One World Church/Govt!

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." Romans 13:1

Ex Jesuit Priest Alberto Rivera states... "The main underlying Roman Catholic purpose is to infiltrate, and penetrate all the areas of life, were the Roman Catholic Church can have control with excess in a One World Government. ...this have been in preparation especially since the formation of the Jesuit order in 1541 to infiltrate absolutely every area of society so as to take over the world politically and religiously. The two main doctrines of Catholicism that define this are... The doctrine of the Apostolic succession, which is actually the Papacy. And the doctrine of temporal power which is secular government. The office of Pope illustrates this easily... The Pope is the head of the Church as well as the head of the State of Rome."

The only hope for this western world is an alliance between the Roman Catholic church which is the most commonly, influential, controlling, unifying, element, in Europe and the western orthodox church. ...The only hope for the western world lies then in a united Europe under the control of the Pope. -Charles Malik former president general assembly of the united nations. Ambassador to the U.S. from Lebanon.

Not only is it prophetically of the Beast of Revelation to look for this "One World Church" It is also totally against the Word of God to do as the Popeis doing...

2 Corinthians 6:17, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,"
2 John 1:9-10, "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:"

Dialogue Does Not Mean Renouncing Beliefs Cardinal Arinze Says

VATICAN CITY, SEP 23 (ZENIT) - The Vatican is in the final stages of preparation for the Inter-Religious Meeting that will be held from October 24-28. Leaders of all religions will meet in Rome to study the common contribution that believers can make to humanity in the next century. The meeting will include a visit to Assisi, the city of peace.

The inter-religious event takes place on the eve of the Jubilee. As the Pontifical Council for Inter-Relitious Dialogue states, John Paul II has requested that in this last year of preparation for 2000, dedicated to God the Father, "reflection (be made) on the relation between God and men, by promoting relations among the religions.

There will be two important moments during the meeting. the first is the Assembly itself, which will be attended by 200 people: 80 Christians of different denominations and 120 from other religions; it will be held in the Vatican Synod Hall. the second is a significant meeting in St. Peter's Square on October 28, with thousands of faithful present. The Assembly will include the traditional African, American and Hindu religions, the monotheist religions, and some new Japanese religions.

Over the last few months, many inter-religious congresses and activities have been held in different dioceses of the world. Speaking to Vatican Radio, Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, said theses initiatives have served to appreciate the desire of Catholics to meet with other believers, and to address in greater depth the Church's mission, which preaches Jesus Christ, the only Savior of all mankind.

"This is important. Many Catholics feel a certain confusion, because they think that to open to other believers in a certain sense means to betray the Christian ideal. Although the risk exists, there is an answer to avoid it. By being firm in the faith, we can meet with other believers, share with them the beauty of the news of Christ's salvation, and show genuine interest in what they believe, what they do, and how they worship. In this way, greater solidarity and collaboration can be promoted in today's
world," Cardinal Arinze concluded.

DISCLOSURES ON ROME MEETING OF WORLD RELIGIONS
200 Participants from Around the World Expected

VATICAN CITY, AUG 10 (ZENIT).- The Holy See is preparing a meeting of the principal religions of the world, which will be held in the Vatican and Assisi from October 23-28. In addition to being a step forward in dialogue among religious confessions, it will also be a stage in the preparations for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.

There will be 200 participants representing Christianity, as well as leaders of various animist and Asian religions. The sessions will take place in the Vatican and will be followed by a pilgrimage to Assisi. On
the last day, a concluding statement will be read in John Paul II's presence. The event will close with festivities for the participants in St. Peter's Square.

Dialogue and Identity
Speaking to Vatican Radio, Bishop Michael Fitzgerald, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, the Vatican entity that is organizing the event, said that some Catholics wonder how it is possible to dialogue with other religions without losing their Christian identity. Dialogue "is a relatively new phenomenon in the Church -- a development of awareness the Church experienced during Vatican Council II -- just 30 years ago. But it is also an understanding of Christ's role, which is fundamental, and for the whole of humanity. He is not just for Christians. John Paul II has referred to this Council teaching: when the Son of God became man, he entered into relationship with every member of humanity, of all times and throughout the world. Therefore, in a certain sense, there is not a single human person who is outside of Christ. With such faith in Christ, who is Lord and Savior of all, we want to meet with people who do not believe in Christ, but who, in a mysterious way, are already joined to him," Bishop Fitzgerald said.

A Common Adventure
The Bishop continued, "In fact, we can also see the action of the Spirit of God in the heart of people. We meet people who are good, honest, cooperative and we also see very good elements in the religious
traditions -- we can attribute all this to God. We are not coming to the dialogue thinking that we have it all and the others have nothing. Together we shall discover our riches reciprocally. In a certain sense,
it is an adventure we are entering together."

Movements' Contributions
Teresa Goncalves, an official of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, spoke about the contribution being made to the religious dialogue by the movements and new ecclesial communities, born
both before and after Vatican Council II. "They have taken on the commitment to ecumenism and dialogue with the Council's religions."

Specifically, the Vatican representative mentioned the work, "Men and religions," of the St. Egidio Community that has been carried out since the meeting of religious leaders, called by John Paul II In 1986 in Assisi. Also, the work of the Focolares, "who through the spirituality of dialogue have cemented profound fraternity with persons of other religions," Goncalves explained.

Goncalves believes "that the lay movements also make a specific contribution because of their integration in society -- in the realms of economics, politics, etc., precisely because of their lay character."

Bishop Fitzgerald said that Catholic men and women religious will also take part in the meeting, as well as leaders of the movements and new communities. "All the Catholic Church's categories will participate," he explained. "We want to build on the foundations of dialogue, which is already taking place in many areas."

POPE CONSULTS ORTHODOX ON HIS PILGRIMAGE TO BIBLICAL PLACES

ATHENS, AUG 8 (ZENIT).- According to the Greek press, Cardinal Edward Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, sent letters to four Orthodox Patriarchs and Archbishops, on behalf of John Paul II, to consult them on the Holy Father's pilgrimage to places of Revelation.

The missives were sent to Patriarch Ignatios of Antioch, in connection with the visits to Ur of the Chaldeans and to Damascus; to Patriarch Theodoros of Jerusalem, to study the tour of Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem; to the Archbishop of Athens, to whom Cardinal Cassidy disclosed the Holy Father's wish to visit Pnika Hill, facing the Parthenon, where the Apostle Paul spoke to the Athenians. The last letter sent was to Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, who may be weighing the possibility of a personal meeting with the Holy Father.
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April 22, 1999

Christians need to draw from all six "streams" of the faith, author Richard Foster says. Foster is an evangelical Quaker who has written eight books on spirituality, including the acclaimed Celebration of Discipline (Harper & Row), published in 1978.

..."Streams," or dimension of Christian life, include the contemplative, holiness, charismatic, social justice, evangelical, and incarnational. A balanced Christian becomes interested in, and incorporates, each of the areas into his or her life, although not necessarily in equal proportions, Foster says. Individuals may be drawn more to one stream than another, but should not neglect any.

...The expressions of the streams gave rise to the various traditions and denominations that exist today, Foster says. Each can provide some spiritual growth, but the most balanced growth and fulfillment is realized by combining the best from each tradition, he says. His 1998 book Streams of Living Water:
Celebrating the Great Traditions of the Christian Faith sums up that idea, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each tradition and offering practical ways to incorporate them into daily life.

...The groups meet regularly, and members agree to abide by a covenant that incorporates the six streams. They promise to set aside time for prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading (contemplative), to "strive mightily" against sin and do acts of love and mercy (holiness), exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit
(charismatic), serve others and work for justice in human relationships and social structures (social justice), study the Bible and share the Christian faith with others (evangelical), and seek to "show forth the presence of God" in everything they say and do (incarnational).

...The Englewood, Colo.-based group holds conferences featuring authors and ministers from a variety of denominations, sponsors retreats, and provides newsletters and books that aid spiritual growth. A large conference is planned in Houston June 30-July 3. It features Dallas Willard, a Southern Baptist minister who is professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California at Los Angles. He wrote The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God.

...Will the streams of Christianity ever converge? Foster believes they will, but won't hazard a guess about what that would look like. What it won't look like, he says, is another denomination. "The era of denominations is essentially past us. It was an important form of Christian expression for 300-400 years, but that day is pretty well gone. The church has gone on before denominations and will do quite well after them."

