Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Article: 3 Years New World Order's SATANIC Global Church Failure of A Papal Ecumenical VADEMECUM Released on December 4th, 2020; Under Global Victorious True 144000 Biblical 7th Day Adventists' Loud Cry for The Biblical 3rd Angel' s Message From February 7th, 2021 till the Final Worldwide Close of Probation on February 7th, 2024 to be followed by Fall of Pope Francis' New World Order Leadership during the 5th, 6th and 7th Last Plagues from February 16th, 2024 till 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ on October 15th, 2024 at 1:59' a.m. Repent-Remember The 7th Day Sabbath To Keep It Holy.


Added Notice:


Here is a Very important Urgently Announcement to Spread on all Social Media Platforms Worldwide to Save Souls from New World Order 7 Last Plagues of Almighty God Holy Father in Heaven From February 7th,2024 till 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ on October15th, 2024 at 1:59' a.m on the Sky(Repent,Repent,Repent,Remember Our Lord Jesus Christ's Kingdom Sabbath Day"The 7th Day Sabbath" To Keep It Holy.Then, Reject The 1st Day Sun-Day False Satanic worship and Rest day and COVID-19 Vaccines of Jesuit Gay Pope Francis' LaudatoSI'237=Common Good=Common Evil=Common Devil=Fallen Lucifer=Satan=Alien=Aliens):

Amazing Word Ministries videos were stopped by Satanic YouTube CEO but are fully being published and downloaded now from Bit Chute Limited Freely with better quality than those allowed on Satanic Pope Francis corrupted YouTube's Jesuits CEOs.Join Pastor Emmanuel Nougaisse now on Bit Chute On His 3rd Angel&4th Angel's Messages Freely Broadcasted on His Channel Amazing Word Ministries with full freedom of speech rights respected over there:Every Present Truth is beingng Spoken and uploaded on Bit Chute without any Bias/Satanic Jesuits Popery Corruption such as that of YouTube's [WARNING: COVD-19 VACCINE OPERATION WARP SPEED. GOVERNMENT DICTATE HOW TO WORSHIP. FEAR GOD NOT MEN]

CLIMATE EMERGENCY: POPE TIME TO CHANGE DIRECTION NOW. A SUNDAY SABBATH FOR THE EARTH. TROUBLOUS TIME
Subscribe and regularly follow Amazing Word Ministries official Speeches in full Freedom of Speech Channel.

The Roman Catholic Church has never been a Church of Almighty God since its creation, Added Notice:


Here is a Very important Urgently Announcement to Spread on all Social Media Platforms Worldwide to Save Souls from New World Order 7 Last Plagues of Almighty God Holy Father in Heaven From February 7th,2024 till 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ on October15th, 2024 at 1:59' a.m on the Sky(Repent,Repent,Repent,Remember Our Lord Jesus Christ's Kingdom Sabbath Day"The 7th Day Sabbath" To Keep It Holy.Then, Reject The 1st Day Sun-Day False Satanic worship and Rest day and COVID-19 Vaccines of Jesuit Gay Pope Francis' LaudatoSI'237=Common Good=Common Evil=Common Devil=Fallen Lucifer=Satan=Alien=Aliens):

Amazing Word Ministries videos were stopped by Satanic YouTube CEO but are fully being published and downloaded now from Bit Chute Limited Freely with better quality than those allowed on Satanic Pope Francis corrupted YouTube's Jesuits CEOs.Join Pastor Emmanuel Nougaisse now on Bit Chute On His 3rd Angel&4th Angel's Messages Freely Broadcasted on His Channel Amazing Word Ministries with full freedom of speech rights respected over there:Every Present Truth is beingng Spoken and uploaded on Bit Chute without any Bias/Satanic Jesuits Popery Corruption such as that of YouTube's [WARNING: COVD-19 VACCINE OPERATION WARP SPEED. GOVERNMENT DICTATE HOW TO WORSHIP. FEAR GOD NOT MEN]


based on the mixture of Ancient Roman Pagan Church Principals and with some principals those truths that were selected among other many true Principles of the early Christian 7th Day Sabbath Keeping Church of Apostles which was initiated by Jesus Christ Him Self as the Lord of 7th Day Sabbath.
From February 7th, 2021 adding a Time Times and Half of Time then comes the 1st greatest Anniversary of Satan's Sunday Rest and Worship by Law for 1700 Years since the year March 3rd, 321 to March 3rd, 2021.
From February 7th, 2021 is the Beginning of the Loud Cry Message of the 3rd Angel's Message to call all people on this world to dissociate themselves with the Satanic propanganda lies of Roman Catholic Church as was inserted in the 3 mathematical Sets to make the Intersection Set of the New World Order Leadership of Pope Francis and to identify those singleton elements who will resist the New World Order leadership, they will be the same individuals who  1st will never accept to be Vaccinated for COVID-19 Vaccine, 2nd will never comply for the Ecumenical Vademecum Satanic Life Style, 3rd Will Never Comply with the United Nations Climate Change Sunday Rest and Worship by Law and those are which the Biblical Prophecy termed 144000 true 7th Day Adventists from every corner of this World will be going home to home, house to house, individual to individual proclaiming the 3rd Angel's message with loud Cry to warn every human being on this planet during this New World order Period of 42 Months to never unite with its Satanic spiritual and Draconian Rules and Leadership From February 7th, 2021 till February 7th, 2024 to be able to survive the Last 7 Last Plagues from February 16th, 2024 till last 7th Last Plague on the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ on October 15th, 2024 at 1h59' a.m to save us from a Jesuit Satanic Gay Pope of Rome Whose is only existing now to exterminate the True 7th Day Adventists"True Protestants"from this World Over before the Year 2030 using 3 Set Strategic plans and feke peace messages in : 
1st) COVID-19 Vaccines Microchips , 
2nd) False spiritual ecummenical Vademecum life style among others so called Christians worldwide, 
3rd) Paris Climate Sunday Rest by Governmental Law.
Since February 7th, 2021: 
Time: 7Days,
Times: 14Days,
Half of time 3Days and 12 hours. Then comes the 1st Anniversary of 1700 Years of Sunday Rest and Worship by Law at 11h00' on March 3rd, 321.

Therefore, the Whole world is going to experience the 3 Years New World Order's SATANIC Global Church Failure of A Papal Ecumenical VADEMECUM Released on December 4th, 2020; Under Global Victorious True 144000 Biblical 7th Day Adventists' Loud Cry for The Biblical 3rd Angel' s Message From February 7th, 2021 till the Final Worldwide Close of Probation on February 7th, 2024 to be followed by Fall of Pope Francis' New World Order Leadership during the 5th, 6th and 7th Last Plagues from February 16th, 2024 till 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ on October 15th, 2024 at 1:59' a.m. Repent-Remember The 7th Day Sabbath To Keep It Holy.

Below are the false teachings of  the Satanic Vademecum' spiritual ecumenism and the 3 Satanic Tools to lead the whole world to Hell, people should never unite with Roman Catholic Church as they respect no Commandment of Almighty God, they don't Baptize in full water, Not keeping the 7th Day Sabbath Holy, Not having the Same Bible with other Christians, and much more:


1.This Article is a a feedback to the comments published on Monday ,December 7th, 2020 from  A lifestyle that is going to be introduced very soon from Next Year 2021 by the Roman Catholic Church to Initiate the Global Satanic Church where Pope Francis sent his bishops to bring the global communities under his  ecumenical Satanic priority of worshiping Daemons through dead people and deception of Sunday Rest and Worship which He has called A lifestyle , not a task, as published by the National Catholic Reporter[ Link: https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/lifestyle-not-task-vatican-reminds-bishops-ecumenical-priority

2.Speaking about that Ecumenical VEDEMECUM; Commentators said: "'Communicatio in sacris' (sharing in sacramental life) is therefore permitted for the care of souls within certain circumstances," the text said, "and when this is the case it is to be recognized as both desirable and commendable."  Koch, responding to a question, said the relationship between the sacraments and the full unity of the churches is the "basic" principle, meaning that in most cases eucharistic sharing will not be possible until the churches are fully united.  The Catholic Church, he said, does not see the sharing of the sacraments as "a step on the way," as some Christian communities do. However, "for one person, a single person, there can be an opportunity for sharing this grace in different cases" as long as the person meets the requirement of canon law, which says a non-Catholic must request the Eucharist of his or her own accord, "manifest Catholic faith" in the sacrament and be "properly disposed."

