It is one thing is to work together on areas of common concern in society, e.g. the promotion of Judeo-Christian values in society; it is an altogether different issue to engage in common mission and evangelism.

In terms of the Protestant evaluation of Roman Catholicism, Barth’s theology of the Word has weakened the evangelical ability to assess Rome having the Bible as supreme standard.

According to the Pope, mercy achieves justice by avoiding tribunals, sentences, and prices to be paid. 

Building Christian unity on baptism brings several challenges. In my corner of the world (Italy), a vast majority of people have been baptized and yet very few show any sign of appreciation of basic gospel truths.

Catholic and Lutheran leaders will commemorate the Protestant Reformation in Lund, Sweden, on October 31. “Risk of elevating unity to the absolute principle”, evangelical Vatican expert warns.

There is the risk of elevating “unity” to the absolute principle, a little “god” claiming pre-eminence. It takes courage to make unity dependent on the Biblical truths and not elevating it to the place of “first imperative”.

David Robertson (Scotland), Leonardo de Chirico (Italy), Samuel Escobar (Spain), Thierry Le Gall (France) and Christel Ngnambi (Belgium), on the role Evangelical Focus should play in Europe.

The Pope seems to think that the “letter” is a straitjacket to the mission of the Church and needs to be replaced by the “spirit” of it.

The discussion on the Anti-Christ must be revived and worked out with biblical soberness and historical awareness.

Evangelicals have to do their homework in order to go beyond the surface of mere phonetics in order to grasp the profoundly different theological vision underpinning Francis’ language.

Evangelicals insist that it is God who forgives sins, not the Church. Theologian Leonardo de Chirico: “It is a liberal move with a medieval tool”.

Does Matthew 16 Support the Doctrine of the Papacy? 

In Francis’ vocabulary there was no better term to discredit this merciless form of Christianity than referring to it as “Puritanism”.

Leonardo de Chirico analyses the content of the latest encyclical, and compares it with similar evangelical documents.

The Vatican jubilee is therefore part and parcel of a theological vision whereby Purgatory is a pillar of the afterlife.

Luther's critique is not confined to his contemporary experience of the Papacy, but draws on historical and theological arguments. 

The 150-page manual delineates the sermon as having the following features: short, not a lecture, not too abstract, not an exegetical exercise and not a personal testimony only.

You can sink the boats on the African shores. And then what? A serious reflection on citizenship in the global world is needed.

Peter Wehner, a columnist for the New York Times, wrote an interesting and thought provoking article titled "Why Evangelicals Should Love the Pope."

Some of the language of the Pope seems to resemble Gospel emphases, yet the substance of it is still heavily sacramental and hierarchical.

Vatican expert Leonardo de Chirico analises "celebrity" status of Pope Francis and shares insight from an Italian point of view.

Italian Vatican expert Leonardo de Chirico looks back to the first 2 years of Pope Francis: “His popularity is more of a social media phenomenon than a real one”. 

Generally speaking, togetherness is a highly valued condition. Biblically, however, it needs to be qualified in order not to become an intrusive idol.

According to Pope Francis, the “true face” of the Church is where the maternal and the hierarchical dimensions are intimately connected to one another and form the core of the church’s identity.

“There is a general sense of hopelessness because our processing system is slow and ineffective,” says Italian pastor Leonardo de Chirico.