Patriarch Bartholomew praised as a ‘great ecumenist’–will this end in disaster?
Patriarch Bartholomew and Cardinal Walter Kasper
The Catholic Herald reports that Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew has been praised for his ‘great’ ecumenism:
Religious leaders in Assisi praise Patriarch Bartholomew as a great ecumenist
Jewish, Anglican and Catholic leaders celebrated the 25th anniversary of the patriarch’s enthronement
As leaders of dozens of religions gathered in Assisi for dialogue and prayers for peace, they honoured Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople as an exemplar of one who is so deeply rooted in his own religious tradition that he can reach out to others without fear.
Jewish, Anglican and Catholic leaders paid tribute to Patriarch Bartholomew as he was about to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his enthronement as spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians. … the leaders praised Patriarch Bartholomew as an ecumenist, theologian and leading religious defender of God’s creation.
Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury presided over the tribute to the patriarch, and Cardinal Walter Kasper, former president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, gave the main talk, highlighting how “with great tact in difficult situations” the patriarch “always helped to overcome complicated twists and turns with the grand dexterity of a ‘pontiff,’ that is, a builder of bridges.” …
“Like you,” Cardinal Kasper told the patriarch, “we are certain that unity is a command of the Lord and a response to the signs of the times in a world that is increasingly united, but at the same time profoundly lacerated by many conflicts.”
The unity Christians hope and pray for, he said, will not be the result of “any absorption, or watering down or homogenisation, but a unity in reconciled diversity.”
Rabbi David Rosen, international director of interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee, told participants, “There is an understandable but regrettable tendency among those who are deeply rooted in a religious tradition to be insular and exclusive in their world outlook. While on the other hand, all too often those who are more open to engagement with those different from themselves reflect a superficiality lacking substance.” 09/20/16 http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2016/09/20/religious-leaders-in-assisi-praise-patriarch-bartholomew-as-a-great-ecumenist/
The Catholic Register reports on ‘Religious leaders praise Patriarch Bartholomew as a great ecumenist’
Before going further, let me state that the claim from Cardinal Walter Kasper that ecumenical unity will not involve any “watering down,’ etc. is not true.
I know this for many reasons, including a visit my wife and I made to the offices of Patriarch Bartholomew–the leading “see” within the world of the Eastern Orthodox.
COGwriter leaving the Offices of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
After seeing the Church of St. George there, we privately met with a staff member who gave us a tour of the area where the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople (for the past 25 years, Bartholomew) meets with dignitaries. (Those wishing to see some of the rest of Constantinople (including the Church of St, George and the Hagia Sophia) should click on Joyce’s Photos of Constantinople.)
The staff member (who was a Greek-American who used to live in San Diego) told us that when Pope Benedict visited in November 2006, one of the Pope’s aides told one of the Patriarch’s aides that if the Orthodox would accept Roman supremacy, that the Catholics would accept pretty much all of the Orthodox doctrinal differences (such as the so-called filioque clause of the so-called Apostles’ Creed).
While the Orthodox officially accept the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, according to the staff member we met with they are still adamant that they will not accept Roman supremacy and the related governmental ramifications. But the Bible and I disagree with the Orthodox on this point as we in the Continuing Church of God believe that unity with Rome is inevitable.
Perhaps I should add here that there is a fringe Catholic private prophecy warning against the Catholics making this deal with the Orthodox. Notice the following:
Priest Paul Kramer “The errors of Orthodoxy and of Protestantism will be embraced by that false church, it will be an ecumenical church because the Anti-Pope will be recognized by the world — not by the faithful, but by the world — by the secular world and the secular governments. The Anti-Pope will be recognized as the legitimate Pope of the “church,” and the legitimate head of the Vatican State. That “church” will be united with all the false religions. They will be united together under the universality of the Masonic umbrella. In that motley ecumenical union will be the established religion of the so-called civilized world. This is how we will get into the time of great persecution such as the world has never seen (Kramer P. The Imminent Chastisement for Not Fulfilling Our Lady’s Request. An edited transcript of a speech given at the Ambassadors of Jesus and Mary Seminar in Glendale, California, September 24, 2004. THE FATIMA CRUSADER Issue 80, Summer 2005, pp. 32-45 http://www.fatimacrusader.com/cr80/cr80pg32.asp viewed 4/06/08).