..."Keep watching and waiting for what God is doing," Foster says. An indication of what the future Western church may look like is found in the world's developing countries, he says. Christians in poorer nations often meet in homes and don't have strong "emotional ties" to church buildings as in the affluent
West, where Christians have an "edifice complex," he said. ~ReligionToday.com

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Muslim nations are pursuing "a clear program of expansion and re-conquest" in Europe, an Italian bishop told a Vatican synod. Oil-rich nations are using their money "not to create jobs in poor countries of North Africa and the Middle East but to build mosques and cultural centers in Christian countries," said
72-year-old Giuseppe Bernardini, who lived in Muslim-dominated Turkey for 42 years, according to Reuters. ..."Thanks to your democratic laws, we will invade you. Thanks to our religious laws, we will dominate you," a Muslim leader once told him, Bernardini said in a letter to the Synod of European Bishops. "One can believe, because the domination has already begun." He said Islam has become the second largest faith in Italy and that mosques have been built in several cities. A $50 million mosque in Rome was financed by 23 Muslim nations, with $35 million coming from Saudi Arabia. ...Bernardini called on the pope to convene a special synod to address the issue. John Paul II has attempted to foster better Muslim-Christian relations and has visited several Islamic nations, including Morocco, Tunisia, and Sudan, preaching a message of religious tolerance. He has asked Muslim nations that forbid Christian worship to afford equal rights to all. -by the Editors at ReligionToday.com October 15, 1999

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World-Wide Union Of Church And State Exalting The Papal Sunday: Is It For Real?

Certain Christians for about the last 150 years have been warning the world that Holy Scripture foretells a worldwide union of church and state. Is this the work of fanatical alarmists? Or are they on to something here that most are for different reasons unaware of? Rest assured that the latter view is the true one. Prophecy is fast fulfilling right before our very eyes. Is there any evidence that this great church-state alliance is imminent? There sure is! A couple of recent news items below:

Let's start with the catholic catechism:

"In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays." (Catechism of the Catholic Church. New Hope, KY: Urbiet Orbi, 1994, 528.)

What kind of respect for religious liberty is this? Looks like this is a one sided respect designed only for Catholics and those that embrace her lies. This is nothing more than a semantical charade designed to camouflage the real intent of the Catholic Church and that is to FORCE the world to do obeisance to her authority.

John Paul II "insists that men have no reliable hope of creating a viable geopolitical system unless it is on the basis of Roman Catholic Christianity." Malachi Martin, The Keys of This Blood, 492.

What is JPII talking about here? It's the union of church and state with Roman Catholicism playing a dominant role. WAKE UP, people!

We have the Vatican doing their thing in Europe to bring them into subjugation unto Rome. We also have the "religious right", with the Christian Coalition, leading the charge in the U.S., and thus cooperating with the beast in Rome to affect a union of church and state here in the U.S.

Religious Right activist David Barton said, "The court, in addressing the seventh-day Sabbath of the Jewish religion vs. the first-day Sabbath of the Christian religion, returned to the Scriptures to show that it could not be argued that Saturday, or any other day, was the day commanded by the Scripture--the Sabbath could be any day, so long as it occurred every seventh. However, the court emphasized the importance of a uniform national Sabbath; in this, a Christian nation, Sunday was to be that day." (David Barton, The Myth of Separation, 76.)

Pat Robertson (Christian Coalition Founder) said, "There will never be world peace until God's house and God's people are given their rightful place of leadership at the top of the world. . . . Laws in America that mandated a day of rest [Sunday] from incessant commerce have been nullified as a violation of the separation of church and state." (Pat Robertson, The New World Order, 246, 227, 233, 236)

Here Pat Robertson cites the separation of church and state as the obstacle that's right now standing in the way of setting up a national Sunday law. They are working feverishly to remove the separation of church and state. They have set up the American Center For Law And Justice (ACLJ), who are on a relentless war bombarding the courts until they can achieve their goal of uniting church and state. Like mother, like daughter eh? The Mother church is working her points in Europe to unite church and state, and the little harlot daughters are following suit in the U.S., thus playing into the hands of and courting the beast in Rome who just only a couple of centuries earlier was engaged in a campaign to snuff them out! Amazing! Totally amazing!

Now, check this next article excerpt out. It shows where we are headed folks, in language that's just too plain to be misunderstood:

The following article is a quote from a Nazarene magazine called Newswatch. In its 1994 November/December issue, 4-5, it read, "The French magazine, Foy et Rai, reported from the United Nations Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, that plans are worked out to dissolve the UNO to make way for a World Tribunal. . . . This project and this plan provides for a total unification of church and state, and also provides for a single form of worship. The appointed day for all people will be Sunday. The number received by the people will promise the right to buy or sell."

Now here's the kicker:

"At the end of this statement, a Christian rose and asked the speaker, 'What happens to the minorities who will not accept this plan?' The Christian was told, 'Their number will be canceled with a black line and they will be deprived of the right to buy or sell and will thus be forced to destruction.' "

It makes you wonder if any of these folks ever read Revelation Chapter 13. All the players needed to make this happen are here. Now, what's needed is a way to lure the masses to accept this satanic new world order. And how will the old serpent pull it off? A few different tactics will prove very successful. There will be:

1.)Worldwide conditioning via propaganda.
2.)Acceleration of natural disasters which will help to ripen the sentiment of the masses that the nations need to get back to God. Just in the last two days in the U.S., there's hurricane Irene that's causing destruction and a 7.0 earthquake that hit southern California. In only the last two months so much has occurred that I've lost count.
3.)Economic collapse - this will really arouse people. When the pocketbook gets affected, people really get into a frenzy. After all, it's the almighty dollar eh? Anyone taking a look at the stock market lately? Notice a trend? A DOWNWARD trend - spiral? Is it a minor correction? Or a major bubble ready to burst? The forecast doesn't look to good for next year, according to economists. We shall see.
4.)Rise in crime especially with kids killing each other, deranged nut-cases shooting up people at prayer meetings, etc.
5.)The REAL kicker that will solidify ALL who are not written in the "Lamb's Book of Life" to worship the beast and enforce his mark (the Sunday) is when lying spirits, i.e., demons, fallen angels, impersonate dead loved ones, departed saints, the apostles, Mary and echoing the voices of their servants, the false shepherds and religious leaders who have blamed all of these calamities on the breaking of the Sunday Sabbath. This is the overwhelming delusion that will sweep in on those that have chosen to reject truth. They will believe a lie and will be swallowed up with it.

That these things are shaping up is too convincing to be discarded. Praise Jesus, He's coming soon! Even so come, Lord Jesus!

Peace!

Prayer unifies pastors, cities

Spending hours of unhurried time with God is transforming pastors, their churches, and their communities. ...Four-day retreats called Prayer Summits are "exploding around the world," Terry Dirks told Religion Today. He runs the summits as president of International Renewal Ministries, part of Portland, Ore.-based Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary

...Summits are being held in 130 cities and 13 nations this year, Dirks said. Most have been held in the United States, while others have taken place in Japan, Poland, Russia, Israel, Australia, Canada, and Mexico. Most participants are white evangelicals, but more are coming from mainline churches and
minority communities, he said. Each summit includes participants from many different churches in the same geographical area.

...When pastors spend time "with their common King" they feel safe and leave their differences behind, Aldrich said. They become humble and often are surprised by what they agree on and share.

...Changes remain after the summits conclude. "Denominational barriers that came down stay down," Aldrich said. Relationships develop as pastors hold joint church services and exchange pulpits with "their rediscovered brothers -- who once viewed each other quite differently." The pastors "can't return to business as usual."

...Pastors become co-laborers in the gospel, those who run the summits say. They pray for and help each other rather than criticize and compete. Churches become unified. "The church becomes a vital, healthy community of faith," Dirks said. It's "the one church in the one body of Christ in that city."

...After pastors have prayed together for four or five years, they begin to "ask what's next," Dirks said. Leaders who have emerged among the pastors then meet together. International Renewal Ministries helps them to discuss ways to cooperatively evangelize their city or region for Christ. About 20 such consultations have been held in the last few years.

...Other types of retreats have begun as an offshoot of the Prayer Summits. These include retreats tailored for pastors' wives, pastors and their wives, lay leaders, women in leadership positions, youth workers, missions executives, denominational leaders, church boards, business executives, and college
students. - by the Editors at ReligionToday.com March 18, 1999

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Pittsburgh unity is strong as steel

Christians in Pittsburgh are working to make the city known for God as much as it has been for steel.

...Unity in the city is strong, its urban ministries say. One reason is that the leaders of the major Christian organizations know each other well and try hard to work together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

...The Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation is a good model, the head of the Christian Management Association says. Ministries across the country should concentrate on taking
Satan's turf, not guarding their own, Jim Gwinn, CMA's newly elected chairman of the board, told Religion Today.

...Ministries have "a common enemy" in Satan and should focus more on defeating him than on "divisions and infighting," said Gwinn, who also is president of CRISTA Ministries a Seattle nonprofit that has 10 groups under its umbrella.

...God has ordained that Christians cooperate, Gwinn said, citing Jesus' prayer in John 17:21 that Christians be unified so that the world will believe. But "many of us are hesitant to do it," Gwinn said. Instead, Christians too often "protect our own turf" and "jealously guard our own ministry." Ministries are afraid of losing revenue if they cooperate too closely with other ministries, he said, and sometimes disagree about how to operate the ministry, or don't communicate well.