3. The beginning of the next Year in January and February till March 3rd, 2021 , the Roman Catholic Church will be in transitional Seasons of Advent to Lent season. However, From February 7th, 2021 Pope Francis must expect a 3 Years New World Order's SATANIC Global Church Failure of this SATANIC Papal Ecumenical VADEMECUM Released on December 4th, 2020 under Global Victorious True 144000 Biblical 7th Day Adventists' Laud Cry for The Biblical 3rd Angel' s Message From February 7th, 2021 till the Final Worldwide Close of Probation on February 7th, 2024 to be followed by Fall of New World Order Papal Leadership during the 5th and 6th Plagues of the Last 7 Plagues from February 16th, 2024 till 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ on October 15th, 2024 at 1:59' a.m. Remember The 7th Day Sabbath To Keep It Holy.

    1. COVID-19 VACCINE BILLIONAIRES. POPE INCLUSIVE CAPITALISM BABYLON MYSTERY OF INIQUITY VS JESUS MYSTER: Video from BITCHUTE CHANNEL of Amazing Word Ministries. uploaded last Sabbath on 12/12/2020.

    2. Adventist Conference Joins Pope SUNday Laudato Si Circles. Cleaning Park, Planting Trees On SABBATH

    3. 3 Apostate Powers Uniting. Church of Love or Hate? Man of Peace w/Mother of Peace. Satan Trembles

    4. Shaking Is Here! Cease Being Protestant to Unite w/Religions.Beware of WCLC. Revive The Dying Church

    5. PROPHECY: CAPITALISM Met CATHOLICISM Inclusive Economy SUNday SABBATH For The EARTH. Wine Of Babylon. . .

    6. Revelation 13:18 666 Number Of The Man Beast Prophecy Beast Mark. Bribing & False 3 Angel Messengers

    7. BILLBOARD Project: Worldwide Aggressive Evangelism The Great Controversy & National SUNday Law Books

    8. Walter Veith & Martin Smith - Trump, Q, WEF... Who Will Drain The World's Swamp? - What's Up Prof?41

    9. Exact Proof the Bible is Accurate Using Time Prophecy

    10. This Is Why They Wanted JOE BIDEN in Power (It's Part of the PLAN)

    11. The MASK of the BEAST | You Can't BUY or SELL Without It!

    12. PROPHETIC ALERT! Mark of the Beast, Climate Sunday, November 2021 Climate Conference

    13. Pope Solidarity Jubilee SABBATH For The Earth And 666 The Number Of The Beast. Jesus Is The Only Way

    14. Are Seventh-day Adventists a CULT? (THE BEAT by Allen Parr) My Response

    15. Allen Parr Is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG About the Sabbath & Salvation

    16. Incredible Mathematical Prophetic Proof of the Messiah!! - (70 x 7 = 490) Bible Prophecy Sermon

    17. Breaking: Is The Great Conjunction of 2020 An End Time Biblical Sign? - Astrology Exposed!

    18. Ted Wilson Faith In Nature Science The Solution. Pope 666 SUNday Encyclicals New Vision For Humanity

    19. Daniel's Ancient Symbolic Prophecy For Our Day!! ( Daniel 2 | Prophecy Sermon Series)

    20. Breaking Pope Prophecy Update: The Pope is Urging Everyone to PRAY FOR THE DEAD!! - We were warned!!

    21. Breaking Pope Prophecy Alert: Are Pope Francis & Joe Biden Joining Together to Change America?

    22. END TIME WARNING 2020: We Are Now Living in The 6th SEAL of REVELATION!! - Prophecy Explained!!

    23. GLOBAL COVID-19 PASSPORT. PREDICTIVE PROGRAMMING 33 WEEKS BEFORE. POPE INCLUSIVE CAPITALISM

    24. FOUR VOLUNTEERS WHO GOT PFIZER'S COVID-19 VACCINE DEVELOPED BELL'S PALSY. COMMON SUNDAY PASS

    25. SIX PEOPLE DIED AFTER TAKING COVID-19 VACCINES. FDA ADMITTED IT THEN SAID IT IS SAFE

    26. PRIEST DIES AFTER COVID VACCINE. CANADA NO FREEDOM TO MOVE AROUND. CORONAVIRUS MOTHER EARTH PUNISHME

    27. 666 IS IN THE COVID-19 VACCINE. POPE JOE BIDEN PARIS CLIMATE CHANGE SUNDAY LAW

    28. NOT WEARING MASK IS DOMESTIC TERRORISM. LOCKDOWN SUNDAY. PUBLIC EXECUTION FOR SHARING THE BIBLE

    29. CDC TO TRACK COVID-19 VAXX. $10,000 OR UP TO 10 YEARS IN JAIL FOR PEACHING AGAINST SODOMY

    30. $1,500 Bribe For Covid vaccine. Pope SOLIDARITY. SDA Conference Joins Laudato Si Circles

    31. POPE BUILD BACK BETTER 666. OBAMA, BUSH, CLINTON WILL TAKE THE COVID VACCINE ON TV TO BRIBE THE SHEE Video from Official BITCHUTE CHANNEL of Amazing Word Ministries

4. The 1st Great Sunday 1700 Anniversary to register Universal Sunday Rest and Worship by Law on March 3rd, 2021 , counted from March 3rd, 321 when The Ancient Roman Pagan Emperor Constantine The Great enacted by Force the Sunday Rest and Worship By Law in the Early Christian 7th Day Sabbath keeping Church of Rome: Walter Veith & Martin Smith - Trump, Q, WEF... Who Will Drain The World's Swamp? - What's Up Prof?41 [Bridge Crossing Jubilee going virtual in March ]






5. Full Text of Ecumenical Satanic VADEMECUM Plans released on December 4th, 2020 against Jesus Christ our Lord of the 7th Day Holy Sabbath aimed to make the whole world be accepting the Satanic Advent and Lent Seasons of the Satanic Sunday based Rest and Worship of the Satanic Roman Catholic Church's Spiritual ecumenism :

PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY 

THE BISHOP 

AND CHRISTIAN UNITY: AN ECUMENICAL  

VADEMECUM 


TYPIS POLYGLOTTIS VATICANIS 

MMXX

© 2020 – Amministrazione del Patrimonio 

della Sede Apostolica e Libreria Editrice Vaticana  – Città del Vaticano – All rights reserved 

International copyright handled by 

Libreria Editrice Vaticana 

00120 Città del Vaticano 

Tel. 06.698.81032 – Fax 06.698.84716 

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www.libreriaeditricevatican.va

CONTENTS 

Preface ............................................................................. i Abbreviations................................................................ iii Introduction ................................................................... 1 

PART 1 

The promotion of ecumenism within the 

Catholic Church ............................................................ 5 A. Ecumenical structures at the local and 

regional level ........................................................... 5 B. The ecumenical dimension of formation ................. 8 i) The formation of laity, seminarians 

and clergy....................................................... 10 ii) The use of media and diocesan websites ....... 11 

PART 2 

The Catholic Church in its relations with other Christians..................................................................... 13 A. Spiritual ecumenism .............................................. 14 B. The Dialogue of Love............................................ 21 C. The Dialogue of Truth ........................................... 23 D. The Dialogue of Life ............................................. 27 

i) Pastoral ecumenism ....................................... 28 ii) Practical ecumenism ...................................... 34 iii) Cultural ecumenism....................................... 37 

Conclusion.................................................................... 38 Catholic Documents on Ecumenism .......................... 40 Appendix ...................................................................... 41

Preface 

The ministry entrusted to the bishop is a service of unity  both within his diocese and of unity between the local  church and the universal church. That ministry therefore  has special significance in the search for the unity of all  Christ’s followers. The bishop’s responsibility for  promoting Christian unity is clearly affirmed in the Code  of Canon Law of the Latin Church among the tasks of his  pastoral office: “He is to act with humanity and charity  toward the brothers and sisters who are not in full  communion with the Catholic Church and is to foster  ecumenism as it is understood by the Church” (Can 383 §3  CIC 1983). In this respect, the bishop cannot consider the  promotion of the ecumenical cause as one more task in his  varied ministry, one that could and should be deferred in  view of other, apparently more important, priorities. The  bishop’s ecumenical engagement is not an optional  dimension of his ministry but a duty and obligation. This appears even more clearly in the Code of Canons of  Eastern Churches, containing a special section dedicated  to the ecumenical task, in which it is particularly  recommended that pastors of the Church “work zealously  in participating in ecumenical work” (Can 902–908 CCEO  1990). In the service of unity, the bishop’s pastoral  ministry extends not just to the unity of his own church,  but to the unity of all the baptized into Christ. 

The present document, issued by the Pontifical  Council for Promoting Christian Unity, The Bishop and  Christian Unity. An Ecumenical Vademecum, is offered as  an aid to diocesan and eparchial bishops to help them  better understand and fulfil their ecumenical  responsibility. The genesis of this Vademecum began with  a request from a Plenary Assembly of this Pontifical  Council. The text was developed by the Council’s officials  in consultation with experts and with the agreement of the  relevant dicasteries of the Roman Curia. We are now 

happy to publish it with the blessing of the Holy Father  Pope Francis.  