Not only am I convinced that the deal will occur, there are other Catholic prophecies in favor of this deal. Notice the following:
Abbott Joachim (died 1202)…A remarkable Pope will be seated on the pontifical throne, under special protection of the angels. Holy and full of gentleness, he shall undo all wrong, he shall recover the states of the Church, and reunite the exiled temporal powers. As the only Pastor, he shall reunite the Eastern to the Western Church…This holy Pope shall be both pastor and reformer. Through him the East and West shall be in ever lasting concord. The city of Babylon shall then be the head and guide of the world. Rome, weakened in temporal power, shall forever preserve her spiritual dominion, and shall enjoy great peace…At the beginning, in order to bring these happy results, having need of a powerful assistance, this holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France (Great Monarch)… A man of remarkable sanctity will be his successor in the Pontifical chair. Through him God will work so many prodigies that all men shall revere him (Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, pp. 31-33).
Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (Born in the 17th century, in Germany) …God will bind Satan for a number of years until the days of the Son of Perdition…there will be an ecumenical council which will be the greatest of all councils. By the grace of God, by the power of the Great Monarch, and by the authority of the Holy Pontiff, and by the union of the most devout princes, atheism and every heresy will be banished from the earth. The Council will define the true sense of Holy Scripture, and this will be believed and accepted by everyone (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 40).
I suspect that the Catholics will make some type of deal with the Orthodox resulting in an acceptance of certain Orthodox doctrines, while allowing the Orthodox to come in with a little more autonomy than other Catholics. However, by or during the time the false prophet (apparently the final pontiff) begins to do miracles (Revelation 13:11-15), then the Orthodox will end up accepting full pontifical authority.
Even Orthodox writings tell of this.
The Orthodox have long taught that the Church of Rome (known sometimes as Latins) will change doctrines to those of the Orthodox. A document known as the Anonymou Prophecy of 1053 refers to this as the “Deferring of the Latins to the error-free faith of the Orthodox,” it then claims “The Orthodox Faith will expand from East to West” (Tzima Otto, H. The Great Monarch and WWIII in Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Scriptural Prophecies. Verenikia Press, Rock Hill (SC), 2000, p. 116).
Here is an explanation from Orthodox scholar H. Tzima-Otto (bolding in original):
Many Catholic prophecies speak of the victory of the ‘true Catholic faith’, while Orthodox prophecies, although they agree on everything else, predict a victory of the ‘true Orthodox faith’…When we speak of the future Council, it is bound to be ecumenical…there will come a true re-unification of the Christian Churches…This Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church is not going to be Roman Catholic as understood today…
The error-free Orthodox faith…The Orthodox did not experience a Vatican II, they did not begin to rewrite Scriptures…Hence, error-free in the sense that it has not been contaminated by satan…(Tzima Otto, pp. 120-122)
Thus, the Orthodox expect Rome to change its doctrines, because they feel that the Roman Catholic Church adopted errors from satan. Eastern Orthodox writings also look forward to a the rise of a Roman Catholic Great Monarch to be the “King of the Romans and the Greeks,” (Tzima Otto, pp. 5-6)–that ‘Great Monarch’ sounds a lot like the final Beast of Revelation 13:1-10, who is called the King of the North in Daniel 11.
Both Roman and Orthodox Catholic writings tell of a time of ecumenical unity and compromise:
Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (17th century): …there will be an ecumenical council which will be the greatest of all councils by the power of the Great Monarch, and by the authority of the Holy Pontiff, and by the union of the most devout princes, atheism and every heresy will be banished from the earth. The Council will…be believed and accepted by everyone (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p. 40).
Anna-Katarina Emmerick (October 1, 1820): The Church is in great danger…The Protestant doctrine and that of the schismatic Greeks are to spread everywhere. I now see that in this place (Rome) the (Catholic) Church is being so cleverly undermined, that there hardly remain a hundred or so priests who have not been deceived. They all work for the destruction, even the clergy. A great destruction is now at hand… (April 22, 1823): I saw that many pastors allowed themselves to be taken up with ideas that were dangerous to the Church. They were building a great, strange, and extravagant Church. Everyone was admitted in it in order to be united and to have equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics, sects of every description. Such was to be the new Church (Dupont, pp. 66, 71).