...Ministries are working in an era much different from the one Baby Boomers grew up in, Wheaton, Ill., consultant David Schmidt told the Christian leaders. Some groups are ineffective because they are too shrill in condemning sins, he said. He recommended that they tone down their rhetoric without compromising their beliefs. -by the Editors at ReligionToday.com March 3, 1999

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POPE SEEKS UNIFIED FAITH FOR CHRISTIANS

Romania Orthodox welcome message
May 10, 1999
BY VICTOR L. SIMPSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BUCHAREST, Romania -- Pope John Paul II on Sunday continued efforts to break down barriers that divide Christianity, calling on Orthodox Christians in Romania to "exchange the embrace of peace."
In a significant gesture by John Paul, Romanian Patriarch Teoctist announced the pope contributed an unspecified amount of money for construction of a massive Orthodox basilica in Bucharest.
At the end of the mass, John Paul invited the Romanian patriarch to visit him at the Vatican. Hearing these words, the crowd responded, shouting repeatedly: "Unity! Unity!"

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VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Following up on the signing of a historic joint document on justification, Catholics and Lutherans will join in the celebration of Vespers in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday, November 13, with Pope John Paul II presiding along with Lutheran primates from Sweden and Finland

For the occasion-- with the king and queen of Sweden also on hand-- Pope John Paul will unveil a new statue of St. Brigitte of Sweden, whom he recently proclaimed as co-patron of the European continent. The statue will be placed in an alcove inside St. Peter's Basilica.

The ecumenical prayer service will be preceded by a seminar in which Catholic and Lutheran scholars will offer their thoughts on the topic: St. Brigitte and the Holy Year. Cardinal Edward Cassidy, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, and Lutheran Archbishop John Vikstrom of Finland will be among the contributors.

An unprecedented inter-religious gathering convened by Pope John Paul II at the Vatican this week concluded with a final statement calling for "all faiths to work together for the good of society and the preservation of human dignity." Over 200 representatives of 20 of the world's faiths participated in the gathering including the Dalai Lama. The final statement stressed the need for inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue and insisted that religion should never be a pretext for violence, hatred or discrimination. The religious leaders felt an urgent need to unite in responsible and courageous action to confront the world's most pressing social problems including poverty, racism, environmental pollution, materialism, globalization, war and the proliferation of arms.

Papal Intervention at Conclusion of Inter-Religious Assembly

VATICAN CITY, OCT 29 (ZENIT).- "There are some who claim that religion is part of the problem, blocking humanity's way to true peace and prosperity. As religious people, it is our duty to demonstrate that this is not the case. Any use of religion to support violence is an abuse of religion." These were the striking words John Paul II used on the night of October 28, before thousands of people congregated in St. Peter's Square, for the closing of the Assembly of Religions which took place in the Vatican, with the participation of 250 leaders from 20 religions.

During the encounter that evening, six believers from different religions gave personal witness of how dialogue and collaboration among religions is progressing.

At sunset, St. Peter's Square was enveloped in evocative light: all those present lit thousands of candles from the five braziers that blazed in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica, to symbolize the five continents: the light of a new civilization.

Interfaith Peace Conference to Explore Role of Religion in Promoting Peace in Millennium

- Dalai Lama, Bishop Michael Fitzgerald and Leader of Black Islam Among Renown Leaders to Attend Event in Israel -

NEW YORK, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jubillenium Foundation announced today that the first annual Interfaith Conference for World Peace will be held on November 21-23 in Beit Gavriel, Israel to explore the role of religion in pursuing conflict resolution and peace.

The conference will be co-hosted by Jubillenium and the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel, and participants will include The Dalai Lama; Imam Wallace Dean Muhammed, leader of Black Islam in the United States; Bishop Michael Fitzgerald, the Vatican's official representative; Mr. Jiulio Andreotti, former Italian prime minister and others.

The Interfaith Conference for World Peace will bring together for the first time renown religious and public figures to discuss the role of religion as an educational instrument to promote peace in the coming millennium. Leaders and participants in the conference will be individuals who have the power to change the public atmosphere in their respective countries and among their co-religionists, and to spread new ideas and hope for the benefit of all mankind in the future.

Consisting of two parts, a dialogue and a colloquium, the conference will view mankind as a whole, and its religious leadership in particular, to determine how to meet the challenge of solving conflicts worldwide. Israel was chosen as the location for the conference, since it was there that a significant part of the holy books of the three great religions was created.

The first part of the conference, the dialogue section, will include the topic of ``Religion in Conflict Situations: Problem and Solution,'' which will examine how the world's religions can contribute to a solution for crises, instead of generating them.

The second part of the conference, the colloquium, will examine how different religions can work together with international organizations, such as the United Nations, its sub-organizations and the World Bank to promote world peace; how religious and secular leaders can cope with long-term problems such as environmental quality or human rights; and how to continue to promote peace in the Middle East.

Members of the conference organizing committee include Rabbi David Rosen, director of the Anti-Defamation League, Israel and president of the World Council of Religions and Peace; Dr. Ron Kronish, general director of the Interfaith Council; Mr. Rafi Luzon, Jubillenium representative; Mr. Robin Twite, World Council for Religions and Peace; and Mr. Jonathan Zvi, the Israel Friends of Tibet Foundation.

Individuals who have confirmed their participation in the conference include the Dalai Lama; Imam Wallace Dean Muhammed in the United States; Bishop Michael Fitzgerald, the Vatican's official representative; Sheik Nazim El Hakani, world leader of the Nakshabandi Sufi order; Dr. Ndamo Njoya, former president of the African Muslim Congress; Archbishop Ngada, president of the Federation of African Churches; Mr. Nichiko Niwano, president of the Rishokosek'ai, the Japanese Buddhist Organization; Rabbi Shmuel Sirat, former chief rabbi of France; Bishop Dr. Mato Zovkic of Sarajevo; Sarajevo Mayor Igor Gaon; head of the Jewish community in Sarajevo, Mr. Jacob Finzi; personal representatives of the Mufti; the Patriarch of Bosnia; The Hon. David Bleakly of North Ireland, former president of the Union of Churches in Britain; Professor Geraldine Smith, head of the Irish Ecumenical Center; Jiulio Andreotti, former prime minister of Italy; Mr. Stefan De Mistroa, UN Europe director; Mr. Frederico Mayor, former head of UNESCO; Mr. Krad Kunig; Mr. Fred Van Leewan, secretary general of the International Organization for Education in Belgium; Prof. Petros Basta of Italy and others.

MEETING OF RELIGIONS OPENS AT VATICAN
230 Religious Leaders Study How to Construct Better World

VATICAN CITY, OCT 25 (ZENIT).- The Assembly of religions, which John Paul II convoked in preparation for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, began yesterday at the Vatican.

There are 230 participants, representing the principal religions of the world. Of the total, 72 are Catholics involved in the inter-religious dialogue; 27 Christians of other denominations; 42 leaders of Islam; 23 of
Buddhism; 8 of Hinduism; and 9 of Judaism, among others. Those attending come from 50 countries and there is a total of some 20 religions represented.

The opening address was given by Malaysian journalist Theresa Ee-Chooi, current president of the International Union of Catholic Journalists. She referred to the economic inequalities between the rich countries and the poor, the negative effects of post-colonialism, and the consequences of globalization, which have transformed the world into a global village. She went on to address the condition of modern men and women, caught in the nets of materialism and consumerism, who made the present an absolute and seek momentary happiness in immediate gratification, here and now, only to feel deceived and disappointed later. She denounced the influence of moral relativism at the end of the century. In face of this situation, Ee-Chooi posed the critical question of this inter-religious assembly: "What role can the leaders of the major religions have to make the world of the future the one we would like to leave to our children and grandchildren?"

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POPE ADDRESSES CHRISTIANS IN MULTI-RELIGIOUS SOCIETY
Witness to Christ and Engage in Constructive Dialogue with Believers

VATICAN CITY, NOV 25 (ZENIT).- In welcoming the Bossey Ecumenical Institute this morning, John Paul II said: in "an increasingly pluralistic religious context, Christians are called to offer common witness to their faith in Jesus Christ."

The Bossey Institute is a member of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, a Geneva-based organization, which for more than half a century has brought together more than 300 Christian Churches. Although the Catholic Church is not a member, it maintains stable contacts with this organization.

Over the last three months, the Holy Father pointed out, the Bossey Institute has focused on the identity and mission of Christians in the context of the multi-religious contemporary world. In new societies
characterized by the coexistence of believers in various religions, the Holy Father emphasized the need to witness to faith in Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world and to engage in "dialogue with the followers of those religions in building a world of peace, freedom and respect for human
dignity." ZE99112505
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POPE APPEALS TO RUSSIAN ORTHODOX TO OVERCOME DIFFERENCES
Imperfect Union Already Exists in Baptism

VATICAN CITY, NOV 23 (ZENIT).- John Paul II sent a message to the International Conference in Moscow, which is addressing the topic, "Jesus Christ is the Same Yesterday and Today and For Ever (Heb: 13:8) -- Christianity on the Threshold of the Third Millennium". The meeting, which began today and will end on November 25, was organized by the Christian Interconfessional Consultative Committee.

