Press release
Adventists in Italy Sign a Peace Agreement with Catholics and Orthodox to Be One During a Eucharistic Ecumenical Encounter
A local secular newspaper in Italy also reported on this ecumenical encounter and said that the leaders of five churches-Roman Catholic, Ukrainian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, and Seventh-day Adventist-had signed a "unity of purpose" document to "counteract" the forces of "division" and to take "concrete" steps towards "peace." [2]
The Saint Maria Goretti Catholic Church provided the program information for the ecumenical event which says:
• Week of prayer for Christian unity 18 - 25 January 2024
• Ecumenical Prayer Encounter
• Catholic Church
• Romanian Greek Catholic Parish
• Ukrainian Greek Catholic Parish
• Romanian Orthodox Parish
• Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Celebration of the Divine Liturgy of the Romanian Orthodox Church
• Eucharistic Liturgy of the Catholic Church in the Cathedral of Cesena
• Worship Service of the Adventist Christian Church
• Celebration of the Divine Liturgy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
• Celebration of the Divine Liturgy of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church
• Notice of the End of the Celebration
• From January 18th to 25th is the week of prayer for Christian unity which this year has the title "You will love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself."
• The Christian communities of the area are organizing an ecumenical prayer meeting which will be held on Friday 19 January at 6pm at the Lugaresi church (via Lugaresi 202 Cesena Ponte Vecchio area) and we will be hosted by the Romanian Orthodox community.
• Bishop Douglas of the Catholic Church, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest, the Romanian Greek Catholic priest, the Romanian Orthodox priest, and an elder from the Seventh-day Adventist community replacing Pastor Robero Ianno.
• The cheerful moment will follow, which will help us deepen the fraternal relationship between us. You are all invited to this important event which responds to the prayer made by Jesus to his disciples.
• "That they are one so that the world may see." "That they are one so that the world may believe."
• Now more than ever we want to accept Jesus' invitation to remain united in his love. [3]
The most tragic part about these current ecumenical trends is that it is not just one local Adventist church that is doing this. Hope Media Italia, the official media of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Italy, reported that there were many "initiatives planned in Italy" to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and that many "Adventist churches also participated" in them with Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants. [4]
This is creating an identity crisis in Adventism, and many have lost sight of what we are supposed to be doing at this critical time in earth's history. This ecumenical celebration highlighted all the different "divine" liturgies of the differing churches, including Rome's Eucharist celebration. It is Pope Francis who is calling on all the churches to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This event aimed to deepen the relationship of the churches with each other in order to create a more visible unity. Not only are Seventh-day Adventists heeding the Pope's call to deepen their relationships with other faiths, but many are also embracing their Eucharistic ceremonies. These ecumenical exercises are not about embracing the word of God, experiencing repentance, or emphasizing conversion or holiness; no, the ecumenical movement is about participating in Catholic liturgies and sacraments that unite us with Rome.
Our Protestant, historical school of prophetic interpretation established by the founders of the Reformation identified the Papacy as the "beast," the "little horn," and the "antichrist." These same prophetic truths are enshrined in the Three Angels' Messages of Revelation 14:6-12. Do you know who Babylon is? Do you know who the beast is? Do you know what the mark of the beast is? Do you know how to avoid them? These are God's themes. These are the true messages that will bring Christian unity. As far as Seventh-day Adventists are concerned, or at least they should be, our strength lies in our faithfulness to teach and practice these messages. "Come out of her (Rome) my people," so that we can give a faithful witness to the truth of the Gospel (Revelation 18:1-5).
It is foolish and naïve to think that a deeper unity with Rome is even possible without any compromise. What do you think is happening to our distinct Protestant school of prophetic interpretation as we work together with Rome to fulfill its mission of creating a common witness? It becomes abandoned. What happens to the Three Angels' Messages? Leaders who are misled are putting them in jeopardy.
What about our world-wide commission? What about our solemn duty? What about what God commanded us to do? What about the messages that we are supposed to be proclaiming? Why can't church leaders today see that we have a theological and prophetic understanding that would make it impossible to work towards unity with Rome? Unity with Rome does not help us fulfill our mission of proclaiming the gospel in the context of Revelation 14 and 18, it hinders it.
"Satan has carried his first great work of deception down through all the ages, and will until the close of time. In antichrist, he has a living agent. When the Christian world shall make void the law of God when church and state are united, when Protestantism shall reach its hands across the gulf to unite with Romanism, allegiance to the law of God will be fully thrown off and the decree will go forth against the people of God. But when men trample on the plainest requirements of God's word, the prayer will go up to heaven, 'It is time for thee, Lord to work; for they have made void thy law.' [Psalm 119:126.] And God will work. Satan will then inspire men, and even professedly Christian men who refused to receive the love of the truth, to accuse and slander those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus" (Manuscript, 104, 1893).
Sources
[1] https://www.corrierecesenate.it/Diocesi/In-diocesi-la-Settimana-di-preghiera-per-l-unita-dei-cristiani
[2] https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/cesena/cronaca/chiese-cristiane-appello-comune-per-la-pace-74689839
[3] https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0uWQDxL1mHB3ATqnh4AbH9xDBuRGRcHUYsec9MduMVjDoPLozMYtA3SDpvSssvEPCl&id=100068499716088
[4] https://hopemedia.it/ama-il-signore-e-il-tuo-prossimo/
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