Monk Leontios (died 543): Rejoice, oh most unhappy one, oh New Babylon!…You, who are the New Babylon rejoice now on behalf of Zion! New Babylon, dance, bounce and leap greatly, make known even those in Haydes what a Grace you have received. Because that peace which was yours to enjoy in times past, and which God has deprived you of in course of battles, receive it once more from the hand of an Angel…oh, the City of Seven Hills the dominion will be yours. (Tzima Otto, pp. 82-83)
Saint Nelios the Myrrh-Gusher (died 1592): During that time the Eighth and last Ecumenical Synod will take place, which will satisfy the contentions of the heretics…(Tzima Otto, H. The Great Monarch and WWIII in Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Scriptural Prophecies. Verenikia Press, Rock Hill (SC), 2000, p. 111).
Helen Tzima Otto (20th century): We have been told time and time again through the prophets that the Great Monarch and Papa Angelorum…will convene the 8th Ecumenical Council, which will reunify all Christians…The Emperor will spend three years waging wars against the non-Christian nations…{later will be} the end time schism of the Roman Catholic Church of the End Times and the rise of an antipope. (Tzima Otto, pp. xxv, 103, 122)
Here is something about Constantine from The Catholic Encyclopedia:
Constantine the Great… Constantine can rightfully claim the title of Great, for he turned the history of the world into a new course and made Christianity, which until then had suffered bloody persecution, the religion of the State. It is true that the deeper reasons for this change are to be found in the religious movement of the time, but these reasons were hardly imperative (Herbermann C., Georg Gp. Constantine the Great. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908).
Constantine had an interfaith agenda and ending up combining Mithraism with a profession of Christianity (see also Do You Practice Mithraism?)–he used a council to get some of that accomplished and state pressure for other aspects of his interfaith/political unity project. He started off by encouraging soldiers to put crosses (see also What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol?) on their shields and fight–these soldiers were NOT Christian (see also Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare or Encourage Violence?). After winning the battle of Milvian Bridge and improperly claiming he saw Jesus, he then (combined with political and economic pressure) was able to get the Greco-Roman faiths to accept his views of participation in carnal warfare. Constantine is considered “great” for his compromising and blending of religions.
Now, a Catholic source is referring to the Patriarch of Constantinople (the city named after Constantine) as “great.” Bartholomew was instrumental in getting many leaders in the Eastern Orthodox to look favorably upon ecumenical unity with Rome.
In September 2009, the Eastern Orthodox held a significant pan-Orthodox conference; working towards unity was one of the objectives (World Council of Churches Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Consultation Towards the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) Leros, Greece. 15-22 September 2009). Notice also the following:
1. Responding to the invitation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) to offer a theological contribution to the process leading to the 2011 International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) in Kingston, Jamaica, an Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Consultation was held in the island of Leros, Greece, 15-22 September 2009.
2. The gathering was graciously hosted, on behalf of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, by H.E. Metropolitan Paisios of Leros, Kalymnos and Astypalaia, in the Dodecanese islands, Greece.
3. The meeting brought together twenty-five participants from nearly all Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches, hierarchs, priests, members of monastic communities, university professors, lay persons male and female, and WCC staff. (World Council of Churches. Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Consultation Towards the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) Leros, Greece. 15-22 September 2009. 09/22/09 https://www.patriarchate.org/world-council-of-churches/-/asset_publisher/jSr7xbXp3kBW/content/world-council-of-churches-inter-orthodox-preparatory-consultation-towards-the-international-ecumenical-peace-convocation-iepc-leros-greece-15-22-septe)
By itself, the meeting does not seem like too much, but it was partially in response to the World Council of Churches and later Orthodox developments have demonstrated that it might have been quite important.
After that meeting. 0n October 15, 2009, the Vatican’s then top ecumenical official reported:
The official dialogue between the Catholic Church and the mainline Protestant Churches — Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed and Methodist — is entering a new phase, says the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Cardinal Walter Kasper pointed this out Thursday during a press conference at the Vatican…(Cardinal Kasper on 40 Years of Dialogue Says Catholic-Protestant Relations Entering New Phase. Zenit, October 16, 2009)
Notice this was called “a new phase” in the official dialogue, suggesting that major changes were occurring. On the next day, the Vatican and the Orthodox began a new round of ecumenical negotiations.
