Rome, 25 Oct. (AKI) - Five Christian clerics from Italy's top Islamic studies institute have praised the 29-page letter to the Pope issued earlier this month by 138 scholars from every sect of Islam that warned the "survival of the world" is at stake if Muslims and Christians do not make peace.
"We are convinced of the good faith of those who produced it," wrote Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, rector of the Rome-based Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI) in letter that was also signed by PISAI's dean of studies Etienne Renaud, and PISAI professors Michel Lagarde, Valentino Cottini and Felix Phiri.
"We were impressed by the broad scope of this text. Its breadth at the level of the signatories...Muslim personalities from numerous countries of every continent...there was breadth also at the level of the addressees."
The letter issued on 11 Oct. by the Muslim scholars from all over the world was addressed to 28 leaders of different Christian churches, including the head of the Catholic church, Pope Benedict XVI.
"The authors of the letter do not seek refuge in a convenient one-sided protest on behalf of the umma [community of Muslims], but on the contrary, place themselves as partners within humanity," commented the five Christian clerics in their letter.
"The broad sweep of its perspectives is also a noteworthy feature of the text," they said.
They also praised "evidence of deep respect and genuine attentiveness to others," and "a true scientific spirit."
"In this respect, also, we note the emergence of a new attitude," the clerics said.
Their letter is the first response by Christian clerics in Italy to the Muslim religious leaders' 11 Oct. letter. The Vatican has not so far issued an official response.
A letter to the Pope from 38 top Muslim clerics in various countries issued in October 2006 accepted the pontiff's expressions of regret for a controversial speech on Islam he gave the previous month in Regensburg, Germany.
But the October 2006 letter also points out "errors" and "mistakes" in the Pope's speech, which angered Muslims by linking Islam and violence and questioned the concept of holy war or 'Jihad'.
The Pope did not apologise for his Regensburg address, but said he regretted the offence it had caused among Muslims.
PEACE AND SAFETY
Love not the World
WCC and Pentecostals continue ecumenical dialogue in Switzerland
A second round of dialogue between World Council of Churches (WCC) members and Pentecostals was inaugurated last week in Baar, Switzerland.
Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2007, 8:08 (BST)
Font Scale:A A A
A second round of dialogue between World Council of Churches (WCC) members and Pentecostals was inaugurated last week in Baar, Switzerland.
A group of seventeen Protestant, Orthodox and Pentecostal Christians met to re-launch the work begun by the first Joint Consultative Group between the WCC and Pentecostals from 2000 to 2005.
In reflecting on the importance of the meeting, Cecil M. Robeck Jr., professor of church history and ecumenics at Fuller Theological Seminary, who returns as the Pentecostal co-moderator of the group, said “this meeting has given us a very good start on the next five years of our work together”.
Jennifer S. Leath, African Methodist Episcopal Church (USA), who serves as the WCC co-moderator of the group, said she hopes that it will “continue to grow in mutual understanding and will not shy away from difficult questions or challenges for unity”.
After several years of dialogue with Pentecostals from around the world, the first Joint Consultative Group between the WCC and Pentecostals was established by the Harare Assembly in 1998.
The report of the first group was received in 2006 by the Porto Alegre Assembly, which recommended its continuation as an important platform for developing deeper understanding and opportunities for dialogue. Some of the members of the first group were re-confirmed by their churches to serve again, helping to ensure a measure of continuity in the conversation.
The group also took time to reconstruct the story of the dialogue that developed between 2000 and 2005. They also set an agenda for their work in the years to come.
Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Finnish Pentecostal Mission, presented an overview of Pentecostal bilateral dialogues with the Roman Catholic Church, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and conversations with the Lutheran World Federation. He stressed how this work has “laid the foundation for continuing Pentecostal involvement in the struggle for the unity of the Church of Christ”.
Harold D. Hunter, International Pentecostal Holiness Church, led a conversation on the “ecclesial gift of charisms”.