We place this work in the hands of the world’s  bishops, hoping that in these pages they will find clear and  helpful guidelines, enabling them to lead the local  churches entrusted to their pastoral care towards that unity  for which the Lord prayed and to which the Church is  irrevocably called. 

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/vUA_CGIaIHq_4G_2uu2MZ-YPGSaUgrlx4ITwhUjPDoSAltukRaH6fpAlUu4ppIUQPyBnVv_eLbNSjnltxWkqvJMTe6gyxDLKbiPUL_L7w5Ev1xXMBUljJMEvv4XpIXk6KeIRLJr1Kurt Cardinal Koch 

President 

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/US6EoUnV9185nG2KMLqpS7IDjAJ_J_Ki7HzQzMuD9G5Iy1ZSjMbBDGBjDa-G00W3cmdkz1jV7L5Y260ODlvc5rSDv2NtNLI0lYPvh0LQ9GmKW3VW3dASycwovVp0TYcgbhJ7C01F Brian Farrell 

Titular Bishop of Abitine 

Secretary

ii 

Abbreviations 

CCEO Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (1990) CIC Code of Canon Law (1983) 

ED Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms  of Ecumenism (1993), Pontifical Council for  

Promoting Christian Unity  

EG Evangelii gaudium (2013), Apostolic Exhortation of  Pope Francis 

LG Lumen gentium (1964), Dogmatic Constitution on the  Church of the Second Vatican Council  

PCPCU Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity 

UR Unitatis redintegratio (1964), Decree on Ecumenism  of the Second Vatican Council  

UUS Ut unum sint (1995), Encyclical letter of Saint John  Paul II on the ecumenical commitment

iii 

Introduction 

1. The search for unity as intrinsic to the nature of the  Church 

Our Lord’s prayer for the unity of his disciples “that they  may all be one” is tied to the mission that he gives to them,  “so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). The Second  Vatican Council stressed that division among Christian  communities “openly contradicts the will of Christ,  scandalizes the world, and damages the holy cause of  preaching the Gospel to every creature” (Unitatis  redintegratio [UR] §1). Insofar as Christians fail to be the  visible sign of this unity they fail in their missionary duty  to be the instrument bringing all people into the saving  unity which is the communion of Father, Son and Holy  Spirit. In this we understand why the work of unity is  fundamental to our identity as Church, and why Saint John  Paul II could write in his milestone encyclical Ut unum sint,  “the quest for Christian unity is not a matter of choice or  expediency, but a duty which springs from the very nature  of the Christian community” (Ut unum sint [UUS] §49, see  also §3). 

2. A real, though incomplete, communion 

The Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis redintegratio, recognised that those who believe  in Christ and are baptised with water in the name of the  Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are truly our brothers and  sisters in Christ (see UR §3). Through baptism they “are  incorporated into Christ” (UR §3), that is “truly  incorporated into the crucified and glorified Christ, and  reborn to a sharing of the divine life” (UR §22). Moreover,  the Council recognised that the communities to which  these brothers and sisters belong are endowed with many  essential elements Christ wills for his Church, are used by  the Spirit as “means of salvation,” and have a real, though  incomplete, communion with the Catholic Church (see 

UR §3). The Decree began the work of specifying those  areas of our ecclesial lives in which this communion  resides, and where and why the extent of ecclesial  communion varies from one Christian community to  another. Lastly, in recognising the positive value of other  Christian communities, Unitatis redintegratio also  acknowledged that because of the wound of Christian  division “the Church herself finds it more difficult to  express in actual life her full catholicity in all her bearings”  (UR §4). 

3. Christian unity as the concern of the whole Church “Concern for restoring unity,” wrote the fathers of the  Second Vatican Council, “pertains to the whole Church,  faithful and clergy alike. It extends to everyone according to  the ability of each, whether it be exercised in daily living or  in theological and historical studies” (UR §5). The insistence  of the Council that the ecumenical endeavour demands the  engagement of all the faithful, and not only of theologians  and church leaders meeting in international dialogues, has  been repeatedly emphasised in subsequent Church  documents. Saint John Paul II in Ut unum sint wrote that the  commitment to ecumenism, “far from being the  responsibility of the Apostolic See alone, is also the duty of  individual local and particular Churches” (§31). The real,  though incomplete, communion that already exists between  Catholics and other baptised Christians can and must be  deepened at a number of levels simultaneously. Pope Francis  has captured this in the phrase, “walking together, praying  together and working together”. By sharing our Christian  lives with other Christians, by praying with and for them,  and by giving common witness to our Christian faith through  action, we grow into the unity which is the Lord’s desire for  his Church.

4. The bishop as the “visible principle” of unity As a shepherd of the flock the bishop has the distinct  responsibility of gathering all into unity. He is “the visible  principle and foundation of unity” in his particular church  (Lumen gentium [LG] §23). The service of unity is not just  one of the tasks of the bishop’s ministry; it is fundamental  to it. The bishop “should sense the urgency of promoting  ecumenism” (Apostolorum Successores §18). Rooted in  his personal prayer, concern for unity must inform every  part of his ministry: in his teaching of the faith, in his  sacramental ministry, and through the decisions of his  pastoral care, he is called to build and strengthen that unity  for which Jesus prayed at the Last Supper (cf. Jn 17). A  further dimension of his ministry of unity became evident  with the Catholic Church’s embrace of the ecumenical  movement. As a consequence, the bishop’s concern for the  unity of the Church extends to “those who are not yet of  the one flock” (LG §27) but are our spiritual brothers and  sisters in the Spirit through the real though imperfect  bonds of communion that connect all the baptised.  

The episcopal ministry of unity is deeply related  to synodality. According to Pope Francis, “a careful  examination of how, in the Church’s life, the principle of  synodality and the service of the one who presides are  articulated, will make a significant contribution to the  progress of relations between our Churches”.1 The bishops  who compose one college together with the Pope exercise  their pastoral and ecumenical ministry in a synodal manner  together with the entire People of God. As Pope Francis  has taught, “The commitment to build a synodal Church — a mission to which we are all called, each with the role  entrusted him by the Lord — has significant ecumenical    

1. Address marking the 50th anniversary of the Institution of  the Synod of Bishops, 17 October 2015, citing the Address to  the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of  Constantinople, 27 June 2015.

implications”,2 because both synodality and ecumenism  are processes of walking together. 

5. The Vademecum as a guide to the bishop in his task of discernment 

The ecumenical task will always be influenced by the wide  variety of contexts in which bishops live and work: in  some regions Catholics will be in the majority; in others,  in a minority to another or other Christian communities;  and in others Christianity itself will be a minority. Pastoral  challenges, too, are extremely diverse. It is always for the  diocesan/ eparchial bishop to make an appraisal of the  challenges and opportunities of his context, and to discern  how to apply the Catholic principles of ecumenism in his  own diocese/ eparchy.3 The Directory for the Application  of Principles and Norms of Ecumenism (1993, henceforth  Ecumenical Directory [ED]) is the most important  reference for the bishop in his task of discernment. This  Vademecum is offered to the bishop as an encouragement  and a guide in fulfilling his ecumenical responsibilities. 

PART 1  

The promotion of ecumenism within the  Catholic Church 

6. The search for unity is first of all a challenge to  Catholics 

Unitatis redintegratio teaches that the “primary duty” of  Catholics “is to make a careful and honest appraisal of  whatever needs to be done or renewed in the Catholic  

  

2. Ibid. 

3. It should be understood that all references to dioceses,  diocesan bishops and diocesan structures apply equally to  eparchies, their bishops and structures.

household itself”(§4). For this reason, rather than begin  with our relations with other Christians, it is necessary for  Catholics, in the words of the decree, first “to examine their  own faithfulness to Christ's will for the Church and  accordingly to undertake with vigour the task of renewal  and reform” (§4). This inner renewal disposes and orders  the Church towards dialogue and engagement with other  Christians. It is an endeavour which concerns both  ecclesial structures (Section A) and the ecumenical  formation of the whole People of God (Section B). 

A. Ecumenical structures at the local and regional  level 

7. The bishop as a man of dialogue promoting  ecumenical engagement 

Christus Dominus §13 describes the bishop as a man of  dialogue, seeking out those of goodwill in a common  pursuit of truth through a conversation marked by clarity  and humility, and in a context of charity and friendship.  The Code of Canon Law (CIC) Canon 383 §3 refers to the  same idea, describing the ecumenical responsibilities of  the bishop as “to act with humanity and charity toward the  brothers and sisters who are not in full communion with  the Catholic Church” and “to foster ecumenism as it is  understood by the Church.” The ecumenical task of the  bishop therefore is to promote both the “Dialogue of Love”  and the “Dialogue of Truth”. 

