of the World

The governments of planet Earth are making an invitation to churches and other civil society groups to advocate for the human rights of Indigenous Peoples’ in a new six-page document that was voted on in September of 2014 which is basically a reinforcement of the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Proverbs 31: 8-9 tells us: "Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all who are left desolate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, maintain the rights of the poor and needy (Bible, Revised Standard Version)."

I invite you to read more details on this UN document in this article from the World Council of Churches that I am sharing. It is my opinion that we are all children of God, and this is a great opportunity for the Church to do what it is called to do in unity, but even more with the encouragement of governments around the globe. The link to the article is below. Blessings and I hope you enjoy reading!

New UN document opens door for churches to do more for indigenous rights — World Council of Churches

On Criticizing the Theology of the Osteen's or Anyone Else's

I don’t remember if it was last week or the week before it, but everyone was jumping all over Victoria Osteen for saying something seemingly really stupid theologically. I don't understand what the big uproar was about since most of the time neither Joel nor Victoria make much sense to me, theologically speaking...they usually just preach a prosperity gospel, it seems. Well, just because you have the largest congregation in the United States it does not mean you know what you are talking about, it probably just means that you are either popular or the congregants are just as ignorant as their leaders, perhaps. Anyhow, let’s stop criticizing our brothers and sisters because that is ignorant too. Why do I say this? Well, from the Second Lesson today at church, we can learn much from St. Paul's letter to the Romans. Trust me on this, if you think Paul was talking about food in these verses, than you be making a huge assumption. 

Romans 14:1-12 reads as follows:

[1]As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions.

[2] One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables. 

[3] Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. 

[4] Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand. 

[5]One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind.

[6] He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. He also who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 

[7] None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 

[8] If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 

[9] For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 

[10]Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;

[11] for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall give praise to God."

[12] So each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Reference:

Bible, Revised Standard Version

For All of You are One In Christ

I don’t usually like using verses from the Scriptures out of context, but sometimes I do. This is going to be a very short post because I simply wanted to a share a couple verses from Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians which was most likely written anywhere between 40 AD to 60 AD according to scholars. The reason I wanted to share these two verses is because they are evidence that from the very beginning of the Faith, Paul was already exhorting with relevance to ecumenism regardless of whom or what anyone was. Anyhow, I won’t do the research for us this time, but I definitely think these verses are food for thought. The following are the two verses in reference. Blessings and I hope you enjoy!

Galatians 3: 28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (RSV Bible).

Galatians 5: 6

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love (RSV Bible).

Reference:

Bible, Revised Standard Version

Pope Francis' Message “You cannot hate in the name of God”

In light of all the horrific and terrible things happening in our world, I wanted to close out the month of August with a video message from Pope Francis. Pope Francis is not the leader of all Christians around the world. He is the leader of Roman Catholics (Western Church) which is the largest denomination in Christianity, but regardless I believe that this message should be the focus of all Christians around the world at this moment in time with any and all support possible, especially our prayers. Consequently, I am sharing this post on both Arango’s Apologetics Page and on Unifying the Faith.

ROMEREPORTS.COM wrote as follows:

"Pope Francis expressed his concern for the situation in Iraq during the Angelus prayer. He firmly assured that these crimes gravely offend God (http://en.romereports.com)."

Pope Francis said the following in his message:

"Children dead from thirst and hunger during the escape; women who are abducted; people slaughtered; violence of every kind; destruction everywhere, destruction of homes, destruction of religious, historical and cultural patrimonies. All this greatly offends God and greatly offends humanity. You cannot bring hatred in the name of God! You cannot make war in the name of God (http://en.romereports.com)!"

The link to the video is below.

Pope Francis: “You cannot hate in the name of God”

Demand Religious Freedom

Christians and Jews are indeed being persecuted around the world. It is time to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves as Proverbs 31:8 states. The religious right is starting to raise awareness which is strange since they are usually busy politicizing issues that normally should not be politicized.
My problem with people like Ralph Reed is that they will most likely make millions in income politicizing things like this issue of persecution as a "God business." Credits to Frank Schaffer on the "God business" phrase I just used. I am just surprised that they are showing concern for Assyrian Christians in Iraq and Coptic Christians in Egypt because honestly many of on the religious right did not consider that these brothers and sisters where actually Christian based on the limited worldview on that same religious right. Unless, this is just some new scheme to help the Republican party. I personally do not think that our Faith needs to be supporting any one political party, but instead leave that up to the individual as a choice. Our job is to follow Christ. But, I do think the religious right is right on this one or at least on the right track for now. So, the link below is one way of communicating the injustices and human rights abuses being experienced by our brothers and sisters around the world. If anyone comes up with a better idea, please share, and I will try to promote it.