Marina Kolovopoulou, Church of Greece, and Cephas Omenyo, Presbyterian Church of Ghana, led a conversation on the “ecclesial gift of sacraments”. Both topics had been recommended for further discussion by the first group.
The group set for its agenda continued theological dialogue on the nature of the church, beginning in 2008 with a study of the marks of the church – Oneness, Holiness, Catholicity and Apostolicity. As the conversation progresses, the group will continue in 2009 with discussion on the nature of mission.
In Baar, the group was hosted at the Focolare Centre and enjoyed an evening of fellowship and culture with the community there. Group members worshipped with local Reformed, Free Evangelical and Syrian Orthodox churches.
The group will meet again in October 2008.
More on Peace and Safety - Peace talks in Armageddon
Top officials from the World Jewish Congress were meeting Monday with Pope Benedict XVI to stress their desire to continue Jewish-Catholic collaboration despite recent internal feuding at the group.
Billionaire and WJC president Ronald Lauder and the group's new secretary general, Michael Schneider, were meeting with Benedict and the Vatican's official in charge of relations with Jews, Cardinal Walter Kasper.
At a dinner Sunday attended by Kasper and several Vatican cardinals, Schneider acknowledged that relations with the Vatican had been "unfortunately put in abeyance" because of a management shakeup at the organization.
But he said the group wanted "to continue the long relationship between us and the Roman Catholic Church," now that a new leadership was in place.
Jesus is coming soon!
The Bible and the mark of the beast in society
When do you think Jesus will return?
- 10,000 years from now?
- 1000 years from now?
- 100 years from now?
- 10 years from now?
- 5 years from now?
- 3 years from now?
- 1 year from now?
- next month?
- next week?
- tomorrow?
When?
The answer is:
When it is finish.
When all is fulfilled.
SOON!
2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since, the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Most people today are convinced by a trendy theory that the return of Christ is way out in the future - its not. That no one not even the angels in heaven knows the "actual" day nor hour. The "actual" day and hour is not known by the angels but, God gives us a day for every year in Prophecy. This is an equivalent formula for understanding Prophecy (found in Ezekiel 4:6) "And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year."
The great day of God Almighty is " the great year of God Almighty". You and, the angels in heaven can know the year and still not the "actual" day and hour.
1Thessalonians 5:4 "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."
Anti - Means Opposite
Anti - Christ means Opposite of Christ or anti-believers in Christ these are people in the world today who believe in other than Christ.
Who makes war with the Lamb but the Lamb overcomes them, for He is Lord of Lords King of Kings and the ones who follow Him are faithful and true.
These anti-Jesus believers destroy the beast that has the wound by the sword and did live because God puts it in there heart to agree with the beast for one hour (or in prophecy table - one day).
These shall burn her (that great city) with fire and, eat of her flesh (kill the people therein.)
The "mark" of the beast is not the number of his(the man identifying this place and time the events of Revelation 13 the names of his kingdom total(six hundred threescore and six.)
The "mark" is the mark of membership.
Water baptism into this membership "marks" its followers (the beast that ascended up from the bottomless pit.)
The mark is found on the right hand and, on the forehead.
The mark in the forehead is given at birth or as an adult.
The mark in the right hand is a proclamation of those following the beast whithsoeverth he goeth (an ID).
The Dragon gave the beast its power.
The dragon is "ROME".
The Beast is "The Roman Catholic Church"
The "Mark" is the sign of the cross given at birth on the forehead and Performed with the right hand from forehead to sternum - shoulder to shoulder making the sign of the cross that identifies the performer of what he/she believes and who he/ she follows.
Jesus tells those who are of the Catholic beast or that follow any of her teachings to come out of her before He pours out His wrath of judgment on the beast.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers, of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
So if you are Catholic or believe in part their self invented doctrines fear God not the Pope and just get out NOW.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints:here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