8. The bishop’s responsibility to guide and direct  ecumenical initiatives 

Alongside the bishop’s personal disposition to dialogue is  his role of leadership and governance. Unitatis  redintegratio envisages the People of God engaged in a  variety of ecumenical activities but always under “the  attentive guidance of their bishops” (§4). Canon 755,  situated in the part of the Code dedicated to the teaching  function of the Church, stipulates that it is “for the entire 

college of bishops and the Apostolic See to foster and  direct among Catholics the ecumenical movement” (CIC  755 §1). Moreover, it is the responsibility of bishops, both  individually and in episcopal conferences or synods, to  establish “practical norms according to the various needs  and opportunities of the circumstances” while being “attentive to the prescripts issued by the supreme authority  of the Church” (CIC 755 §2 and CCEO 904, see also  Apostolorum Successores §18). In establishing norms  bishops, acting either singularly or in conference, can  ensure that confusion and misunderstandings do not arise  and that scandal is not given to the faithful. 

The Code of Canons of Eastern Churches (CCEO), which dedicates an entire Title to ecumenism  (XVIII), underlines the “special duty” of the Eastern  Catholic Churches in fostering unity among all the Eastern  and Oriental Churches and highlights the role of the  eparchial bishops in this endeavour. Unity can be furthered  “through prayers, by example of life, by the religious  fidelity to the ancient traditions of the Eastern Churches,  by mutual and better knowledge of each other, and by  collaboration and fraternal respect in practice and  spirit”(Canon 903). 

9. The appointment of ecumenical officers The Ecumenical Directory §41 recommends that the  bishop appoint a diocesan officer for ecumenism who is to  be a close collaborator with, and counsellor to, the bishop  in ecumenical matters. It also proposes that he establish a  diocesan commission for ecumenism to assist him in  implementing the ecumenical teaching of the Church as set  out in its documents and in the directives of the episcopal  conference or synod (§§42-45). The ecumenical officer  and members of the ecumenical commission can be  important points of contact with other Christian  communities and may represent the bishop in ecumenical  meetings. In order to ensure that Catholic parishes are also 

fully engaged ecumenically in their locality, many bishops  have found it helpful to encourage the appointment of  parish ecumenical officers as envisaged in the Ecumenical  Directory (§§45 & 67). 

10. The Ecumenical Commission of Episcopal  Conferences and Synods of Eastern Catholic  Churches 

Where the episcopal conference or synod is sufficiently  large the Ecumenical Directory recommends that a  commission of bishops should be formed with  responsibility for ecumenism (§§46-47). These bishops  should be assisted by a team of expert consultants and, if  possible, a permanent secretariat. One of the principal  tasks of the commission is to translate the ecumenical  documents of the Church into concrete action appropriate  to the local context. When the conference is too small for  an episcopal commission at least one bishop should be  made responsible for ecumenical activity (ED §46) and  may be assisted by suitable advisors. 

The commission should support and advise  individual bishops as well as the various offices of the  conference in fulfilling their ecumenical responsibilities.  The Ecumenical Directory envisages the commission  engaging with existing ecumenical institutions at the  national or territorial level. Where it is judged to be  appropriate the commission should establish dialogues and  consultations with other Christian communities. Members  of the commission should represent the Catholic  community or nominate a suitable alternative when invited  to attend an important event in the life of another Christian  community. Reciprocally they should also ensure an  appropriate level of representation of ecumenical guests or  delegates at important moments in the life of the Catholic  Church. Apostolorum Successores §170 suggests  observers from other Christian communities should be 

invited to diocesan synods, after consultation with the  leaders of these communities. 

The visit ad limina apostolorum provides an  opportunity for bishops to share their own ecumenical  experiences and concerns with the Pope, the Pontifical  Council for Promoting Christian Unity and other curial  offices. It is also an occasion in which bishops can seek  information or advice from the Pontifical Council.  

B. The ecumenical dimension of formation  11. A people disposed to dialogue and engagement Through formation the bishop can ensure that the people  of his diocese are properly disposed for engagement with  other Christians. Unitatis redintegratio §11 counsels that  those engaging in ecumenical dialogue should approach  their task with “love of the truth, with charity, and with  humility”. These three fundamental dispositions provide a  helpful guide for ecumenical formation of the whole  People of God.  

Firstly, ecumenism is not premised on  compromise as if unity should be achieved at the expense  of truth. On the contrary, the search for unity leads us into  a fuller appreciation of God’s revealed truth. The bedrock  of ecumenical formation, therefore, is that “the Catholic  faith must be explained more profoundly and precisely, in  such a way and in such terms as our separated brethren can  also really understand” (UR §11). These explanations  must convey an understanding “that in Catholic doctrine  there exists a ‘hierarchy’ of truths, since they vary in their  relation to the fundamental Christian faith” (UR §11).  Though all revealed truths are believed with the same  divine faith, their significance depends on their relation to  the saving mysteries of the Trinity and salvation in Christ,  the source of all Christian doctrines. By weighing truths  rather than simply enumerating them, Catholics gain a  more accurate understanding of the unity that exists among  Christians. 

Secondly, the virtue of charity demands that  Catholics avoid polemical presentations of Christian  history and theology and, in particular, that they avoid  misrepresenting the positions of other Christians (see  UR §4 & §10). Rather, formators informed by an attitude  of charity will always seek to emphasise the Christian faith  that we share with others and to present the theological  differences that divide us with balance and accuracy. In  this way the work of formation helps to remove obstacles  to dialogue (see UR §11). 

The Second Vatican Council insisted that “there  can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change  of heart” (UR §7). An appropriately humble attitude  enables Catholics to appreciate “what God is bringing  about in the members of other Churches and Ecclesial  Communities” (UUS §48), which in turn opens the way  for us to learn and receive gifts from these brothers and  sisters. Humility is again necessary when, through  encounter with other Christians, truth comes to light  “which might require a review of assertions and attitudes”  (UUS §36). 

i) The formation of laity, seminarians and clergy 

12. A summary guide to the Ecumenical Directory on  formation 

The ecumenical dimension should be present in all aspects  and disciplines of Christian formation. The Ecumenical  Directory first of all offers guidelines for the ecumenical  formation of all the faithful (§§58–69). It envisages this  formation taking place through Bible study, the preached  Word, catechesis, liturgy and spiritual life, and in a variety  of contexts, such as the family, parish, school and lay  associations. Next the document offers guidance for the  formation of those engaged in pastoral work, both  ordained (§§70–82) and lay (§§83–86). It proposes both  that all courses be taught with an ecumenical dimension  and sensitivity, and that a specific course in ecumenism be 

a required part of the first cycle of theological studies  (§79). The ecumenical dimension of seminary formation  is particularly highlighted and it is recommended that all  seminarians should be given ecumenical experience  (§§70–82). The document also considers the continuing  ecumenical formation of priests, deacons, religious and lay  people (§91). 

In 1997, the Pontifical Council issued guidelines  entitled The Ecumenical Dimension in the Formation of  Those Engaged in Pastoral Ministry. Its two parts deal  respectively with the need to give an ecumenical  dimension to each area of theological formation, and with  the necessary elements for a specific course on the study  of ecumenism. 

ii) The use of media and diocesan websites 13. An ecumenical approach in using the media A lack of communication with each other over the  centuries has deepened the differences among Christian  communities. Efforts to foster and strengthen  communication can play a key role in drawing divided  Christians closer together. Those who represent the  Church in social communications should be imbued with  the ecumenical dispositions emphasised above. The  Catholic presence through the media should demonstrate  that Catholics esteem their Christian brothers and sisters  and are a people open to listening and learning from them.  

14. Some recommendations for diocesan websites Increasingly the internet is the medium through which the  face of the Church is perceived by the world. It is a place  where both the Catholic faithful and others will find the  local Church represented and from where they will judge  its priorities and concerns. Attention should be given to  this new dimension of ecclesial life. The Church’s concern  for Christian unity in obedience to Christ, and our love and  esteem for other Christian communities, should be 

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immediately evident from the diocesan website. Those  who administer diocesan websites must be aware of the  responsibility that they have in Christian formation. The  diocesan ecumenical officer and the ecumenical  commission should be easily found and contacted through  the website. The website can very profitably provide links  to the webpage of the Ecumenical Commission of the  Episcopal Conference or Synod, to the website of the  Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and also  to the local and national ecumenical councils.  

The ecumenical page of a diocesan website is an  excellent place to publicise events and news. However,  permission should always be sought before using  photographs of ecumenical partners as in some cases  publicity can cause difficulties for them.  