The Interconfessional Committee includes Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant leaders of the Community of Independent States and in the Baltic Countries. At the Committee's invitation, the Vatican is represented by Cardinal Edward Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

In the papal message, which Cardinal Cassidy has taken to Moscow, the Holy Father expresses the hope that this will be a decisive meeting for Christians of different confessions -- Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants, to "inspire all involved to bear an ever more convincing and effective witness to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ... who is the center of the Christian faith and of the truth which is his Church."

In referring to the fact that in the congress Churches are participating that "through the incorporation of their members by baptism into Christ, already share a real, though yet imperfect, communion," the Pope underlined that the "rediscovery of this brotherhood in the Lord will make it possible for Christians to deepen their relations, intensify their cooperation, and strive towards that perfect unity in the faith which is expressed in full and visible ecclesial communion, and to which Christ the Lord calls his disciples."

The current Moscow Conference is the third meeting of its kind. The preceding were held in Moscow in 1994 and Minsk in 1996.

The full text of the Message can be found at www.zenit.org/english in the "Documents" section.
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PRESIDENT OF FINLAND SAYS WORLD NEEDS HOLY SEE
Finnish Head of Government in Private Audience with John Paul II

VATICAN CITY, NOV 23 (ZENIT).- This morning John Paul II received President Martti Ahtisaari of Finland in private audience, the mediator who succeeded in putting a halt to NATO bombings in Yugoslavia's recent conflict.

At the end of his meeting with the Pontiff, President Ahtisaari, who came to power in 1994 and who at present is also president of the European Union, said that "the Holy See represents a special forum, as it has invaluable knowledge of events in the world, promotes peace, solidarity and tolerance -- values to which we attach much importance. And these values are not just important for us, but also for the European Union and the International Community."

The Finnish population, which is concentrated in the south of the country, has just over 5 million inhabitants, 85.8% of whom are Lutheran and 1.1% Orthodox. Catholics number about 7,000, and include some 20 priests.

"To those who are displeased by the Holy See's growing influence, the only thing I can say is that I intensely desire that the issues that are part of the Holy See's agenda will spread even further, because we all need peace and solidarity," the Finnish President said emphatically.
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EMPLOYMENT IN ERA OF GLOBALIZATION
Leaders Discuss Challenge of Solidarity in Worldwide Markets

ROME, NOV 23 (ZENIT).- Rarely has such a diverse combination of businessmen, politicians, labor leaders and theologians gathered together in one place to discuss how to confront together the most pressing social needs from the perspective of global solidarity.

Among those present are Rodrigo Rato, Vice President of the Spanish government; Rolph E. Breuer, director of Deutsche Bank, Jean-Loup Dherse, former Vice President of the World Bank, Carlos Slim Helù, one of the most successful Latin American businessmen, and Cardinal Norberto Rivera, Archbishop of Mexico City.

These and other political, business, financial, and labor leaders, as well as clergymen, are meeting in Rome to participate in a roundtable that is addressing the burning social issues of the day. How can the creation of employment opportunities be harmonized with globalization? How can technological innovation and the development of international corporations be integrated with solidarity?

Business & Human Ethics During the press conference to introduce this summit of leaders, Prince
Alois Lowenstein, businessman and executive member of the Guilè Foundation, explained that "globalization represents a great opportunity, but as it progresses it causes many contradictions, especially for countries with a high rate of elderly, where the social expense is very high." Prince
Lowenstein asserted that "it will not be possible to solve these contradictions without keeping in mind the ethical horizons indicated by the Catholic Church. If these values are not respected, it will be impossible for businessmen to face the third millennium."

Frenchman Jean-Loup Dherse, former Minister and Vice-President of the World Bank, said that he "doesn't believe that the solution to problems posed by globalization are either in Marxism or in radical liberalism, but in a third way that heads of government have the grave responsibility to choose."

Solidarity Is Key
Juan Rosell Lastortras, president of Fodere (European Federation of Businessmen) and president of Barcelona's "Fomento del Trabajo," explained that "it is not the first time that the world faces globalization, such attempts were made at the time of the Roman, British and Spanish empires. The most obvious problem of globalization of this new millennium is the relation between the production of wealth and employment. According to Rosell, there are 18 million businesses in Europe, and 18 million
unemployed. There are also 18 million immigrants in Europe."

Rosell explained that "the old economic dictionary, which referred to fixed prices, monopolies, fixed labor and domestic market is gone for good. The new dictionary speaks of open prices, product quality, variable costs, low taxes, flexibility and telecommuting."

But, "The most important word in the new dictionary in the era of globalization is 'solidarity,' " Juan Rosell underlined. ZE99112307
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MESSAGE OF JOHN PAUL II TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
"JESUS CHRIST YESTERDAY, TODAY AND ALWAYS:
CHRISTIANITY ON THE EVE OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM."

To my Venerable Brother
Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy
President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity

I send you cordial greetings, and through you I greet all our Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant brothers and sisters who are taking part in the Conference: "Jesus Christ is the Same Yesterday and Today and For Ever (Heb: 13:8) - Christianity on the Threshold of the Third Millennium".

I am greatly encouraged by this initiative of the Christian Interconfessional Consultative Committee, since it is the result of a shared decision of the Churches and Ecclesial Communions which have traditionally carried out their pastoral activities in the territory of the Community of Independent States and in the Baltic Countries. Having as its aim the promotion of growing cooperation between Christians in the region,
I pray that the Conference will inspire all involved to bear an ever more convincing and effective witness to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Conference is taking place on the threshold of the Great Jubilee of the 2000th anniversary of the birth of the Son of God, whom the Father sent into the world to be its Redeemer. He who "is the same yesterday and today and for ever", is the centre of the Christian faith and of the truth which his Church, in fidelity to the commandment that he himself has given to her, proclaims to every generation.

It is important in this context to reflect on the relationship that exists between the Lord and Master Jesus Christ and each and every individual Christian and each Christian community, on the mission that Christians are called to carry out in the world today, on the challenges which they have to face, on the need to find strength in the One who said: "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life" (Jn 14:6).

The meeting in which you are taking part will bring together representatives of Churches and Ecclesial Communions which, through the incorporation of their members by baptism into Christ, already share a
real, though yet imperfect, communion. The rediscovery of this brotherhood in the Lord will make it possible for Christians to deepen their relations, intensify their cooperation, and strive towards that perfect unity in the faith which is expressed in full and visible ecclesial communion, and to which Christ the Lord calls his disciples.

May God bless all who, during these days, are involved in the Conference. "To him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think" (Eph 3:20) I entrust the success of your efforts to strengthen Christian cooperation and communion.

>From the Vatican, 18 November 1999
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LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF EURO AND GLOBALIZATION
John Paul II Appeals for Economy Tailored to Man

VATICAN CITY, NOV 22 (ZENIT).- Last Saturday, when he received professors and students of Milan's Bocconi University, regarded as the "factory" of Italian economists, John Paul II said that the advent of the Euro and globalization, and the important opportunities and inevitable unknowns that these phenomena imply, must be studied and tested in economic practice.

Lights and Shadows
In his address to the 500 representatives of this University, which is almost a century old, the Pope focused on the challenge posed by the forthcoming unification of currencies of the Old Continent, especially the positive and negative implications that necessarily flow from this historic step. On one hand, a single currency "is the precursor of significant opportunities, giving Europe and its economic development greater stability, and causing a leap in the quality of life within the European Continent," the Holy Father said in addressing the positive aspects.

Economy at Service of Man
Therefore, it involves processes that must be placed in their proper dimension, but in order to do this, there must be a correct interpretation of the economy itself, recognizing its values and limitations. Undoubtedly, it is a "necessary" and essential activity, capable of becoming "a source of fraternity" and, consequently, it can even be a "providential sign," on the condition that there is a determination to harmonize its priorities with those of ethics. It must be an economy that advocates and demonstrates
the primacy of the human person above all, the Holy Father emphasized.

In this connection, it is urgent to work so that the economy is coordinated with the demands of a policy oriented essentially "to the common good."
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IMPORTANT ECUMENICAL MEETING IN MOSCOW ON EVE OF JUBILEE
To Address Problems between Catholics and Russian Orthodox

VATICAN CITY, NOV 22 (ZENIT).- The International Conference, "Jesus Christ: the Same Yesterday, Today and Always -- Christianity on the Eve of the Third Millennium," will be held in Moscow from November 23-25. The event has been organized by the Inter-Confessional Christian Committee of
Consultation, given the Jubilee's imminence.

