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While most of Pope Francis’ international trips have had massive crowds, it did not turn out that way today in the nation of Georgia:

October 1, 2016

Pope Francis on Saturday said Mass for unusually small crowd of just a few thousand Catholics in Georgia, a celebration that was further dampened when a delegation from the Orthodox Church stayed away.

Ex-Soviet Georgia is overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian and less than 1 percent of the population is Catholic, according to government figures.

Still, organizers were hoping for a much bigger turnout than the some 3,000 people who came to the Mass at a stadium in the capital that has a capacity of 25,000.

It was one of the smallest crowds ever seen at an outdoor papal Mass on Francis’ 16 foreign trips so far.

In another setback, a delegation representing the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, that the Vatican had expected to come to the worship service, did not show up.

Two days before the pope arrived, Ilia issued a statement saying Orthodox could not attend Catholic Masses because of doctrinal differences dating back to the 1054 schism that divided Christianity into eastern and western branches.

The Vatican, however, had been hoping the Orthodox would still attend. In fact, the pope’s prepared words for the end of the Mass had him thanking the representatives.

After the Orthodox stayed away, Francis changed his text when he read it to thank “Orthodox faithful” who were there. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-georgia-idUSKCN12134V

1 October 2016

Barely 3,000 people braved brilliant sunshine Saturday on a beautiful autumn day to attend a Mass held in the former Soviet republic’s 27,000-capacity sports arena in a snub that highlights ongoing divisions between the Catholic and Georgian Orthodox churches.

The snub was unexpected. …

Meanwhile, some hardline Orthodox protesters gathered in the city to criticize the Papal visit. Signs read: “The Vatican is a spiritual aggressor,” and “Death of papism.” http://www.dw.com/en/popes-mass-snubbed-in-orthodox-georgia/a-35938320

As the photograph at the beginning shows, protesters called Pope Francis an Arch-heretic. Presumably this means that they consider him one of the more powerful heretics, or perhaps even the top heretic, in the world. As perhaps the top human leader of the ecumenical and interfaith agenda, Pope Francis seems to fit that description.

Pope Francis called for ecumenical cooperation and called attempts to proselytize the Eastern Orthodox a sin:

1 October 2016

Francis reflected in his homily on a passage in Matthew’s Gospel  … “The Gospel shows us how great wonders are accomplished with small things,” Francis said: “With a few loaves and two fishes, with a tiny mustard seed, with a grain of wheat that dies in the earth, with the gift of just a single glass of water, with the two coins of a poor widow, with the humility of Mary, the servant of the Lord.”

Several other Georgian faith communities sent delegations to Saturday’s Mass. But while the Vatican had said earlier that representatives of the Georgian Orthodox would attend, no such representatives were sent.

A Sept. 28 statement from the Orthodox patriarchate said they were not going to participate because of “existing dogmatic differences” between the Orthodox and Catholic communities.

In response to the Orthodox’s choice to not attend, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Saturday: “We accept their decision.”

Later in a visit with Georgian Catholics at a Tbilisi parish on Saturday afternoon, Francis told them they must not seek to convert members of the Georgian Orthodox community.

“There is a big sin against ecumenism: proselytism,” said the pontiff. “You must never proselytize the Orthodox. They are our brothers and sisters, disciples of Jesus Christ.”

“Walk together, pray for each other, and do works of charity together when you can,” the pope encouraged. “This is ecumenism. Do not condemn a brother or sister.” https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/francis-reminds-georgias-catholic-minority-great-wonders-god-works-small-things

It is NOT a sin to attempt to show people who claim Jesus, errors that they have.

Since Pope Francis considers the Orthodox as brethren and presumably believes the teachings of his own church (though some doubt that, e.g. watch Anti-Pope Francis?), then instead of teaching what he did, he would heed the following from the Apostle Paul:

1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1).

Paul did not write to accept what is considered to be spiritual error. That being said, both the Church of Rome (see Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God?) and Eastern Orthodox (see Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God), sadly hold onto to doctrinal positions that are in conflict with the Holy Bible.

While many Eastern Orthodox leaders want a type of reunification with the Church of Rome, there are those who bitterly oppose it.

Notice something two Greek Orthodox bishops sent to Pope Francis a while back:

To His Excellency, Francis,
Head of State of the Vatican City
Vatican City, Rome

Your Excellency,

With due respect and sincere love, we send you this Episcopal letter, the purpose of which doesn’t come from any selfish motive, but from pure, sincere and selfless Christian love, from Christian duty, from an essential commandment of our Savior Christ, Who “desires all men to be saved and to come to a full knowledge of the truth,” and finally from a warm and ardent desire for your salvation. Because of this we feel it to be our holy and mandatory duty, as the least of the members of the All-holy and All-pure Body of Christ, and especially as Orthodox Bishops, who belong as such to the Holy Synod of the Holy Autocephalous Church of Greece, which is our highest ecclesiastical authority, as to the whole and Undivided One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church, to endeavor with all our might to restore you to the Mother Orthodox Catholic Church, from which you left and from which you were cut off, a work which we hope, the Uncreated Divine Grace of the Lord cooperating, shall be achieved…

From the outset we must clarify that we Orthodox, not taking part in the politically correct spirit of western and especially ecumenist “Christianity,” do not refer to those religious communities who have, sadly, been separated from the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church as “Churches.” But, following the example of our Holy Fathers throughout the ages, refer to them as heretics, and you, Your Excellency, and your followers, we denominate as “Papists” and your heresy as “Papism.”…