Practical Recommendations 

} To be familiar with, and make use, of the  

Ecumenical Directory

} To appoint a Diocesan Ecumenical Officer. The  Ecumenical Directory §41 recommends that each  diocese should have an ecumenical officer who acts  as a close collaborator with the bishop in  

ecumenical matters and can represent the diocese to  other local Christian communities. Where possible  this role should be distinct from the officer for  

interreligious dialogue. 

} To establish a Diocesan Ecumenical Commission. The Ecumenical Directory (§§42–44) proposes that  each diocese should have a commission whose task it  is to bring a suitably ecumenical dimension to every  aspect of the local Church’s life. This body should  oversee ecumenical formation, initiate consultations  with other Christian communities, and promote joint  witness to our shared Christian faith.  

} To promote the appointment of Parish Ecumenical  Officers. The Ecumenical Directory envisages each  parish as a “place of authentic ecumenical witness” 

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(§67, see also §45) with a parishioner appointed to  be responsible for local ecumenical relations.  

} To be familiar with the norms established by the episcopal conference or synod. The Ecumenical  Directory (§§46–47) suggests that each conference  or synod should have a commission of bishops with  a permanent secretary, or failing that a nominated  bishop, with responsibilities for ecumenical  

engagement. This body or bishop has responsibility  not only for the aforementioned norms, but also for  engaging with ecumenical bodies at the national  level. 

} To ensure that there is a mandatory course in  ecumenism at all seminaries and Catholic theology  faculties in the diocese, and ensure that courses in  sacred theology and other branches of knowledge  have an ecumenical dimension. 

} To share documentation and ecumenical resources  through your diocesan website.  

} To share ecumenical news through the website so  that the faithful of a diocese can see their bishop  meeting, praying and working with other Christian  communities of the locality. 

PART 2 

The Catholic Church in its relations with  other Christians  

15. The many ways to engage ecumenically with other  Christians  

The ecumenical movement is one and indivisible and  should always be thought of as a whole. Nonetheless it  takes various forms according to the various dimensions  of ecclesial life. Spiritual ecumenism promotes prayer,  conversion and holiness for the sake of Christian unity. 

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The Dialogue of Love deals with encounter at the level of  everyday contacts and co-operation, nurturing and  deepening the relationship we already share through  baptism. The Dialogue of Truth concerns the vital  doctrinal aspect of healing division among Christians. The  Dialogue of Life includes the opportunities for encounter  and collaboration with other Christians in pastoral care, in  mission to the world and through culture. These forms of  ecumenism are here distinguished for clarity of  explanation, but it should always be borne in mind that  they are interconnected and mutually enriching aspects of  the same reality. Much ecumenical activity will engage a  number of these dimensions simultaneously. For the  purposes of this document distinctions are made in order  to help the bishop in his discernment.4 

A. Spiritual ecumenism 

16. Prayer, conversion and holiness 

Spiritual ecumenism is described in Unitatis redintegratio §8 as “the soul of the whole ecumenical movement”. At  each Eucharist Catholics ask the Lord to grant the Church  “unity and peace” (Roman Rite, before the sign of peace)  or pray for “the stability of the holy churches of God, and  for the unity of all” (Divine Liturgy of St John  Chrysostom, Litany of peace).  

Spiritual ecumenism consists not only of praying  for Christian unity but also of a “change of heart and  holiness of life” (UR §8). Indeed, “All the faithful should  remember that the more effort they make to live holier  lives according to the Gospel, the better will they further  Christian unity and put it into practice” (UR §7). Spiritual  

  

4. For example, because this Vademecum takes the  perspective of the bishop, communicatio in sacris is here  understood as a pastoral concern rather than an aspect of  spiritual ecumenism.

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ecumenism requires conversion and reform. As Pope  Benedict XVI said: “Concrete gestures that enter hearts  and stir consciences are essential, inspiring in everyone  that inner conversion that is the prerequisite for all  ecumenical progress.”5 Similarly, in his handbook of  spiritual ecumenism Cardinal Walter Kasper wrote, “Only  in the context of conversion and renewal can the wounded  bonds of communion be healed”.6 

17. Praying with other Christians 

Because we share a real communion as brothers and sisters  in Christ, Catholics not only can, but indeed must, seek out  opportunities to pray with other Christians. Certain forms  of prayer are particularly appropriate in the search for  Christian unity. Just as at the conclusion of the rite of  Baptism we recognise the dignity we have all gained in  being made children of the one Father and so pray the  Lord’s prayer, it is equally appropriate to pray this same  prayer with other Christians with whom we share baptism.  

Similarly, the ancient Christian practice of praying  the psalms and scriptural canticles together (the Prayer of  the Church) is a tradition that continues to be common  throughout many Christian communities and therefore  lends itself to be prayed ecumenically (see ED §§117– 119).7 

In promoting joint prayer Catholics should be  sensitive to the fact that some Christian communities do  not practise joint prayer with other Christians, as was once  the case for the Catholic Church.  

  

5. First Message of Pope Benedict XVI at the end of the  Eucharistic Concelebration with members of the College of  Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, 20 April 2005

6. Kasper, Walter, A Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism (New  York: New City Press, 2007) §6. 

7. See also O Lord, Open Our Lips, 2014 document of the  French Anglican-Roman Catholic Joint Committee.

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18. Prayer for unity: the Week of Prayer for Christian  Unity 

The Second Vatican Council taught that “human powers  and capacities cannot achieve … the reconciling of all  Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of  Christ” (UR §24). In praying for unity we acknowledge  that unity is a gift of the Holy Spirit and not something we  can achieve through our own efforts. The Week of Prayer  for Christian Unity is celebrated every year from 18–25  January, or around the feast of Pentecost in some parts of  the world. Each year materials are prepared by an  ecumenical group of Christians in a particular region,  centred on a scriptural text and providing a theme, a joint  worship service and brief scriptural reflections for each  day of the week. The bishop can very effectively advance  the cause of Christian unity by participating in an  ecumenical prayer service to mark the week with other  Christian leaders, and by encouraging parishes and groups  to work with other Christian communities present in the  area to jointly organize special prayer events during this  week. 

19. Prayer for one another and for the needs of the world 

An important aspect of spiritual ecumenism is simply to  pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, and in particular  those who are our neighbours. Even if there are difficulties  in local ecumenical relations, or if our openness to others  is not reciprocated, we can continue to pray for the  blessing of these Christians. Such prayer can become a  regular part of our own personal prayer and of the  intercessions in our liturgies.  

Ut unum sint teaches that “There is no important  or significant event which does not benefit from Christians  coming together and praying” (§25). Christians from  different traditions will share a concern for the local  community in which they live and the particular 

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challenges that it faces. Christians can demonstrate their  care by marking together significant events or  anniversaries in the life of the community, and by praying  together for its particular needs. Global realities such as  warfare, poverty, the plight of migrants, injustice and the  persecution of Christians and other religious groups also  demand the attention of Christians who can join together  in prayer for peace and for the most vulnerable.  

20. The Sacred Scriptures 

Unitatis redintegratio describes the scriptures as “an  instrument of the highest value in the mighty hand of God  for the attainment of … unity” (§21). The Ecumenical  Directory urges that everything possible should be done to  encourage Christians to read the scriptures together. In so  doing, the document continues, the bond of unity between  Christians is reinforced, they are opened to the unifying  action of God, and their common witness to the Word of  God is strengthened (see §183). With all Christians,  Catholics share the Sacred Scriptures and with many they  also share a common Sunday lectionary. This shared  biblical heritage presents opportunities to come together  for scripturally-based prayer and discussion, for lectio  divina, for joint publications and translations,8 and even  for ecumenical pilgrimages to the holy sites of the Bible.  The ministry of preaching can be a particularly powerful  means of demonstrating that, as Christians, we are  nourished from the common source of the Holy Scriptures.  Where appropriate, Catholic and other Christian ministers  may be invited to share the ministry of preaching in each  other’s non-Eucharistic services (ED §135, see also 118– 119). 

  

8. See Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and  United Bible Societies, Guidelines for Interconfessional  Cooperation in Translating the Bible (revised edition 1987).

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21. Liturgical feasts and seasons 

Similarly, we share with most other traditions at least the  principal elements of the liturgical calendar: Christmas,  Easter and Pentecost. With many we will also share the  liturgical seasons of Advent and Lent. In various parts of  the world our shared calendar allows Christians to prepare  together for the celebration of the main Christian feasts. In  some dioceses the Catholic bishop joins with other  Christian leaders to issue joint statements on these  important celebrations. 

22. Saints and martyrs 

“Perhaps the most convincing form of ecumenism,” wrote  Saint John Paul II in Tertio millennio adveniente, “is the  ecumenism of the saints and of the martyrs.” He goes on,  “The communio sanctorum speaks louder than the things  which divide us” (§37). Our churches are already united by  the communion that the saints and martyrs share. A  common devotion to a particular saint, shrine or image can  be the focus of an ecumenical pilgrimage, procession or  celebration. Catholics generally, and Catholic bishops in  particular, can strengthen the bonds of unity with other  Christians by encouraging devotions which are already  held in common. 