This organism of dialogue between Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants is presided by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, president of the Department for Foreign Ecclesiastical Relations of the Moscow Patriarchy, by Catholic Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Moscow, and by Baptist Pastor Petr Konovalcik in representation of the different Protestant denominations in the Community of Independent States.

Cardinal Edward I. Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Archbishop Walter Kasper, secretary of this Council, will attend the Conference at the invitation of the
Inter-Confessional Committee.

This is the third meeting of its kind. The previous ones took place in Moscow in 1994, and Minsk, 1996.

Cardinal Cassidy, who has been entrusted by the Holy Father with the task of promoting dialogue among Christians, will take advantage of his visit to Moscow to participate in "bilateral conversations" between Vatican representatives and the Moscow Patriarchy. These meetings, which have a regular character, allow for the exchange of ideas on topics of common interest..
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ISRAELI MINISTER REGARDS PAPAL VISIT AS "GREAT CHALLENGE"

JERUSALEM, NOV 22 (ZENIT).- John Paul II's visit is "a great challenge," for Israel, because it is a unique opportunity to improve relations between Catholics and Jews. This is the opinion of Shlomo Ben-Ami, Minister of Israeli Public Security.

The Vatican has confirmed that the Pope's visit will take place during the last week of March of 2000. It is expected that the Holy Father will visit Jerusalem and Nazareth. "This is the culmination of a long process of renewed meeting between Jews and Christians," Ben-Ami said yesterday in statements to the press. "We regard it as a great challenge for the country's history."

Ben-Ami disclosed that Israel has taken measures to guarantee the safety of 3 million tourists who undoubtedly will visit Jerusalem during the year 2000, among them the thousands of pilgrims who will accompany the Pope.
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VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- In an address to the UN, Archbishop Renato Martino has condemned the Arab-Israel peace process, and said that new Jewish settlements in the occupied territories of the West Bank are an obstacle to peace.

Archbishop Martino, the Vatican's permanent representative at the UN, said: "The actual expansion of settlements and the confiscation of lands are a real menace to a stable and definitive solution to the crisis in the Holy Land." He was speaking to a special UN commission on the Palestinian refugee question.

The Vatican spokesman criticized the Israeli government for professing a desire to make a peace agreement, without taking the steps necessary to do so. He said that it is "not just to express exaggerated hopes for peace in the media," at a time when Palestinians are still being deprived of their lands and their ability to work, as a result of Israeli settlements and restrictions on travel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Archbishop Martino reiterated the Vatican's position that the three historic religions of the Holy Land-- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-- should be treated equally, and that the city of Jerusalem should be governed by an international statute assuring unrestricted religious freedom to all. While recognizing the resistance to such a plan, he added: "A just and lasting peace calls for sacrifices on the part of everyone."

C U R R E N T F E A T U R E S T O R Y
by the Editors at ReligionToday.com
November 23, 1999

A revival of Protestant evangelical Christianity is taking place in nominally Catholic Bolivia.

...The almost 20,000 people who professed their faith in Christ at Franklin Graham's evangelistic outreach this month in Santa Cruz have joined a movement that started 40 years ago, observers say.

...More than 138,000 people attended the four-day Bolivia for Christ rally Nov. 10-13. About 350 evangelical, Pentecostal, and charismatic churches representing 23 Protestant denominations hosted the event, Norm Mydske, the crusade director, told Religion Today. Organizers trained 10,000 counselors, ushers, and children's workers to minister to the crowds that filled the 45,000-seat Ramon Tahuichi Aguilera Stadium.

...Evangelicals are increasing their presence in politics. They lead four political parties and have become prominent in the government and the military, Moreno said. "They are gaining respect. They are not seen as crazy or called names so much anymore."

...The Catholic Church has been critical of the new churches, but is starting to accept them. Pentecostal and evangelical churches are not sects, but "churches with all the wealth of Christianity," Bishop Moises Morales of the Bolivian Bishop's Conference said in June. "The church no longer calls them sects
and will not do so in the future. It is not fair to use a term like this."
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POPE KISSES THE ISLAMIC KORAN

November 4, 1999 - In May 1999, during an audience granted to three Muslims at the Vatican, Pope John Paul II bowed to the Muslim holy book, the Koran, and kissed it (Christian News, Oct. 18, 1999, p. 16).

The three Muslims were the Shiite Imam of Khadum mosque, the Sunni president of the Iraqi Islamic Bank, and a representative of the Iraqi ministry of religion.

The photo of the gesture has been shown repeatedly on Iraqi television.

The Pope is diligently building the end time apostate "church" of Revelation 17.

A mere six months later, Indonesian Muslims demonstrated their reply to the Pope's gesture by slaughtering Roman Catholics in East Timor who had voted their independence from Indonesia.

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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul, presiding over an ecumenical service attended by Sweden's king and queen, said on Saturday the road to Christian unity was uphill but must be followed.

``A long road lies before us. We must do more, aware of our responsibilities at the dawn of the new millennium,'' the Pope said in his homily.

Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, attended the service in St Peter's Basilica along with a number of Lutheran bishops.

The evening vespers service in Christendom's largest church was a tribute to St Bridget, a 14th century Swedish noblewoman who moved to Rome after her husband died and founded an order of nuns to look after the poor and the sick.

Last month, the Pope, marking the role of women in the church, proclaimed St Bridget and two other woman saints to be spiritual ``co-patronesses of Europe.''

The Pope, who visited Sweden and other Nordic countries in 1989, appeared in relatively good form during the service, reading his homily in English and Italian in a steady voice.

The Catholic and Lutheran churches signed a joint declaration last month in Berlin marking the resolution of a doctrinal dispute which sparked the Reformation in the 16th century.

The Swedish royals were received by the Pope in a private audience earlier on Saturday

Anglican bishop hopes to set up 'United Religions' Org.

Weekend News Today
By Andy Laurents
Source: Ecumenical News International

Thu. Jun. 24, 1999 -- Leaders of an initiative to set up a united body of the world's religions, paralleling the United Nations, claim that their campaign is gaining momentum.

The Christian clergyman spearheading the "United Religions Initiative", California-based Episcopal (Anglican) Bishop William Swing, said that religions lagged at least half-a-century behind nation states in
establishing international forums to resolve conflicts between different faiths "As nations have got together for the past 50 years to pursue global good, during the same 50 years the religions have not spoken to each otherand have not sat down to figure out what their common vocation is," he told ENI during a visit to Jerusalem during which he, along with the Tibetan Buddist Leader, the Dalai Lama, attended an inner-faith conference.

His goal is to set up the world body of religions by June next year, and he remains hopeful of meeting the deadline - with God's help. The initative also has the support of the Dalai Lama, whose visit to Jerusalem this month was sponsored by Bishop Swing's Inter-Religious Friendship Group and the Inter-Religious Co-ordinating Council in Israel.

"The Dalai Lama and I have been talking about this for several years and he is very supportive," said the bishop, who added that he had also discussed his proposal with Vatican officials.

"We see Northern Ireland, we see Sri Lanka, we see the Sudan, we see the Middle East, we see religions pitted against each other. And we are going to see more of that, not less. What happens when we have five extremist religious groups in charge of five countries with hands on atomic weapons?" "The only answer," he said, "was to set up an organisation of world regions bounded by clear structures and principles, agreed by all the participants."

To this end, he and others of like mind have been working on a charter that might be adopted by such a body. He stressed that the model should be quite different from the bureaucratic framework of the United Nations.

The structural basis for such a body had already been formed thanks to the growing trend to have inter-faith groups, he said.

"In the San Francisco Bay area 19 cities have inter-faith chapters that have just grown up spontaneously, nobody tried to organise them," he said. Bishop Swing said the trends were the result of greater interaction and greater intermarriage between races and faiths. This was in large part duet to the process of global integration.

"It's going to be a whole new world very quickly, and there are going to be religions living beside each other everywhere," he said.

Later this year Bishop Swing will attend an inter-faith forum in Atlanta, Georgia, hosted by former US President Jimmy Carter, who has expressed interest in the project.

"We want to build up a core group of people of many religions, who have great respect for each other, and we will see where it goes," Bishop Swing said.

In Chicago, US, a senior staff member of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (CPWR), Travis Rejman, said that he personally admired many of Bishop Swing's ideas. Stressing that he was not speaking on behalf of his organisation, Rejman said that all ventures to promote inter-religious harmony were welcome.

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Nine Protestant churches to consider unity

ST. LOUIS -- How will a movement toward unity that began with a pulpit call nearly 40 years ago continue moving ahead?

The answer, United Methodist delegates hope, will come from a Jan. 20-24 meeting of the Consultation on Church Union [here]. They will be among the representatives of nine Protestant denominations considering not a merger but a way to reach full recognition of each other's ministries.

"We're seeking a way forward," explained United Methodist Bishop William Boyd Grove, the denomination's ecumenical officer and a member of COCU's executive committee. "Many believe, I among them, that we have to come out of this with something that holds the nine churches together."