Demand Religious Freedom

Is Christ Divided?

St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians (epistle) was most likely written from Ephesus during his stay there around 53 to 57 AD. About 1, 959 years ago, St. Paul was already confronting the issue of ecumenism in the church. Sadly enough, at the very start of Christianity there was already “quarreling among” brothers and sisters on matters of our common Faith. Moreover, St. Paul appealed “by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” that they would “be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”In the latest post in my other blog, Arango’s Apologetics Page, which I consider the older sibling to this one I used several Scripture references; however in this post I plan on using only eight verses from the New Testament. This blog seeks unity among all those that call themselves Christian, as well as all of humanity. One of the questions we must ask ourselves is what can we do to make unity in Christ a possibility, if we truly believe that this was the desire of Jesus? The question St. Paul asked about two millenniums ago in the First Letter to the Corinthians was “Is Christ divided?” The answer to this question is that He is absolutely “Not “divided. I simply wish to share First Corinthians 1:10-17 with you the reader and allow you to ponder on this idea of ecumenism, and why it is so important, and also that you ask yourself why we are so divided as denominations and groups of the same Faith? I Corinthians 1:10-17 reads as follows:

"BRETHREN, I appeal to you by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brethren. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispos and Gaius; lest any one should say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (RSV Bible)."

Reference:

The Revised Standard Version of the Bible

A Brief Thought I Had Today on Ecumenism

Reflecting today on the subject of ecumenism at breakfast in conversation with one of my oldest best friends who is also a theology buff just like me, I decided to write this post. I have to say that the church, perhaps, has never really been one or united one hundred percent because we are all different, and God created us as such. Moreover, it was evident that from the beginning there was division in the Church, as St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1: 11-13: “For it has been reported to me by Chlo'e's people that there is quarreling among you, my brethren. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apol'los," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." Is Christ divided (RSV Bible)?” Obliviously, this type of division was not what Jesus intended or else he would not have prayed in John 17: 21, "I pray that they may all be one…."

Indeed, Jesus prayed that we would be one. But, today we have many types of Protestants, other Christian groups, and Evangelicals, and so on. We have Eastern Orthodox, we have Anglicans, and we have the Western Church (Roman Catholic) which is the largest Christian denomination. If one thinks about it, all of these make up the two billion plus humans that call themselves Christian or followers of Christ. Why so many different types? Well, this is a complex answer, but obviously everyone individually thinks that they are right or have the correct understanding of the truth. How right does each think that they are? Is it to the extreme that some think they are right, and all others are wrong? The answer to this is really that it doesn't matter what you are or what denomination you are if you think your right and others are completely wrong then you're probably a fundamentalist. Honestly, the highest probability is that perhaps all of us have a little bit of the truth, but no one has all of the truth, and we can learn from anybody on understanding God’s will. Moreover, there is a not so cute story that sounds cute found in the Book of Numbers 22: 21-34, it is the story of Balaam and his Donkey. In this story God uses a donkey to talk to Balaam to make him understand that he is wrong, although I don’t want to give you too much detail about the story, so you can read it for yourself. But, the bottom line is that we can be as hard headed as Balaam thinking we are right, even in the way we understand Scripture or history, and unknowingly we may be on a collision course with what Christ was and was really saying to us.

I hate taking Scriptures out of context, but a favorite Evangelical verse is found in Romans 3:23, and in it St. Paul said: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….” We are all sinners, so deal with it! Also, in 1 Corinthians 10:12, St. Paul said: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” Personally, no matter what denomination you may be, I suggest that if you think that you are standing upright, be careful because if you are promoting division it does not sound like you understand the prayer of Jesus in John 17: 21, "I pray that they may all be one…."Furthermore, I would recommend that you read the story I mentioned about Balaam, and ask yourself if you are on a collision course against the will of Christ?