In certain parts of the world Christians suffer  persecution. Pope Francis has often spoken of the  “ecumenism of blood”.9 Those who persecute Christians  often recognise better than Christians do themselves the  unity that exists among them. In honouring Christians from  other traditions who have suffered martyrdom Catholics  recognise the riches that Christ has bestowed on them and  to which they bear powerful witness (see UR §4).  Furthermore, although our own communion with the  communities to which these martyrs belong remains  

  

9. For example see the address of Pope Francis in the Basilica  of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 25 May 2014.

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imperfect, “this communion is already perfect in what we  consider the highest point of the life of grace, martyria unto  death, the truest communion possible with Christ”  (UUS §84, see also §§12, 47, 48, and 79). 

23. The contribution of consecrated life to Christian  unity  

Consecrated life, which is rooted in the common tradition  of the undivided Church, undoubtedly has a particular  vocation in promoting unity. Established monastic and  religious communities as well as new communities and  ecclesial movements can be privileged places of ecumenical  hospitality, of prayer for unity and for the “exchange of  gifts” among Christians. Some recently founded  communities have the promotion of Christian unity as their  particular charism, and some of these include members  from different Christian traditions. In his Apostolic Exhortation Vita consecrata, Saint John Paul II wrote,  “There is an urgent need for consecrated persons to give  more space in their lives to ecumenical prayer and genuine  evangelical witness.” Indeed, he continued, “no Institute of  Consecrated Life should feel itself dispensed from working  for this cause” (§§100–101). 

24. The healing of memories 

The expression the “healing of memories” has its roots in  the Second Vatican Council. On the penultimate day of the  Council (7 December 1965) a joint statement of Saint Paul  VI and Patriarch Athenagoras “removed from the  memory” of the Church the excommunications issued in  1054. Ten years later, Saint Paul VI first used the  expression the “healing of memories”. As Saint John Paul  II wrote, “The Council thus ended with a solemn act which  was at once a healing of historical memories, a mutual  forgiveness, and a firm commitment to strive for  communion” (UUS §52). In the same encyclical Saint  John Paul II stressed the need to overcome “certain 

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refusals to forgive”, “an unevangelical insistence on  condemning the ‘other side’ ” and “a disdain born of an  unhealthy presumption” (§15). Because Christian  communities have grown apart from one another, often  harbouring resentments, attitudes such as these have, in  some instances, become ingrained. The memory of many  Christian communities remains wounded by a history of  religious and national conflict. However, when  communities on opposing sides of historical divisions are  able to come together in a common rereading of history, a  reconciliation of memories is made possible.  

The commemoration of the 500th anniversary of  the Reformation in 2017 was also an example of the  healing of memories. In the report From Conflict to  Communion, Catholics and Lutherans asked themselves  how they could hand on their traditions “in such a way that  they do not dig new trenches between Christians of different confessions” (§12).10 They found it was possible  to adopt a new approach to their history: “What happened  in the past cannot be changed, but what is remembered of  the past and how it is remem-bered can, with the passage  of time, indeed change. Remembrance makes the past  present. While the past itself is unalterable, the presence of  the past in the present is alterable” (§16). 

  

10. Lutheran–Roman Catholic Commission on Unity,  From Conflict to Communion (Leipzig: Evangelische  Verlagsanstalt; Paderborn: Bonifatius, 2013).

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Practical Recommendations 

} To pray regularly for the unity of Christians. 

} To mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity  with an ecumenically organized prayer service and  encourage parishes to do the same. 

} To engage with other Christian leaders about the  possibility of holding joint scripture study days,  ecumenical pilgrimages/ processions, common  

symbolic gestures, or the possible exchange of relics  and holy images. 

} To issue a joint message with another Christian  leader or leaders at Christmas or Easter. 

} To hold an ecumenical prayer service for a matter of  common concern with other local Christian  

communities. 

} To encourage your priests or pastoral assistants to  meet regularly for prayer with other Christian  

ministers and leaders working in their  

neighbourhoods.  

} To be aware of the ecumenical work of  

communities of consecrated life and ecclesial  

movements, and encourage this work. 

} To ask the diocesan commission to work with other  Christian communities to discern where a healing of  memories might be necessary, and suggest concrete  steps that may facilitate this. 

B. The Dialogue of Love 

25. The baptismal basis of the Dialogue of Love All ecumenism is baptismal ecumenism. While Catholics  might recognise all as brothers and sisters by virtue of our  common Creator, they recognise a much more profound  relationship with baptised Christians from other Christian  communities who are their brothers and sisters in Christ,  following the usage of the New Testament and the Fathers  of the Church. Therefore the Dialogue of Love (or the  Dialogue of Charity) attends not simply to human 

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fraternity, but rather to those bonds of communion forged  in baptism. 

26. A culture of encounter in ecumenical bodies and  events 

Catholics should not wait for other Christians to approach  them, but rather should always be prepared to take the first  step towards others (see UR §4). This “culture of  encounter” is a prerequisite for any true ecumenism.  Therefore it is important that Catholics participate, as far  as possible, in ecumenical bodies at the local, diocesan and  national level. Bodies, such as Councils of Churches and  Christian Councils, build mutual understanding and co operation (see ED §§166–171). Catholics have a particular  duty to participate in the ecumenical movement when they  are in the majority (see ED §32). The Dialogue of Love is  built up through the accumulation of simple initiatives  which strengthen the bonds of communion: the exchange  of messages or delegations on special occasions;  reciprocal visits, meetings between local pastoral  ministers; and twinnings or covenants between  communities or institutions (dioceses, parishes,  seminaries, schools, and choirs). Thus, by word and  gesture we show our love not only for our brothers and  sisters in Christ but also for the Christian communities to  which they belong, because we “joyfully acknowledge and  esteem the truly Christian endowments” which we find  there (UR §4).  

It is the experience of many bishops that in the  Dialogue of Love ecumenism becomes much more than a  duty of their ministry and is discovered to be a source of  enrichment and a fount of joy through which they  experience “how very good and pleasant it is when  brothers live together in unity” (Ps 133:1).

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Practical Recommendations 

} To take the first step to meet with other Christian  leaders. 

} To pray personally and publically for other  

Christian leaders. 

} To attend, insofar as it is possible and appropriate,  the liturgies of ordination/ instalment/ welcome of  other Christian leaders in your diocese. 

} To invite, where appropriate, other Christian leaders  to significant liturgical celebrations and events.  

} To be aware of Councils of Churches and  

ecumenical bodies in your diocese and to participate as far as is possible. 

} To inform other Christian leaders of important  events and news.  

C. The Dialogue of Truth 

27. Dialogue as an exchange of gifts 

In Ut unum sint, Saint John Paul II wrote that dialogue “has  become an outright necessity, one of the Church’s priorities”  (UUS §31). Through ecumenical dialogue each participant  “gains a truer knowledge and more just appreciation” of its  dialogue partner (UR §4). Saint John Paul II wrote that  “Dialogue is not simply an exchange of ideas. In some way  it is always an ‘exchange of gifts’ ” (UUS §28). In this  exchange “Each individual part contributes through its  special gifts to the good of the other parts and of the whole  Church” (LG §13). Pope Francis has called for an active  attentiveness to gifts in the other or potential areas of  learning from the other which address our own ecclesial  needs. “If we really believe in the abundantly free working  of the Holy Spirit, we can learn so much from one another!  It is not just about being better informed about others, but  rather about reaping what the Spirit has sown in them, which  is also meant to be a gift for us” (EG §246).

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28. A dialogue that leads us into all truth 

The Dialogue of Truth is the theological dialogue which  aims at the restoration of unity of faith. In Ut unum sint Saint John Paul II asked, “Who could consider legitimate  a reconciliation brought about at the expense of the truth?”  (§18). Rather, he insisted, full communion would come  about “through the acceptance of the whole truth into  which the Holy Spirit guides Christ’s disciples”  (UUS §36). This is the same conviction expressed in the  2014 Jerusalem Common Declaration of Pope Francis and  Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew when they write, “We  affirm once again that the theological dialogue does not  seek a theological lowest common denominator on which  to reach a compromise, but is rather about deepening one’s  grasp of the whole truth that Christ has given to his  Church, a truth that we never cease to understand better as  we follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings.”  