In the prologue of a paper written for the upcoming plenary, Moede noted that COCU came about "in a decade when unity was being taken seriously. Many churches were preparing for actual union. Many lives were changed in this process, and millions of Christians who had previously lived in divided, competing churches now shared peaceful relations with others in united churches."

COCU's beginning was sparked by a Dec. 4, 1960, sermon by Presbyterian minister Eugene Carson Blake at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. "Led, I pray, by the Holy Spirit, I propose to the Protestant Episcopal Church that it, together with the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, invite the Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ to form with us a plan of church union, both catholic and reformed." ...

By 1973, COCU members began to move away from a plan of actual merger to pursue another type of unity. During the 1974 plenary in Cincinnati, where Moede became general secretary, there was a shift toward the acceptance of theological pluralism and a desire to address racial, sexual, cultural and
economic issues.

The eight elements of the COCU proposal had become claiming unity in faith; commitment to seek unity with wholeness; mutual recognition of members in one baptism; mutual recognition of each other as churches; mutual recognition of ordained ministry; celebrating the Eucharist together; engaging together in Christ's mission and forming covenanting councils.

In her preparatory paper for the meeting, Hassinger explained that spiritual discernment recognizes all are still learning as disciples of Christ and allows the listener to "hear Christ" in the other person. "And together, by prayerful discussion, we may sense where God's Spirit is leading us in matters that are critical to our life together." http://www.christiannews.org/

Pope calls for greater efforts on behalf of Christian unity
"VATICAN CITY, NOV 25, 1999 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father received students and staff of the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Switzerland, during their annual visit to Rome....John Paul II concluded by saying, "may this experience of ecumenical study and discernment inspire you to ever greater efforts on behalf of Christian unity."

JESUITS OPEN PHILOSOPHY FACULTY IN MOSCOW

MOSCOW, DEC 17 (ZENIT).- On December 13, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican Secretary of State, inaugurated the Jesuits' new Faculty of Philosophy in Moscow. The Faculty is housed in a building bought by the Jesuits a year ago, which has been totally restored. Today there are 300 students attending the Faculty, the majority lay people, and 70 professors. Both among the students as well as the professors, there are a considerable number of Orthodox. For the time being, the Faculty is operating without a library. The only Catholic library in Russia is that of the Jesuit Cultural Center in Novosibirsk, which has 12,000 volumes in Russian and other languages. ZE99121702
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IMMINENT DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND VATICAN?
Unconfirmed Disclosures in Hong Kong Press

BEIJING, DEC 16 (ZENIT).- Hong Kong's newspaper, "The South China Morning Post," reported today that China and the Vatican will establish diplomatic relations early next year. The anonymous sources of the news are based both in the former British colony as well as in continental China.

When asked to comment on the situation, a spokesman from Beijing's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave the usual reply, without confirming or denying the news in the Hong Kong paper. China hopes to improve
relations with the Vatican, but the Holy See must break relations with Taiwan, and not meddle in China's internal affairs, not even for religious reasons.

On December 8, John Paul II wrote to all Catholics in China without distinctions proposing that the Jubilee, which is also being organized by the Patriotic Association, serve to unite them, finally, in communion with the universal Church. ZE99121512
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Pope John Paul II allows his forehead to be marked by a Pagan Shiva priestess. Acceptance of this mark is indication of the recipients submission to the Shiva priestess! (Former Catholics for Christ Newsletter, Jan/Feb/mar, 1998.)A pagan Shiva priestess actually placed the Shiva mark upon the forehead of the Pope, John Paul II. The New Age Dictionary defines the Shiva (pronounced "siva") as the "Hindu God of Illusion, Yoga, Animals, Ascetics; Lord of the Dance, who lives on Mt. Kailas, Benares, and sundry other places around the world". [Page 180] Shiva is part of the Hindu religion, and it is Pagan. If the Roman Catholic Pope is "Jesus Christ's Vicar On Earth", then how can he sanction the false religion of Hinduism? How can he allow a ceremony in which he not only receives a mark on his forehead, but he allows himself to take part in a ceremony which clearly identifies himself as being subservient to the Shiva priestess? Pope John Paul II is defying the solemn Words of Jesus Christ when he gives credence and validity to the Pagan religion of Shiva. The Pope is denying, by his actions, that Christianity is the only real religion on Earth.
But he is doing much more: he is defying the commandment of God in Jeremiah 10:2, "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen". This act places the Pope in submission to this priestess during this ceremony, and it places Papal acceptance upon the Pagan religion of Shiva. The religion of Shiva is very Satanic through and through, and that it worships its god through the practice of Tantric Sex. Through this act of accepting this mark on his forehead, the Pope has signaled his acceptance of Shiva as a religion just as valid as Christianity. Since Shiva has much in common with the New Age religion, the Pope has signaled his acceptance of the New Age as a religion just as valid as Christianity. Not only does the Roman Catholic Church contain much Pagan doctrine, not only does the Pope now utilize the Satanic Bent Cross instead of the traditional Crucifix, but now we see him accepting the Shiva Religion on an equal basis with Christianity. Rome was quick to deny any religious implication in the Pope's actions. She even denied that the Aarti prayer was a prayer to a pagan deity, claiming it was merely a Roman Catholic woman giving the Pope a blessing. Isn't that a bit backwards? Whenever the Pope is present, people grovel at his feet to get his blessing! Since when does the Pope, who claims to be God on Earth, submit himself to the blessing of one of his own subjects? The answer: he's building up and consolidating his Babylonian church empire. All FALSE religions will be lumped up in one giant bundle to be cast into the lake of fire when the Lord returns. Roman Catholicism, apostate protestantism, and the varied pagan religions of earth are all getting cozy with eachother in a gigantic group hug. They are consolidating their forces for that great battle of the great day of God Almighty soon to break out upon this world. The whole apostate world will be aligned against the true God and His true people. The whole world is indeed "wondering" after the beast right before our very eyes. Soon, God is going to interpose and proclaim "It's closing time"!!! BE YE READY, PEOPLE. For ready or not, Jesus is coming SOON!

"The Scripture Cannot Be Broken"

First United Nations 'Spiritual Summit' Planned
1,000 of world's spiritual leaders to meet in August 2000

A "spiritual summit" bringing together 1,000 of the world's religious and spiritual leaders is being organized by the United Nations next August-the first such gathering in the UN's 54-year history. The Millennium World Peace Summit, as the gathering is known, will take place from August 28 to 31, 2000 just days before the world's political leaders gather for the UN Millennium Heads of State Summit.

"Our dream is to get the pre-eminent religious leaders to the UN so they can support the peace process, in concert with the political bodies there," Bawa Jain, the executive co-ordinator of the world peace summit, said today 3 December in Cape Town. I definitely feel that the religious and spiritual communities can play a substantial role in easing tensions in the world zones of conflict," he added.

"Ultimately, this first-ever council of senior religious and spiritual advisers will be established as a resource to the UN secretary-general, and its members could be 'parachuted' into trouble spots," Jain said.

"The parliament is grounded in the certainty that without the insight, energy, inspiration and goodwill of the world's religions and spiritual communities, there can be no real answers to the daunting problems we all face at the beginning of a new century," a welcoming document said.

For those who are overwhelmed by the marketplace of possibilities vying for their attention, a relaxing transcendental meditation workshop is available on the green grass of the Technikon open-air amphitheater. Standing under the hot African sun or in the shade of the trees, they listen to the soothing voice of a guru and shake off all the tensions and the information overload. -Copyright © 1999 Ecumenical News International.

CARDINAL OF SARAJEVO PRESIDENT OF WORLD CONFERENCE ON RELIGION AND PEACE

Vatican Pleased by Results of Meeting in Jordan

ROME, NOV 30 (ZENIT).- The 7th assembly of the World Conference on Religion and Peace ended in Amman, Jordan, yesterday. The 600 participants, representing the major religions of the world, described
it as a great success. The meeting sought to build collaboration among the faithful of the world's religions in support of peace.

Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo, was re-confirmed as honorary president of this organization. In addition to leaders of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam, the Conference in Amman was attended by Archbishop George Carey of Canterbury, president of the Anglican Communion, and the Catholic Archbishops of Brussels, Baltimore and Tokyo, as well as Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement. The Vatican was officially represented by Cardinal Francis Arinze, President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

The topics discussed during the Amman meeting included: "The Child and the Family," "Transformation of Conflicts and Reconciliation," "Development and Ecology," "Disarmament and Security," and "Human Rights and Education for Peace."

Cardinal Arinze said on his return to Rome that "the most wonderful thing is that, in spite of all the problems in the world, in spite of violence and contradictions, there is a desire to find in the highest
ideals of the different religions a stimulus and energies to construct a better world. Undoubtedly, at the end of the day, this is a gift from God, but the Lord also expects something from us: as Catholics, we are
happy to support an inter-religious organization such as this one, which does not attempt to discuss beliefs, but simply looks for a way to promote plans for common action. This is the reason our Vatican
dicastery participates as one of the guests." ZE99113004

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CAPE TOWN, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Religious leaders and thinkers from around the globe meet in Cape Town on Wednesday to deliberate on how to set the moral tone for the 21st century.

