--Pay close attention to the article below, they thank Saint Nicholas (St. Nick aka Santa Claus) for Ecumenicalism.....
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child;
1 Thessalonians 5:3 (BTW-notice our text for this post includes a line about childbirth, and since they are putting the peace of Ecumenism in the context of "Christmas" albeit via Santa, how fitting a text with a reference to childbirth)
"Yes, there really is a Saint Nicholas. He was a fourth-century bishop in Myra, in Asia Minor. And he really was famous for his gift giving and his concern for the poor and for children. His feast day is today, Dec. 6.
In the Middle Ages, some enterprising citizens of the Italian city of Bari stole his remains and built a cathedral in his honor in Bari. Because of the importance of Saint Nicholas to both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church, the cathedral is one of the few places in the world where Catholic and Orthodox minister under the same roof. Pilgrims of both denominations are welcome there.
When the charismatic renewal swept through the Catholic Church, one of the leaders in Bari, Matteo Calisi, wondered if the tolerance expressed at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral could grow into real reconciliation. He and Italian evangelical pastor Giovanni Traettino reached across the divide and began a movement which has brought Catholics and Protestants together throughout Italy. Over the years, the reconciliation movement has reached out from Bari to Protestants in North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. In addition, the Orthodox and Messianic Jewish churches have also become involved.
One of Calisi's major impacts was in Buenos Aires, where Cardinal Bergoglio opened the Catholic Church there to reconciliation with the Protestant leaders. We now know Cardinal Bergoglio as Pope Francis, and he has continued his historic outreach to other Christian traditions. In 2014, the pope sent a historic video to Kenneth Copeland at a pastor's meeting. Since then, many church leaders have met with the pope to heal the divisions between Christians.
The reconciliation movement born in Bari seeks to bring Christians into genuine unity in our diversity........ the reconciliation movement which was started in the spirit of Saint Nicholas." Charisma
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child;
1 Thessalonians 5:3 (BTW-notice our text for this post includes a line about childbirth, and since they are putting the peace of Ecumenism in the context of "Christmas" albeit via Santa, how fitting a text with a reference to childbirth)
"Yes, there really is a Saint Nicholas. He was a fourth-century bishop in Myra, in Asia Minor. And he really was famous for his gift giving and his concern for the poor and for children. His feast day is today, Dec. 6.
In the Middle Ages, some enterprising citizens of the Italian city of Bari stole his remains and built a cathedral in his honor in Bari. Because of the importance of Saint Nicholas to both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church, the cathedral is one of the few places in the world where Catholic and Orthodox minister under the same roof. Pilgrims of both denominations are welcome there.
When the charismatic renewal swept through the Catholic Church, one of the leaders in Bari, Matteo Calisi, wondered if the tolerance expressed at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral could grow into real reconciliation. He and Italian evangelical pastor Giovanni Traettino reached across the divide and began a movement which has brought Catholics and Protestants together throughout Italy. Over the years, the reconciliation movement has reached out from Bari to Protestants in North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. In addition, the Orthodox and Messianic Jewish churches have also become involved.
One of Calisi's major impacts was in Buenos Aires, where Cardinal Bergoglio opened the Catholic Church there to reconciliation with the Protestant leaders. We now know Cardinal Bergoglio as Pope Francis, and he has continued his historic outreach to other Christian traditions. In 2014, the pope sent a historic video to Kenneth Copeland at a pastor's meeting. Since then, many church leaders have met with the pope to heal the divisions between Christians.The reconciliation movement born in Bari seeks to bring Christians into genuine unity in our diversity........ the reconciliation movement which was started in the spirit of Saint Nicholas." Charisma