29. Theological dialogue at the international, national  and diocesan level 

In the years following the Second Vatican Council the  Catholic Church has engaged in many bilateral  international theological dialogues with Christian world  communions. The task of these dialogue commissions has  been to address the theological disagreements which have  historically caused division, but doing so in a manner which lays aside the polemical language and prejudices of  the past, and that takes as the point of departure the  common tradition.11 These dialogues have produced  documents which have sought to map out the extent to  which the dialogue partners hold the same faith. They have  a ddressed differences and sought to expand what the  dialogue partners hold in common, and have identified the  areas where further work is needed. The results of the  

  

11. Details of these theological dialogues can be found in the  appendix to this document.

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dialogue provide the framework for discerning what we  can and cannot appropriately do together on the basis of  shared faith.  

No less important is the work of the many national  dialogue commissions operating under the authority of  episcopal conferences. The national commissions are often  themselves in dialogue with the international commissions,  suggesting new areas for fruitful exploration and also  receiving and commenting upon the documents of the  international commissions.  

The Dialogue of Truth conducted at the national  and diocesan levels can have a particular importance with  respect to the meaning and valid celebration of baptism.  Local Church authorities have been able to formulate  common statements expressing the mutual recognition of  baptism (see ED §94). Other ecumenical working groups  and initiatives also make a valuable contribution to the  Dialogue of Truth.12 

30. The challenge of reception 

Reception is the process by which the Church discerns and  appropriates that which it recognises as authentic Christian  teaching. From the first preached word, down through the  long history of Ecumenical Councils and Church teaching,  the Christian community has exercised this discernment.  Reception takes on a new significance in the ecumenical  era. While bilateral and multilateral dialogues have over  the years produced many agreed statements and  declarations, these texts have not always entered into the  life of Christian communities. The Joint Working Group  

  

12. E.g. The Groupe des Dombes, the Ökumenischer  Arbeitskreis evangelischer und katholischer Theologen, the  theological conversations with Oriental Orthodox Churches  initiated by the Pro Oriente Foundation, the Malines  Conversations, Catholics and Evangelicals Together, and the St  Irenaeus Joint Orthodox–Catholic Working Group.

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between the World Council of Churches and the Catholic  Church in its document on reception described ecumenical  reception as “the evangelical attitude necessary to allow  [the results of dialogue] to be adopted in one’s own  ecclesial tradition”.13 Saint John Paul II wrote that in order  to receive the bilateral agreements “a serious examination  needs to be made, which, by different ways and means and  at various levels of responsibility, must involve the whole  People of God” (UUS §80). This process of reception  should involve the whole Church in the exercise of the  sensus fidei: lay faithful, theologians, and pastors.  Theological faculties and local ecumenical commissions play an important role in this regard. The Church’s  teaching authority ultimately has the responsibility to  express a judgment (see UUS §81). Bishops, therefore, are  encouraged to read and evaluate particularly those  ecumenical documents that are most relevant to their own  contexts. Many contain suggestions which can be  implemented at the local level. 

While the texts produced by ecumenical dialogues  do not constitute official teaching documents of the  churches involved, their reception into the life of Christian  communities helps all to reach a deeper understanding and  appreciation of the mysteries of faith. 

  

13. Ninth Report of the Joint Working Group between the  Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches (2007-2012), Appendix A “Reception: A Key to Ecumenical  Progress” §15.

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Practical Recommendations 

} To identify what bilateral documents have been  published between the Catholic Church and the  principal Christian communities present in your  diocese. The appendix of this Vademecum gives an  introductory guide to the dialogues whose  

documents are available on the PCPCU website. } To establish a diocesan or regional dialogue  

commission involving lay and ordained theological  experts. The commission might engage in a joint  study of the documents of the international or  

national dialogues or may address issues of local  concern. 

} To ask the commission to propose some concrete  action that could be undertaken jointly by your  

diocese and another Christian community or  

communities on the basis of the ecumenical  

agreements that have been reached. 

D. The Dialogue of Life 

31. The truths expressed jointly in theological dialogue  seek concrete expression through joint action in pastoral  care, in service to the world and through culture. The  Ecumenical Directory states that the contribution  Christians can make in these areas of human life “will be  more effective when they make it together, and when they  are seen to be united in making it”. “Hence,” the Directory continues, “they will want to do everything together that is  allowed by faith” (§162). These words echo an important  ecumenical principle, known as the Lund principle, first  formulated by the World Council of Churches, that  Christians should “act together in all matters except those  in which deep differences of conviction compel them to  act separately” (Third World Conference of the Faith and  Order Commission in 1952). By working together  Catholics begin to live deeply and faithfully the  communion that they already share with other Christians. 

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In this undertaking Catholics are encouraged to  have both patience and perseverance, twin virtues of  ecumenism, in equal measure: proceeding “gradually and  with care, not glossing over difficulties” (ED §23), under  the guidance of their bishops; yet showing genuine  commitment in this quest, motivated by the urgent need for  reconciliation and by Christ’s own desire for the unity of  his disciples (see EG §246, UUS §48). 

i) Pastoral ecumenism 

32. Shared pastoral challenges as opportunities for  ecumenism 

Very often Christian communities in a given locality face  the same pastoral and missionary challenges. If there is not  already a genuine desire for unity among Christians such  challenges can exacerbate tensions and even promote a  spirit of competition among communities. However, when  approached with a properly ecumenical spirit these very  challenges become opportunities for Christian unity in  pastoral care, called here “pastoral ecumenism”. It is one  of the fields which most effectively contributes to  fostering Christian unity in the life of the faithful. 

33. Shared ministry and sharing resources 

In very many parts of the world, and in very many ways,  Christian ministers from different traditions work together  in providing pastoral care in hospitals, prisons, the armed  forces, universities and in other chaplaincies. In many of  these situations chapels or other spaces are shared to  provide ministry to the faithful of different Christian  communities (see ED §204).  

Where the diocesan bishop discerns that it will not  cause scandal or confusion to the faithful, he may offer  other Christian communities the use of a church. Particular  discernment is required in the case of the diocesan  cathedral. The Ecumenical Directory (§137) envisages  such situations in which a Catholic diocese comes to the 

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aid of another community which is without its own place  of worship or liturgical objects to worthily celebrate its  ceremonies. Likewise, in many contexts Catholic  communities are the recipients of similar hospitality from  other Christian communities. Such sharing of resources  can build trust and deepen mutual understanding between  Christians. 

34. Mission and catechesis  

Jesus prayed “that they may all be one … so that the world  may believe” (Jn 17:21), and from its origins the  ecumenical movement has always had the Church’s  mission to evangelise at its core. Division among  Christians impedes evangelization and undermines the  credibility of the Gospel message (see UR §1, Evangelii  nuntiandi §77 and UUS §§98–99). The Ecumenical Directory stresses the need to ensure that the “human,  cultural and political factors” involved in the original  divisions between Christians not be transplanted to new  missionary territories and calls for Christian missionaries  from different traditions to work “with mutual respect and  love” (§207).  

The Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi tradendae (1979) notes that in some situations bishops may consider  it “opportune or even necessary” to collaborate with other  Christians in the field of catechesis (§33, cited in ED §188  and in the Directory for Catechism §346). The document  goes on to describe the parameters of such collaboration.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church has proved to be a  useful tool for co-operation with other Christians in the  field of catechesis. 

35. Interchurch marriages  

The diocesan bishop is called upon to authorise  interchurch marriages and sometimes to dispense from the  Catholic rite for the wedding ceremony. Interchurch  marriages should not be regarded as problems for they are 

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often a privileged place where the unity of Christians is  built (see Familiaris Consortio §78, and Apostolorum  Successores §207). However, pastors cannot be indifferent  to the pain of Christian division which is experienced in  the context of these families, perhaps more sharply than in  any other context. The pastoral care of interchurch  families, from the initial preparation of the couple for  marriage to pastoral accompaniment as the couple have  children and the children themselves prepare for  sacraments, should be a concern at both the diocesan and  regional level (see ED §§143–160). A special effort should  be made to engage these families in the ecumenical  activities of parish and diocese. Mutual meetings of  Christian pastors, aimed at supporting and upholding these  marriages, can be an excellent ground for ecumenical  collaboration (see ED §147). Recent migratory  movements have accentuated this ecclesial reality. From  one region to another there is a great variety of practice  regarding interchurch marriages, the baptism of children  born of such marriages, and their spiritual formation.14 Local agreements on these pressing pastoral concerns are  therefore to be encouraged. 