One of the most ecumenical experiences I have happens to me almost weekly at the church I attend during communion or the Eucharist. I am not an official parishioner, per se, but I do attend regularly to Trinity Cathedral in Miami. One of the things I love to hear regularly is when Dean Douglas McCaleb says before the Lord’s Supper: “what follows is not a Protestant table or a Catholic table, this is God’s table and in God's table all are welcome.” Thinking about it, this is how we should all treat each other always, just like a family that shares a table thanks to Jesus Christ. In John 14: 34-35, Jesus said: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (RSV Bible)." I think this blog post is over now, and I will leave it up to you to ponder, as the popular phrase says, “enough said!” Blessings!

Reference:

RSV Bible

American Religious Town Hall

 It reads in what may be the mission statement of Unifying the Faith: "This blog seeks to promote and establish ecumenism among all groups and denominations of the Christian Faith via expressions in written language, and through any means of communication. We seek the promotion of others that are working towards the same common goal, as well." Well, here is another organization that is working for an ecumenical cause just as Unifying the Faith. It is American Religious Town Hall Meeting. American Religious Town Hall Meeting is a non-profit organization dedicated to the following, as it reads on their website:

"- The preservation of basic American civil and religious liberties including freedom of speech and freedom to worship God as one chooses.

- Fostering a spirit of unity among all religions and encouraging interfaith understanding in an atmosphere of cooperation without compromise.

- Educating the American public regarding varying viewpoints through weekly worldwide television broadcast (http://www.americanreligious.org/)."

If you wish to learn more about this organization, please visit their link below. Blessings!

American Religious Town Hall

Ecumenism Was Happening Today

I simply wanted to share this article by Nicole Winfield for AP that is titled: Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew Pray In Holy Sepulcher Church. The article reads as follows:

"Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians prayed together Sunday inside the Jerusalem church that symbolizes their divisions, calling their historic meeting a step toward healing the centuries-old Catholic-Orthodox schism."

The link for the entire article is found below. Hope you enjoy reading it...blessings!



Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew Pray In Holy Sepulcher Church

Pilgrimage of Pope Francis to the Holy Land

On this site one will be able to view live CVT video transmission from Vatican Television Center, as well as the Popes agenda by date. The Vatican's link to the Pilgrimage of Pope Francis to the Holy Land from May 24-26 is below.


Pilgrimage of Pope Francis to the Holy Land (24-26 May 2014)

A Link for the Apostolic Pilgrimage this Week

I wanted to share a link which has more information about the meeting between Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew which will be taking place in Jerusalem on May 25^th, 2014. I found the link through the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website (http://www.goarch.org/). Below is the link for the Apostolic Pilgrimage.

Home - Apostolic Pilgrimage of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Jerusalem

Pope Francis' Trip to the Holy Land

As it is well known already, in the next three days Pope Francis will be doing an Ecumenical trip to the Holy Land. I am recommending an article on NPR by Sylvia Poggioli which is titled: Pope To Travel To Holy Land With Rabbi And Muslim Leader. In the article, Sylvia Poggioli quotes John Allen, who is the Vatican analyst for The Boston Globe. Mr. Allen said:

"With Francis, his focus in interreligious dialogue is much more on the present — it's what are the challenges of today, poverty and war, and what can the religions do together in facing them," Allen says. "It is a mode of interreligious dialogue that is free of the ghosts of the past."

I hope you enjoy the article, and I will be possibly be providing other links with relevance to the trip by Pope Francis, but the link to this article in reference is below. Hope you enjoy reading…blessings!

Pope To Travel To Holy Land With Rabbi And Muslim Leader : NPR

The Taizé Community

If you were to stumble in on the German radio station Domradio at around 10 P.M. Central European time on a Saturday evening, you just might hear the evening prayer broadcast from the Taizé Community. If you are curious about listening to this evening prayer, you can listen online at http://www.domradio.de/.  Moreover, the prayer is provided online as a podcast. Now, if you have never heard of Taizé, I am getting ready to tell you a little about it, and I will also be providing their link, so you can visit their website and explore everything the Taizé Community offers on it.

