In the last months, the two historic religious institutions have made clear ecumenical statements in favour of more unity. 

A stamp to commemorate Cardinal Cisneros will be issued. Evangelicals had proposed a stamp on the first Spanish Bible translation, but it was denied. 

What the Pope has in mind is an altogether different kind of reformation, i.e. a reformation that will make his church more catholic and more Roman, doubtfully more evangelical.

Protestants find it difficult to come to terms with this Marian dogma. This is due to not finding even a hint of evidence for this belief in the Bible.

With Pope Francis the Roman Catholic Church is simply becoming more “catholic”, i.e. embracing and absorbing all, without losing its being “Roman”.

If the Lutheran and Catholic traditions seek “full unity,” they must arrive at the same understanding of salvation and authority. An opinion article sent by Andrew Messmer, one of our readers.

The European Evangelical Alliance publishes a press release: “When a Pope understands Luther better than many Protestants do”.

Pope Francis and Lutheran leaders celebrated an ecumenical service in the Cathedral of Lund (Sweden). They signed a joint statement “to move towards the communion to which God continually calls us.”

“The issues that gave birth to the Reformation five hundred years ago are still very much alive in the twenty-first century for the whole church”, says a document published ahead of the 500th anniversary. More than 50 evangelical leaders have signed it.  

In an audience with members of Christian World Communions, the biggest ecumenical international organisation, the Pope talked about “the ecumenism of prayer, work, and blood.”

Where is the Roman church headed After Vatican II? An interview with Leonardo de Chirico.

Several events to share “common faith” and “heal wounds” of the past are organised in Germany. Most evangelical Christians dissociate themselves from this ecumenical approach.

Zoltan Balog, minister of Human Capacities, said it is “of utmost importance” to help persecuted Christians. The new office will have a starting budget of US$3.35 million.

Theresa of Calcutta was well-known for her work among the poor but the New Testament teaches that every Christian is a saint, explains theologian José Hutter.

The territorial dimension of the hierarchical church, centered on the authority of the bishop, has found it difficult to come to terms with the charismatic energy of the movements, more inclined to follow their own lay leaders than the local bishops.

An interview with the author of ‘The Scarlet Woman’, Keith Malcomson

The commission is made up of seven men and six women. Francis made it clear however that he did not see women becoming priests

The event featured over 40 speakers from evangelical, Catholic and other backgrounds. It shut down five hours earlier, due to the high heat index.

There is a Catholic understanding of justification just as there is a Protestant view. These two perspectives are mutually exclusive. 

Organisers of ‘Together for Europe 2016’ in Munich believe “500 years of division is enough, unity is possible”. Pope Francis and Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I supported the meeting.

“In no way are we trying to minimize the large doctrinal differences of times past”, organiser Nick Hall tells Evangelical Focus. 1 million Christians from diverse Christian backgrounds are expected to participate.

Italian pastor Giovanni Traettino believes “the Word of God is moving and acting in the Catholic Church.” The Pentecostal leader encourages other churches to have an “open” approach to the Vatican. “Pope Francis is my brother in Christ”, he says in an interview with Evangelical Focus.

Aim is “to express the gifts of the Reformation and ask forgiveness for division perpetuated by the two traditions.” “It doesn’t make any sense”, says President of the Theology Comission of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance, Jose Hutter.

Evangelical Focus asked the well-known Pentecostal pastor about his “open” approach to Roman Catholicism. Traettino defended his position about ecumenism during the Italian Evangelical Alliance 2016 assembly (8-9 April, Rome).

The Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance believes the views of evangelical minorities in Catholic countries should be “heared” before relating to the Vatican. In an interview with Evangelical Focus, he also highlighted the role of the churches in the refugee crisis.