Jews, Bhuddhists, Hindus, Moslems, Christians and Spiritualists will rub shoulders for a week as they attempt to solve the world's ethical problems.

"There are two primary missions -- to facilitate understanding and dialogue and to call on government institutions to move towards a global ethic," spokeswoman Mim Neal told Reuters.

The thousands of delegates to the third Parliament of World Religions will first commemorate world AIDS day in a ceremony near the South African parliament buildings, during which the 1,000-panel AIDS Memorial Quilt Display will be unveiled.

The display highlights the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome crisis that is sweeping the planet and has its greatest incidence in Africa.

From there a procession will be led through Cape Town's famed District Six -- a formerly multi-racial part of the city which was ruthlessly ethnically cleansed by apartheid's masters during the 1960s and became a symbol of the system's evil.

The parliament, which has only previously been held in 1893 and 1993, will be officially opened to the sound of Japanese drums being beaten by members of the executive committee.

"There is a great deal of symbolism in holding the parliament here in South Africa," Gerald Barney, parliament trustee and head of the Millennium Institute which specialises in assistance to developing countries, told Reuters.

"There is a great deal for the world to learn from South Africa. Its religious leaders had the moral strength to make major changes in the country, and we want to support them and hope that some of that strength rubs off," he added.

During the week more than 1,000 speakers will address the 6,000 delegates expected to attend the plenary sessions and the host of seminars and lectures.

Among the highlights will be a presentation on Saturday by Taiwanese Bhuddist leader Hsin Tao, a speech on Sunday evening by former South African President Nelson Mandela and the closing address on December 8 by the Dalai Lama.
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Is goal mere co-operation or creation of one faith?
By Jon E. Dougherty © 1999 WorldNetDaily.com

Representatives of all religious faiths from some 50 countries have held regular meetings since 1995 for the purpose of creating one global religion, according to a United Religions Initiative.
However, critics of the initiative question the rationale for the adoption of such a globalized religion and question what "entity" -- taken from Christianity or another faith -- the religion will choose to sanctify. Based on URI's published statements, that entity appears to be focused more on earthly "spirits" than on God or Jesus Christ.

Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of our one Lord Jesus Christ.
On behalf of the Joint Committee of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE), it is our pleasure to invite the participation of your Church in what promises to be a most significant ecumenical development for Europe, at this critical time in the life of our continent and as we approach the new millennium.
With this letter you will find a copy of the draft of the proposed

We would like to explain fully to you the background to the CHARTA ECUMENICA, the process by which this draft has been prepared and the future stages of its formation in which your church is now invited to share.

Background

At the Second European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz, Austria, in 1997 on the theme 'Reconciliation - Gift of God and Source of New Life', the recommendations endorsed by the Assembly included:
"We recommend that the churches develop a common study document containing basic ecumenical duties and rights. From this a series of ecumenical guidelines, rules and criteria could be developed which would help the churches, those in positions of responsibility and all members, to distinguish between proselytism and Christian witness, as well as between fundamentalism and genuine faithfulness, and help to shape the relationships between majority and minority churches in an ecumenical spirit". (Recommendations for Action 1.2).

The rationale for this recommendation was that: 'The ecumenical fellowship is currently in a difficult situation as a result of various factors. This requires conscious counter-strategies. It seems necessary to foster an ecumenical culture of living and working together, and to create a firm basis for it.'

Following the Graz Assembly, the idea of a 'Charta Ecumenica' along these lines was discussed in both CEC and CCEE circles, as a means of furthering the reconciliation between the churches of Europe for the sake of reconciliation with Europe itself. The CEC/CCEE Joint Committee, at its meeting in Rome in February 1998, resolved on a process to initiate the project. Accordingly in October 1998 a small working group appointed by both CEC and CCEE met at Cartigny, near Geneva and after intensive discussion prepared a preliminary draft. A larger group of some 40 persons, representative of the diverse confessional and geographical constituencies of the European churches, was then convened by CEC and CCEE and met in Graz at the end of April 1999. This group subjected the preliminary draft to rigorous examination and discussion. In the light of this discussion the working group revised the first draft, resulting in the document now sent to you.

The next stage

For the next stage, which will last just over a year, all the member churches of CEC and CCEE are invited to study and discuss this draft with a view to its further revision and development. Churches and Bishop's Conferences are encouraged to engage as many parishes, dioceses and church groups as possible in discussion of the Charta. It is hoped that it will not only be discussed within each church, but also between churches in each national context so that its bearing upon ecumenical life may be assessed.

Comments are invited especially in answer to the following questions:

1. How acceptable would this document as a whole prove to be to your church, as an encouragement and a challenge towards deepening ecumenical life and to sharing with other churches in a common responsibility towards Europe?

2. What particular points in the document should be revised, and in what way?.

3. What topics calling for commitment by the churches in their relations to one another and to Europe, not at present included, should be added?

4. What practical value might such a document have, and how might it actually be used, in the promotion of ecumenical life in your context and at the Europe-wide level?

We ask that such responses be sent to reach us by 1 September 2000.

Responses from CEC member churches should be sent to the CEC General Secretariat in Geneva, and those from the European Roman Catholic Bishops' Conferences to the CCEE office in St Gallen.
It is our hope that receiving and discussing this draft will stimulate further ecumenical discussion in your own context. To that end, CEC and CCEE will be very glad to assist that discussion in any way we can, for example by arranging team-visits to your church or country or sharing in events that you yourself may wish to organize on the Charta. We shall look forward to hearing any suggestions you may wish to make.

The final stages and presentation

After 1 September 2000, the working group will consider the responses received and in the light of them prepare a final text to be submitted to the CEC/CCEE Joint Committee early in 2001. If the committee considers that a text has been prepared which is likely to be welcomed by the European churches as a whole, this will be signed by the Presidents of CEC and CCEE, and presented by them to the European churches immediately after Easter 2001. The occasion will be an European Ecumenical Encounter currently being planned by CEC and CCEE to take place then.

This however will not be the end of the process but in a real sense its beginning. It is hoped that the Charta Ecumenica will be received and adopted by all churches as a declaration of their commitment to reconciliation towards one another, to common witness and service, and to peace and justice for the whole of Europe. In this way the Charta Ecumenica can provide a continuing means whereby the churches can measure their life, their growth in relationships to one another, and their common witness to the gospel of reconciliation..

May we then look forward to your cooperation in this enterprise, and in due course to receiving the response of your church.

With our prayers and good wishes,

Thousands support board's decision to post Ten Commandments

Updated December 20, 1999 (first published 1993) (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, 1701 N. Harns Rd., Oak Harbor, WA 98277) – The following material is part four of a four-part series of articles documenting Evangelist Billy Graham’s relationship with the Roman Catholic Church.

"Billy Graham spent January 8-13, 1990, meeting with a number of Vatican officials. Included was a private meeting with Pope John Paul II. Reporting on this the Boston Archdiocese stated that ‘Dr. Graham said it is particularly evident in the Pope’s speeches that his attitudes and decisions are based on his great personal spiritual life ... He bases His work and messages and vision on biblical principles.’ A Religious News Service photograph showed Graham presenting the Pope with a handmade quilt from a place near his home in North Carolina. Using the phrase ‘bridge builder’ from his close friend, Cardinal Cushing, Graham referred to Pope John Paul II as ‘indeed a bridge builder, and that is something our divided world desperately needs’" (Ewin, The Assimilation of Evangelist Billy Graham).

Northern Ireland's Protestants and Catholics have agreed to set up a partnership government.

A cabinet that includes pro-British Protestants and pro-Irish Catholics was being hailed as a triumph in the province, where 30 years of violence has claimed 3,600 lives. The agreement activates the main elements of the 1998 Good Friday peace accord, which had been stalled by political wrangling.
...A four-party administration includes members of Catholic and Protestant political parties, The Associated Press said. They named representatives to a 12-member cabinet that will be empowered by the British government on Dec. 2 to make and implement policies. -C U R R E N T N E W S S U M M A R Y by the Editors of ReligionToday December 1, 1999

Tertia Millennio Adveniente
"As the Third Millennium Draws Near"
John Paul II
14 November 1994

     Among the most fervent petitions which the Church makes to the Lord during this important   time, as the even of the new millennium approaches, is that unity among all Christians of the various confessions will increase until they reach full communion.