What is the Taizé Community? Well, the Taizé Community is a monastic order found in Taizé, Saône-et-Loire which is in Burgundy, France. The Taizé Community is ecumenical and it is made up of more than one hundred brothers that come from Catholic and Protestant backgrounds coming from many countries around our planet.  The Taizé Community was founded by Brother Roger Schutz in 1940. In 1954, Brother Roger wrote a publication titled: The Rule of Taizé which basically provides the guide for the community.  The community has grown to become a very important place for young Christian pilgrims to visit. In fact, more than 100, 000 visit each year from many parts of our planet. What do these young people do at Taizé? Well, they study the Bible, they pray, they share and do communal work, and more. Now, why am I posting about the Taizé Community? Well, didn’t I say that it was ecumenical? The answer to both questions is because it is ecumenical. If you go on YouTube, you can find much of the beautiful worship music that they sing at the community. To close, I do not want to say too much about Taizé since you can find out more about them by exploring their link found below. Thanks for reading and blessings!

The Taizé Community

Crystal Cathedral and Christ Cathedral

Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, California was formerly known as Crystal Cathedral; however, Christ Cathedral is Roman Catholic, but Crystal Cathedral was part of the Reformed Church in America. So, what happened, how did this transition take place? Well, I am not here to get into those details or give answers about it, but if you really need to know than I am sure you can find out easily. I normally don't watch evangelical television shows anymore, but a few weeks ago while changing channels, I noticed a priest being interviewed by Bobby Schuller on The Hour of Power and it caught my attention, so I decided to listen to the interview. It turns out that the priest was Father Christopher Smith who is Episcopal Vicar and Pastor of Christ Cathedral which is formerly Crystal Cathedral. The first question from Bobby was about the light bill at the building. Obviously, they both knew it was expensive. The building is very beautiful, but seemingly high maintenance. We do know that St. Paul once said while standing in the midst of the Areopagus in Athens that: "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything (Acts 17:24-25, ESV Bible)." But, these foregoing verses do not mean that God cannot be worshiped in such Temples. Moreover, I love beautiful churches, and I think beauty is part of spirituality, plus I am also guilty of enjoying worship in beautiful churches. What really matters either way is not the building; it is as the Psalm which says: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity (Psalms 133:1, ESV Bible)!” What I found fascinating during the interview was that the more I watched the dialogue that it was very ecumenical. The two ministers knew that they were from different denominations, but they showed the love of Christ towards each other even though the transition from one building to another had been difficult for the listening audience which had previously congregated at the former Crystal Cathedral. To close, I simply want to share the link that contains a transcript of the interview in reference. The link is below, I hope you enjoy reading it.

Hour of Power : Guest Interviews : Father Christopher Smith


Reference:

ESV Bible

http://www.hourofpower.org/interviews/detail.php?contentid=8232

Pastor Rick Warren, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County, Mental Illness, and Ecumenism

I suppose the title of this post says it all, but it does leave one with questions, so I will try to explain a bit. Rick Warren’s son, Matthew Warren, shot himself almost a year ago on April 5, 2013. Mathew struggled with mental illness for many years, and sadly his suicide was a tragedy. But, that less than a year later, Mathew's father, Rick Warren has begun a Mental Illness Ministry at Saddleback Church. Saddleback Church, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Orange County, last week on March 28th, 2014 hosted an event. More than 3,000 people came together for this event which was called: The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church. Now, why am I talking about it on this blog? Well, did I mention that Saddleback Church is an Evangelical church? Well, it is! Did I mention the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange? Yes, I did! Well, if you put Roman Catholics and Evangelicals together in one room than you are having ecumenism. And, on this blog ecumenism among any Christian denominations seems like good thing, and focusing on mental illness is also a good thing because maybe it can prevent another person from ending their life just like Mathew Warren. If you want to learn more about the event I spoke about, please read the article by Sophia Lee on World Magazine at the link below. 

WORLD | Rick Warren launches mental health ministry | Sophia Lee | April 1, 2014



Reference:

http://www.worldmag.com/2014/04/rick_warren_launches_mental_health_ministry

Hans Küng and the Global Ethic Foundation

Hans Küng is a Roman Catholic priest, an author, and a theologian who was born in Switzerland in 1928. In 1962 he was appointed by Pope John XXIII to serve as an expert theologian advisor to the Second Vatican Council. He is known for rejecting the doctrine of papal infallibility; consequently, the church does not allow him to teach Catholic theology, but he is allowed to teach ecumenism. He is professor of ecumenism at the University of Tübingen. Since 1995, Küng has presided over the Global Ethic Foundation (Stiftung Weltethos). The purpose of this blog is to promote ecumenism and those who promote it; therefore, this is the reason why this post is being made because Hans Küng has been at the forefront of ecumenical thought much longer than I have been on planet Earth. If you would like to learn more about the Global Ethic Foundation, please visit their website which will be provided at the end of this post, but let’s first address the topic of Global Ethic.  

