Pope’s Unity Blessing Goes Viral
A historic Unity Blessing sent from Pope Francis to a Kenneth Copeland Ministries Pastor’s Conference and the Church at large has gone viral.
The roots of this unprecedented event go back to the days when the Charismatic renewal swept through the Catholic Church. One of the Italian Catholic Charismatic leaders, Matteo Calisi, and Italian Evangelical pastor Giovanni Traettino reached across the divide and began a movement which has brought Catholics and Evangelicals together throughout Italy. Over the years the reconciliation movement has reached out from Italy to Evangelicals in North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. In addition, the Orthodox and Messianic Jewish churches have also become involved.
In Argentina Cardinal Jorge Borgoglio, now Pope Francis, and Mattao Calisi brought in the reconciliation movement eleven years ago. Working with another key reconciler, Tony Palmer, Matteo Calisi began working with Kenneth Copeland, who paid his own way to hold a conference at Calisi’s Charismatic Community in Bari, Italy in 2006. It was Tony Palmer who brought the historic message from Pope Francis to the Kenneth Copeland Conference. You can see this message on the United In Christ Website at www.United-In-Christ.com
The reconciliation movement born in Italy seeks to bring Christians into genuine unity in our diversity. God realizes that we have different practices and beliefs, and we’re told to tolerate our brothers (see Ro14:1-4 and Ro 15:1-7). Our real unity is through Christ, for if we are each in Christ then we are also United in Christ. (see John 17:20-23).
So let us all join Christ in his prayer that we may be brought into complete unity, and let us work toward visible unity so the World will believe that God sent his Son to save us (John 17:23).
Amen.