     I pray that the Jubilee will be a promising opportunity for fruitful cooperation in the many areas which unite us; these are unquestionably more numerous than those which divide us. It would thus be quite helpful if, with due respect for the programs of the individual Churches and Communities, ecumenical agreements could be reached
with regard to the preparation and celebration of the Jubilee. In this way the Jubilee will bear witness even more forcefully before the world that the disciples of Christ are fully
     resolved to reach full unity as soon as possible in the certainty hat "nothing is
     impossible with God."   "As the Third Millenium Draws Near", Pope John Paul II
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Ut Unum Sint
"That They May Be One"
Encyclical, Pope John Paul II

     With the power and the authority without which such an office would be illusory, the
     Bishop of Rome must ensure the communion of all the Churches... This primacy is
     exercised on various levels, including vigilance over the handing down of the Word, the      celebration of the Liturgy and the Sacraments, the Church's mission, discipline and the Christian life. It is the responsibility of the Successor of Peter to recall the requirements of the common good of the Church, should anyone be tempted to
overlook it in the pursuit of personal interests. He has the duty to admonish, to caution and to declare at times that this or that opinion being circulated is irreconcilable with the
unity of faith. When circumstances require it, he speaks in the name of all the Pastors
in communion with him...

     Whatever relates to the unity of all Christian communities clearly forms part of the concerns of the primacy. As Bishop of Rome I am fully aware, as I have reaffirmed in the present Encyclical Letter, that Christ ardently desires the full and visible communion of all
     those Communities in which, by virtue of God's faithfulness, his Spirit dwells. I am
     convinced that I have a particular responsibility in this regard, above all in acknowledging the ecumenical aspirations of the majority of the Christian Communities and in heeding the request made of me to find a way of exercising the primacy which,
while in no way renouncing what is essential to its mission, is nonetheless open
to a new situation...

     97. The Catholic Church, both in her <praxis> and in her solemn documents, holds that the communion of the particular Churches with the Church of Rome, and
of their Bishops with the Bishop of Rome, is--in God's plan--an essential requisite of
full and visible communion. Indeed full communion, of which the Eucharist is the highest
sacramental manifestation, needs to be visibly expressed in a ministry in which all the
Bishops recognize that they are united in Christ and all the faithful find confirmation for their faith. The first part of the Acts of the Apostles presents Peter as the one who speaks in the name of the apostolic group and who serves the unity of the community all the while respecting the authority of James, the head of the Church in Jerusalem. This function of Peter must continue in the Church so that under her sole Head, who is Jesus Christ, she may be visibly present in the world as the communion of all his disciples.

     99. When I say that for me, as Bishop of Rome, the ecumenical task is "one of the pastoral priorities" of my Pontificate, I think of the grave obstacle which the lack of unity represents for the proclamation of the Gospel. A Christian Community which believes in Christ and desire, with Gospel fervor, the salvation of mankind can hardly be closed to
     the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who leads all Christians towards full and visible      unity. Here an imperative of charity is in question, an imperative which admits of no exception. Ecumenism is not only an internal question of the Christian Communities. It is a matter of the love which God has in Jesus Christ for all humanity, to stand in the way of this love is an offense against him and against his plan to gather all people in Christ. "That They May Be One", Encyclical of Pope John Paul II, May 25, 1995

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world council of churches member churches, associate member churches and national council bodies

"from every tribe and tongue and nation... "
The churches that make up the WCC live in remarkably different social, economic, cultural and political conditions. Their members speak an array of languages. Their distinctive histories produce different styles of worship and forms of organization and governance. It is a rich variety, a reflection of God's rich kingdom.

And it is this diversity that makes the WCC an exciting forum in which stories of God's work and faithfulness are shared and in which insights are exchanged, providing mutual enrichment, encouragement and correction. Historic tensions and differences sometimes persist - and new difficulties occasionally come to the surface - yet the fundamental commitment remains to build community among the churches.

membership conditions
Churches which agree with the WCC basis are eligible to apply for WCC membership. Applications may be approved at an assembly by two-thirds of the member churches or, between assemblies, by two-thirds of the central committee (unless objection from one-third of the member churches is received within six months).

A prospective member must evidence "sustained independent life and organization" and "constructive ecumenical relations" with other churches in its country. Ordinarily, member churches have at least 25,000 members (churches with at least 10,000 members may be associate members, eligible to participate in all WCC activities but not to vote in the assembly).

WCC rules state that becoming a member signifies a church's "faithfulness to the basis of the Council, fellowship in the Council, participation in the life and work of the Council and commitment to the ecumenical movement as integral to the mission of the church". There is no membership assessment, but "an annual contribution to the general budget and programmes of the WCC, commensurate with their resources", is listed among membership responsibilities.

SWEDEN AND CHRISTIAN UNITY
John Paul II Receives New Swedish Ambassador

VATICAN CITY, DEC 20 (ZENIT).- This morning, on the occasion of the
presentation of credentials of the new Swedish ambassador to the
Vatican, John Paul II addressed a number of topics, including the unity
of Christians, the need for generosity toward poor countries, the
construction of a common European home, the sacredness of life, and the
pivotal role of the family.

John Paul II's thought mirrored that of St. Bridget of Sweden, recently
proclaimed co-patroness of Europe along with Catherine of Sienna and
Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). This is "a providential
opportunity to reflect on the common responsibility of Christians to
continue toward full unity, in order to be able to offer the Continent
an ever more credible witness of the only Gospel, source of hope and
solid foundation of the civilization of love," the Pope said.

Unity is most certainly an ardent desire of the Holy Father, which was
visibly attested during the ecumenical celebration held in St. Peter's
Basilica last November 13 when, together with the highest Lutheran
leaders of Sweden and Finland, and with Catholic bishops from Stockholm
and Copenhagen, John Paul II prayed that the unity of Christians would
soon materialize.

The Pope recalled that Swedish people, whom he visited ten years ago,
have "zest for life, love for children and a generous spirit in
welcoming immigrants who are looking for work, dignity and hope," as
well as "concrete commitment in favor of the poorest countries."
ZE99122006

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MESSAGE OF THE HOLY SEE TO MUSLIMS AT THE END OF RAMADAN
Stresses Values Common to Both Religions

VATICAN CITY, DEC 29 (ZENIT).- Cardinal Francis Arinze, President of the
Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue has sent a letter, made
public today, to "Muslim friends" on the occasion of the end of Ramadan,
their holy month of prayer and fasting. The message stresses the common
values shared by Christianity and Islam.

"At the moment of entering into a new Millennium, we Christians and
Muslims, together with the followers of other religions and all men and
women of good will, all have something to receive from the message of
Jesus: a message of mercy and pardon, of charity and fraternity, of
justice and peace," asserted Cardinal Arinze.

The Cardinal explained that a true understanding of Jesus "does not in
any way infrince on the monotheism of Christians," founded in faith "in
one God, Creator of heaven and earth."

The Pope's representative in dialogue with Muslims, explained that in
speaking about Jesus, as in other fields, "we are called as Christians
and Muslims to know and respect the religious convictions of the other,
to discover that which unites us and what makes us different. Knowing
and respecting these convictions does not necessarily imply sharing
them. To be able to speak about them objectively and with respect forms
part of the way we should behave as persons of belief."

Thus, the Nigerian Cardinal asked himself, "Cannot the social and
spiritual message of Jesus be considered to constitute a common
heritage?"

>From this common heritage of faith Cardinal Arinze drew forth the great
values of the Gospel: "total obedience to the will of God, witness given
to the truth, humility in behaviour, control of one's speech, justice in
one's actions, mercy shown in deeds, love towards all, pardon granted
for wrong done, maintaining peace with all brothers and sisters."

Finally, after recalling that "Jesus is the man of suffering and also
the man of hope" and that "like us, but even more than us, he has been
lowly, poor, humiliated, a worker, oppressed, and suffering," Cardinal
Arinze concluded with another question: "Is not Jesus thus a model and a
permanent message for humanity?"

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Since this calendar
is lunar, each year the beginning of the month occurs on different dates
of the Christian solar year. During this month, Muslims must fast
throughout the daylight hours, only eating after the sun has set.
According to the Muslim faith, it was precisely during the month of
Ramadan that Muhammad received the revelation of the first verses of the
Qu'ran.

The spiritual highpoint of Ramadan occurs on the night between the 26th
and 27th days, called the Night of Power ("Laylat al-qadar"). This was
the precise night of the first revelation to Muhammad, and many Muslims
extend their fasting and prayer into the night for this occasion. The
end of Ramadan, the " 'Id al-Fitr," includes the celebration of the
breaking of the month of fasting.
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BUCHANAN PLEDGES TO FIGHT 'WORLD GOVERNMENT

Pat Buchanan, seeking support for his fledgling Reform Party presidential bid, promised today to lead a "millennial struggle" against an emerging world government "where all nations yield up their sovereignty and fade away." In a speech to the Boston World Affairs Council, the former Republican said, "Loyalty to the New World Order is disloyalty to the republic. In nation after nation, the struggle between patriotism and globalism is under way."

Cold War replacement
.... http://cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/01/06/buch.ap/index.html