What is a Global Ethic? Well, according to the Global Ethic Foundation it is as follows:

"The vision of a global transformation of ethical awareness: whether at a worldwide, national or local level, men and women are dependent on shared basic ethical values, criteria and attitudes for peaceful coexistence.

Such values can be found in all the great religious and philosophical traditions of humankind. They need not be invented anew, but people need to be made aware of them again; they must be lived out and handed on.

So there is a need for:

• A dialogue of religions and cultures, especially a knowledge of common features in ethics.

• An education in values which transcends cultures. Children, too, need to learn that peaceful coexistence at all levels depends on observing elementary rules. No society can function without a foundation of values which binds it together.

• Ethical and intercultural competence in business. More than ever, enterprises competing internationally need norms which transcend cultures.

• International policies anchored in law and ethics: understanding, cooperation and integration instead of military confrontation (http://www.weltethos.org/data-en/c-10-stiftung/10a-definition.php)."

Below is the link to the Global Ethic Foundation.

Global Ethic Foundation for Inter-cultural and Inter-religious Research, Education and Encounter

Reference:

http://www.weltethos.org/index-en.php

Pope Francis Calls for Christian Unity

I absolutely must share this link that I am about to share because it contains a video message from Pope Francis that is basically about the heart and purpose for this blog. I am urging everyone to please watch this video and pray, and search your hearts as to what is God's will or role in your life in order to bring about ecumenism among all in our Faith. The Pope expressed that he is full of longing because Christians are still separated, "separated because of sin, our sins." "Who is at fault?" he asked. "All of us are, we are all sinners. The link is below. Blessings!



Watch: In video message to Pentecostal community, Francis calls for Christian unity | Catholic World Report - Global Church news and views




Reference:

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/2950/watch_in_video_message_to_pentecostal_community_francis_calls_for_christian_unity.aspx#.UwahlGJdWSp

Religions of the World: Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity - YouTube

I hope and pray that everyone is well. I wanted to share the link to this video I found on YouTube which is titled: Religions of the World: Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity. Religions of the World is a series that is narrated by Ben Kingsley. This particular episode is about the history of Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity or, in reality, most of the history of the Christian Church. The program discuses and interviews experts with relevance to the history, the practices, and the theology of these, the two major denominations of Christianity. The executive producer of the program is Luis Florencio Tapia. I personally enjoyed this episode, and thought that it was very informative on matters of ecumenism between these two denominations or as some call them, the Eastern and Western Churches. The link to the video is below, and  I hope you enjoy watching and listening to it very much. Blessings!



Religions of the World: Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity - YouTube

Pope Francis’ Trip in May and Ecumenism

As I have mentioned in the past, I want this blog to be about promoting ecumenism and that includes informing about what is going on in the major denominations of the Faith with relevance to this subject. Well, Pope Francis will be doing a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May which will be focusing or centering on a meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Eastern Orthodox archbishop of Constantinople. Why am I writing to inform you about this trip, because they will be discussing ecumenism? You can read more about the encounter in an article by Andrea Gagliarducci published by CAN and EWTN News on January 8^th, 2014. The article is titled: Pope Francis’ Holy Land Visit to Focus on Ecumenism With Orthodox. Things seem to be looking bright on the ecumenism front. The link to Andreas’ article is below. I hope you enjoy reading. Blessings!

Pope Francis’ Holy Land Visit to Focus on Ecumenism With Orthodox | Daily News | NCRegister.com


Reference:

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-holy-land-to-focus-on-ecumenism-with-orthodox/#ixzz2q6KtLF00

Arango's Apologetics Page: About the Previous Post, the Codex and Satan, On Doubt, On Scriptures like Daniel 10, and On Struggles

I wanted to share the latest post on my other blog because at the end it deals with issues on this blog as well, and also because I even mention this blog on it. I hope you enjoy reading the article. The link to it is below. Blessings!

Arango's Apologetics Page: About the Previous Post, the Codex and Satan, On Doubt, On Scriptures like Daniel 10, and On Struggles

Happy New Year to all readers and I hope that 2014 is your best year yet. Blessings!