The eleventh meeting of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church took place in Paphos, Cyprus, a city with a rich history, having received three Apostles, Paul, Barnabas and Mark. The meeting took place from 16-23 October 2009…The Orthodox meeting discussed among other things the negative reactions to the Dialogue by certain Orthodox circles, and unanimously considered them as totally unfounded and unacceptable, providing false and misleading information. (Comminique. JOINT INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE ORTHODOX CHURCH. 11TH PLENARY SESSION.Paphos, Cyprus, 16-23 October 2009. Paphos, Cyprus, 22 October 2009. http://www.ec-patr.org/docdisplay.php?lang=en&id=1124&tla=en).
The International Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church has progressed in its reflection on the role of the bishop of Rome. The meeting was attended by 20 Catholic members; all Orthodox Churches were represented, with the exception of the Patriarchate of Bulgaria. The commission worked under the guidance of two co-presidents: the Catholic representative was Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; and the Orthodox representative was Metropolitan Ioannis Zizioulas of Pergamum. (Orthodox-Catholic Commission Studies Primacy of Peter Concludes 11th Plenary Session in Paphos. Zenit, October 23, 2009)
Because of these actions, I have speculated that the ‘beginning of sorrows’ that Jesus spoke of (Matthew 24:4-8) may have actually began on or near September 19, 2016–during the WCC and Eastern Orthodox meeting. The actions of Patriarch Bartholomew may have triggered this.
But this unity will not turn out great for the world according to biblical prophecies:
1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day — death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (Revelation 18:1-9)
A video sermon is also available about this: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming? Patriarch Bartholomew is working towards the formation of this. Despite biblical and other warnings, Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew, various Protestant, Jewish, and Hindu leaders and certain others seem determined to help fulfill prophecies that warn against what they are trying to do (watch also Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?).
Those who truly believe the Bible will have no part of it. It is not ‘great’ to promote this. This ‘Babylonian unity’ will end in disaster.
Some items of related interest may include:
Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! and World Council of Churches Peace Plan.
What Was the Original Apostles’ Creed? What is the Nicene Creed? Did the original apostles write a creed? When was the first creed written? Are the creeds commonly used by the Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholics original?
Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare or Encourage Violence? Here are current and historical perspectives on a matter which show the beliefs of the true church on military participation. Is war proper for Christians? A related sermon would be: Christians, Violence, and Military Service.
What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol? Was the cross used as a venerated symbol by the early Church? A related YouTube video would be Origin of the Cross.
Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus? Will the final “Anti-Christ” be Jewish, insist on Saturday, be opposed to the trinity, and bring in the millennium? Certain Catholic writings indicate this, while others take a different view, but what does the Bible show? A related sermon is Will Jesus Christ be called the Antichrist?
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video sermon of related interest is: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? and a video sermon is also available: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against as well as require improper compromise.
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? A related video would be United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
Laudato Si: Pope’s Agenda or Kingdom of God? Pope Francis’ 2nd encyclical is titled ‘Laudato Si.’ In it, he goes over his views related to environmental, economic, social, moral, agricultural, and spiritual issues. He advocates international cooperation to solve various problems he believes are affecting humanity. Is that Pope’s agenda the solution? What about the Kingdom of God? does the Bible teach? Two related articles include Laudato Si: Will Pope Francis’ economic actions match his words? and Laudato Si: A call for a one-world government?
India and the Beast of Revelation 13 Do biblical, Catholic, and even Hindu prophecies suggest that many in India will follow, for a while, the Beast and False Prophet/Antichrist? Here is link to a related YouTube video Will People in India Worship the Beast of Revelation 13?
Could Pope Francis be the Last Pope and Antichrist? According to some interpretations of the prophecies of the popes by the Catholic saint and Bishop Malachy, Pope Francis I is in the position of “Peter the Roman,” the pontiff who reigns during tribulations until around the time of the destruction of Rome. Do biblical prophecies warn of someone that sounds like Peter the Roman? Could Francis I be the heretical antipope of Catholic private prophecies and the final Antichrist of Bible prophecy? This is a YouTube video.
Sola Scriptura or Prima Luther? What Did Martin Luther Really Believe About the Bible? Though he is known for his public sola Scriptura teaching, did Martin Luther’s writings about the Bible suggest he felt that prima Luther was his ultimate authority? Statements from him changing and/or discounting 18 books of the Bible are included. Do you really want to know the truth?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
The Malachy Prophecies and “Peter the Roman” An Irish bishop allegedly predicted something about 112 popes in the 12th century. Pope Benedict XVI was number 111. Francis would seem to be number 112–if he is that one–and if so, he is to reign until Rome is destroyed. May he be an antipope/final Antichrist?
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