I’m grateful for Pope Francis’ respect of evangelical Christians

In 2010, my wife and I moved from Brazil to Italy to found an evangelical church in Rome and a movement that prays for a revival of biblical Christianity in Europe.

Important theological differences remain to this day between Catholics and Protestants. These differences have led to attitudes of mutual contempt at various times in history.

In light of these historical tensions, on the occasion of Pope Francis’ death I would like to honour the posture of respect and esteem he nurtured towards evangelical Christians.

While the previous pope still spoke of ‘Protestant sects’, Archbishop Bergoglio cultivated friendships with various pastors in Buenos Aires.

After being elected pope in 2013, he visited a Pentecostal church in Caserta, in the Naples region, to ask for forgiveness for the persecution suffered by evangelicals in Italy in previous decades.

Among his various efforts, he held a meeting with 11 evangelical pastors in 2020. That afternoon, Francis spent more than two hours chatting with us. It was an opportunity to ask him some questions, such as how evangelical Christians have contributed to his life and faith journey.

He told us that he grew up in a context where it was said that all Protestants would go to hell. But he also told the story of when, at the age of four, he was walking with his grandmother and two Salvation Army ministers approached them. His grandmother told him: they are Protestants, but they are good. Francis said that this was the first seed in his heart that allowed him to see them with different eyes.

That afternoon, Francis also said that when he knew that a Catholic believer had started attending a Protestant church, he didn't prevent that person from doing so. Instead, he would call the pastor and tell him: take care of her. She's your sheep now. It's better that she goes to an evangelical church than nowhere at all.

I pray that Francis' example will continue to encourage Christians from various traditions to cultivate humility and respect for one another. We evangelicals stand for the truth of the Scriptures and, for that very reason, we value the teaching of our Lord Jesus:

‘A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ John 13:34-35

René Breuel is the author of The Paradox of Happiness and the founding pastor of Hopera, a church in Rome.

He has a Master of Divinity from Regent College, Vancouver, and a Master of Studies in Creative Writing from Oxford University. You can learn more about his work at renebreuel.org.