RSLN 2026: The need for evangelical discernment in approaching Roman Catholicism

10 years have passed since the launch of the Reformanda Initiative (RI). Eight editions of the Rome Scholars and Leaders Network (RSLN) have taken place. 200 evangelical scholars have been involved in the conference over the years.

In 2026, 35 participants from nine countries were present. The numbers may seem modest, but these are not negligible results for a small, grassroots initiative that began in 2016 in Italy, without major sponsors and with minimal structures and resources.

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From June 15 to 18, the eighth edition of the RSLN took place. The occasion was useful for reflecting on the state of an increased evangelical attention toward Roman Catholicism ten years after the start of the RI.

Obviously, the Reformanda Initiative played a minimal part in what is happening. Yet, especially due to ongoing changes in religious and cultural dynamics (conversions to Catholicism, the online presence of Catholic apologists, attraction to liturgical and ancient forms of religiosity, various hotspots of crisis within the evangelical world, etc.), Catholicism is more present on evangelical radars today than it was ten years ago.

[photo_footer] A session of the Rome Scholars and Leaders Network gathering in Rome, 15-18 June 2026. / Photo: RSLN. [/photo_footer] 

Since 2016, the RI has served as a forum for reflection that has highlighted two fundamental needs:

• The need to approach Catholicism not atomistically, but systemically. That is, considering it an institutionalized, sacramentalized, and dogmatized worldview that finds points of synthesis between its “Roman-ness” (Romanità) and its “catholicity.”


• The need to approach Catholicism not initially at the level of its doctrines or practices, but at the level of its presuppositions—the fundamental axes such as the nature-grace interdependence and the Christ-Church interconnection.

The RSLN may be unique among international evangelical conferences in its sustained focus on Roman Catholicism, having convened annually for the past ten years—except for a two-year interruption during the COVID-19 pandemic—and drawing contributions from theologians, church leaders, and evangelical organizations worldwide.

Throughout the week, sessions were held on topics such as the clash between Luther and Erasmus concerning the will (i.e. free will and the bondage of the will), the defense of “sola Scriptura” by the Puritan William Perkins against the Catholic apologists of his time, the writings of Peter Martyr Vermigli on the “true church,” an outline of evangelical Mariology, grace without gospel in the theology of Karl Rahner, Catholic covenant theology in the writings of Scott Hahn, the Protestant theology of the Lord’s Supper, an analysis of the recent papal encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” the philosopher Peter Kreeft’s conversion to Catholicism, the phenomenon of Catholic influencers, and clerical marriage and its consequences for the life of the church.

Parallel to this program, a specific track for first-year participants covered foundational themes such as a systemic reading of Catholicism, the nature-grace interdependence, the interconnection between Christ and the church, the importance of Vatican II for contemporary Catholicism, and advice for evangelizing those influenced and shaped by Roman Catholicism.

[photo_footer] A session of the Rome Scholars and Leaders Network gathering in Rome, 15-18 June 2026. / Photo: RSLN. [/photo_footer] 

As is customary at the RSLN, one session was devoted to theological dialogue with a professor from a Roman pontifical faculty. In addition, a public evening event, open to evangelical churches in Rome, featured Dr. Dwayne Milioni, professor of homiletics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (USA), who spoke compellingly on the theme “Preaching: Why it Matters and How to Not Make it Boring.”

Over the years, RSLN participants have carried the insights gained at the conferences back into their own contexts through conferences, articles, courses, podcasts, and other initiatives. In this way, the influence of the RSLN has extended far beyond the conference itself, generating a cascading effect across many parts of the evangelical world. This year’s edition will likewise provide fresh opportunities to highlight the need for evangelicals to study Roman Catholicism with biblical clarity and evangelical discernment.

The next RSLN will take place from June 14–17, 2027.

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