We unceasingly pray that our Lord Jesus Christ gather together the deluded “Pope” and his followers, through repentance and the renunciation of your delusion and heresy, into the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, Orthodox Church and to assume as an Orthodox Pope, according to seniority of honor of the Pentarchy and in agreement with the Divine and Holy Canons, the Chairmanship of honor of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches as “primus inter pares.” …

We, the Orthodox, desire union and pray unceasingly “for the unity of all (people)” – a unity in our Holy Church in truth. We do not pray for the unity of false churches who will not forsake their various heresies, of some “God-sent” unity in the diversity of false doctrines. You, the Papists, in essence, hinder this unity. We Orthodox are unifiers par excellence, whereas you, the Papists, are separators. If you do not repent here in this present life, you will repent in Hades, where, however, there “is no repentance”!…

There can exist no form of compromise between Orthodoxy and Papism, neither with its older nor its modern spirit, nor with its idolatry…

With respect,

+ Andrew of Dryinoupolis, Pogoniani and Konitsa

+ Seraphim of Piraeus and Faliro

(Letter to Francis. HOLY AUTOCEPHALOUS ORTHODOX CATHOLIC CHURCH OF GREECE. April 10, 2014. http://cdn.romfea.gr/images/stories/photos/2014/4/romfea1/spiti/Epistle%20to%20Pope%20Francis%20I.pdf viewed 04/20/2014)

It perhaps should be pointed out that the Orthodox, who generally make less pronouncements than the Vatican tends to, condemned the papacy as a major heresy in 1848:

” 2. Hence have arisen manifold and monstrous heresies which the Catholic Church, even from her infancy, has been forced to combat with the panoply of God, and ‘ the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,’ and has triumphed over all unto this day, and will triumph to the end, ever shining forth brighter and stronger after the struggle.

” 3. Of these heresies some have altogether perished, some are in their decline, but others nourish more or less, until the time of their overthrow, when, being struck with the lightning of the anathema of of the seven (Ecumenical Synods, they become extinct, even though they last for a thousand years; for the orthodoxy of the Catholic Apostolic Church, as inspired by the living Word of God, alone endures for ever, according to the infallible promise of our Lord…—Matt, xviii. 18.

” 4. Of these heresies widely-diffused was formerly Arianism, and now is the Papacy, which, though still flourishing, shall, like the former, pass away and be cast down, and a great voice from Heaven shall cry, ‘ It is cast down.’—Rev. xii. 10…

” 10. Every one of our brethren and children in Christ clearly perceives that the words of the present Bishop of Rome, like those of his anti-synodical predecessors, are not words of peace and compassion, as he says, but of deceit and quibbling, tending to self-aggrandisement; but the orthodox will not be beguiled therewith, for the Word of the Lord is sure—’ A stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers.’

(Encyclical Letter of the Eastern Orthodox, 1848. As cited in The Benares magazine, No. 31, 1851. W.H. Haycock, 1851. Original from Oxford University Digitized, Nov 24, 2006, pp. 370-371,373)

The above is a strong condemnation. Especially if you consider that “Rev. xii. 10” teaches about the “accuser of the brethren”–a reference to Satan in verse 9–being cast down. Thus, the Orthodox officially seem to have condemned the papacy as Satan the devil in the 19th century.

Despite the opposition from various Greek, Georgian, and also Russian Orthodox leaders, I expect at least a temporal unity with them and the Church of Rome.

While in Turkey in 2008, I was told by a representative of Bartholomew, the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, when visiting his offices, that the Vatican made it clear that it WOULD COMPROMISE and accept pretty much all the doctrinal differences that remain between the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholics as long as the Orthodox would accept some version of papism. This may be one reason that Pope Francis downplayed the primacy of the papal role when he first became pope and contacted people like Patriarch Bartholomew. Pope Francis wants to make the papal role outwardly less disturbing so that the Orthodox will go along.

However, biblically, it will take signs and lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11) to win enough of them over, but that will happen (see also Revelation 13:11-18).

As I have mentioned in the past, there are Roman Catholic as well as Eastern Orthodox writings/predictions that the Church of Rome will change and accept more Eastern Orthodox doctrines. Notice two from Roman Catholic sources:

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. … 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).

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).

Notice that the “remarkable Pope” is expected to work “prodigies”–supernatural signs and wonders–and that will be a factor in the ultimate unity. That is consistent with the following biblical prophecy:

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Despite the misgivings of many Orthodox, this will work for most of them, at least for a time. The Antichrist will accompany the “Lawless one” and perform signs and lying wonders (cf. Revelation 13:11-18).

Even Orthodox writings tell of a time of reunification with Rome. 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).

So, for nearly 1000 years, the Eastern Orthodox have expected Rome (called the “Latins” in the Anonymou Prophecy of 1053–Roman Catholic writings tend to call the Eastern Orthodox the “Greeks”) to compromise on their doctrinal differences.

Here are some comments by Eastern 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 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. Note: The Eastern Orthodox are NOT “error-free” (for details, check out the article Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God).

Since the Vatican, when Pope Benedict XVI was in office, told the Orthodox that Rome would compromise on doctrinal differences, this plays in with long held views within the Eastern Orthodox world.

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)

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This entry was posted on Saturday, October 1st, 2016 at 7:40 am and is filed under Religious News.

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