36. Sharing in Sacramental Life (Communicatio in  sacris) 

As we have already seen, because we share a real  communion with other Christians through our common  baptism, prayer with these brothers and sisters in Christ is  both possible and necessary to lead us into the unity that  the Lord desires for his Church. However, the question of  administering and receiving sacraments, and especially the  Eucharist, in each other’s liturgical celebrations remains  an area of significant tension in our ecumenical relations.  In treating the subject of “Sharing Sacramental Life with  Christians of Other Churches and Ecclesial Communities”    

14. The bishop should take account of CIC 1125 or CCEO 814  §1.

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(ED §§129–132), the Ecumenical Directory draws on two  basic principles articulated in Unitatis redintegratio §8  which exist in a certain tension and which must always be  held together. The first principle is that the celebration of  sacraments in a community bears “witness to the unity of  the Church” and the second principle is that a sacrament is  a “sharing of the means of grace” (UR §8). In view of the  first principle the Directory states that “Eucharistic  communion is inseparably linked to full ecclesial  communion and its visible expression” (ED §129) and  therefore, in general, participation in the sacraments of the  Eucharist, reconciliation and anointing is limited to those  in full communion. However, applying the second  principle, the Directory goes on to state that “by way of  exception, and under certain conditions, access to these  sacraments may be permitted, or even commended, for  Christians of other Churches and ecclesial Communities”  (ED §129). In this sense the Directory expands on the  second principle by stating that the Eucharist is spiritual  food for the baptised that enables them to overcome sin  and to grow towards the fullness of life in Christ.  Communicatio in sacris is therefore permitted for the care  of souls within certain circumstances, and when this is the  case it is to be recognised as both desirable and  commendable. 

Weighing the claims of these two principles calls  for the exercise of discernment by the diocesan bishop,  always bearing in mind that the possibility of  communicatio in sacris differs with respect to the Churches  and Communities involved. The Code of Canon Law  describes the situations in which Catholics can receive  sacraments from other Christian ministers (see CIC 844 §2  and CCEO 671 §2). The canon states that either in danger  of death, or if the diocesan bishop judges there to be a  “grave necessity,” Catholic ministers can administer  sacraments to other Christians “who seek such on their own  accord, provided that they manifest Catholic faith in respect 

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to these sacraments and are properly disposed” (CIC  844 §4, see also CCEO 671 §3).  

It is important to stress that the bishop’s  judgement about what constitutes a “grave necessity” and  when exceptional sacramental sharing is appropriate is  always a pastoral discernment, that is, it concerns the care  and the salvation of souls. Sacraments may never be  shared out of mere politeness. Prudence must be exercised  to avoid causing confusion or giving scandal to the  faithful. Nevertheless, Saint John Paul II’s words should  also be borne in mind when he wrote, “It is a source of joy  to note that Catholic ministers are able, in certain  particular cases, to administer the Sacraments of Eucharist,  Penance and Anointing of the Sick to Christians who are  not in full communion with the Catholic Church”  (UUS §46).15 

37. Changing ecclesial affiliation as an ecumenical  challenge and opportunity 

Changing of ecclesial affiliation is of its nature distinct  from ecumenical activity (UR §4). Nevertheless, the  ecumenical documents acknowledge those situations in  which Christians move from one Christian community to  another. Certain pastoral provisions, such as those formulated by the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum  coetibus, respond to this reality. Local communities  should welcome with joy those who wish to enter into full  communion with the Catholic Church, though as the Rite  of Christian Initiation of Adults states, “any appearance of  

  

15. Pastoral agreements have been reached with some Oriental  Orthodox Churches for reciprocal admission of the faithful to  the Eucharist in case of necessity (in 1984 with the Syrian  Orthodox Church, and in 2001 between the Chaldean Church  and the Assyrian Church of the East). Many episcopal  conferences, synods, eparchies and dioceses have published  directives or documents on this matter. 

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triumphalism should be carefully avoided” (§389).16 Always maintaining a profound respect for the conscience  of the individuals concerned, those who make known their  intention to leave the Catholic Church should be made  aware of the consequences of their decision. Motivated by  the desire to maintain strong relations with ecumenical  partners, in some circumstances it is possible to agree a  “Code of Conduct” with another Christian community,17 

especially when addressing the challenging issues raised  when clergy change affiliation.18 

  

16. Editio typica, Appendix 3b. 

17. The French Joint Committee for Catholic-Orthodox  Theological Dialogue made such a proposal in its 2003  declaration Éléments pour une éthique du dialogue catholique orthodoxe

18. As an example, the Anglican-Roman Catholic Bishops’  Dialogue of Canada was able to agree a statement, “Pastoral  Guidelines for Churches in the case of clergy moving from one  communion to the other” (1991).

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Practical Recommendations 

} To identify common pastoral needs with other  Christian leaders. 

} To listen to and learn from the pastoral initiatives of  other communities. 

} To act with generosity to help the pastoral work of  another Christian community. 

} To meet with and listen to the experiences of  interchurch families in your diocese. 

} To present to the clergy of your diocese the  

guidelines given by the Ecumenical Directory 

concerning the sharing of sacraments (summarised  above) and, if there are any, the guidelines of the  Episcopal Conference or Synods of the Eastern  

Catholic Churches. Help your clergy to discern  

when those conditions are to apply and when such  sharing in sacramental life might, in individual  

cases, be appropriate. 

} If your diocese or episcopal conference has no  guidelines regarding the canonical provisions for  exceptional sacramental sharing, and if you think  such guidelines would be beneficial in your context,  contact the ecumenical office of the episcopal  

conference and seek advice about proposing or  

preparing such a text.  

ii) Practical ecumenism 

38. Co-operation in service to the world 

The Second Vatican Council called on all Christians,  united in their common efforts and bearing witness to a  common hope, to set “in clearer relief the features of Christ  the Servant” (UR §12). It noted that in many countries this  co-operation was already taking place in defence of human  dignity and to relieve the afflictions of famine, natural  disasters, illiteracy, poverty, housing shortage, and the  unequal distribution of wealth. Today we might add to this 

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list: co-ordinated Christian action to care for displaced and  migrant peoples; the fight against modern day slavery and  human trafficking; peace-building; advocacy for religious  freedom; the fight against discrimination; defence of the  sanctity of life and care for creation. Christians co 

operating in this way is what is intended by “practical  ecumenism”. Increasingly, and as new needs arise,  Christian communities are pooling their resources and co ordinating their efforts to respond in the most effective  way possible to those in need. Saint John Paul II called  Christians to “every possible form of practical co operation at all levels” and described this kind of working  together as “a true school of ecumenism, a dynamic road  to unity” (UUS §40). The experience of bishops in many  parts of the world is that co-operation between Christian  communities in service of the poor is a driving force in  promoting the desire for Christian unity. 

39. Joint service as witness 

Through such ecumenical co-operation Christians “bear  witness to our common hope” (UR §12). As disciples of  Christ, schooled by the Scriptures and Christian tradition,  we are compelled to act to uphold the dignity of the human  person and the sacredness of creation, in the sure hope that  God is bringing the whole of creation into the fullness of  his Kingdom. By working together in both social action  and cultural projects such as those suggested in §41  Christians promote an integral Christian vision of the  dignity of the person. Our common service manifests  before the world, therefore, our shared faith, and our  witness is more powerful for being united.  

40. Interreligious dialogue 

Increasingly, at both the national and local levels,  Christians are finding the need to engage more closely  with other religious traditions. Recent trends of migration  have brought peoples of different cultures and religions 

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into what were previously predominantly Christian  communities. Often the expertise at the disposal of an  individual Christian community may be limited. Joint  Christian co-operation in interreligious dialogue is  therefore often beneficial, and indeed the Ecumenical  Directory states that it “can deepen the level of  communion among [Christians] themselves” (§210). The  Directory particularly highlights the importance of  Christians working together to combat “anti-Semitism,  religious fanaticism and sectarianism”. Lastly, it is  important not to lose sight of the essential difference  between dialogue with different religious traditions which  aims at establishing good relations and co-operation, and  dialogue with other Christian communities which aims at  restoring the unity Christ willed for his Church and is  properly called ecumenical. 

Practical Recommendations 

} To identify in dialogue with other Christian leaders  areas where Christian service is required.  

} To talk to other Christian leaders and your own  diocesan ecumenical officer about what Christians  are currently doing separately that could be done  together. 

} To encourage priests to engage with ecumenical  partners in service to the local community. 

} To ask diocesan agencies and Catholics engaged in  social action on behalf of the Church in your  

diocese about past and present co-operation with  other Christian communities and how this might be  extended. 

} To talk to other Christian leaders about their  relations with other religious traditions in your  

area. What are the difficulties and what can the  

Christian communities do together?

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iii) Cultural ecumenism  

41. Cultural factors have played a significant role in the  estrangement of Christian communities. Very often  theological disagreements stemmed from difficulties of  mutual understanding arising from cultural differences.  Once communities have separated and live in isolation  from one another, cultural differences tend to widen and  reinforce theological disagreements. More positively,  Christianity has also contributed enormously to the  development and enrichment of specific cultures around  the world. 

“Cultural ecumenism” includes all efforts to better  understand the culture of other Christians and in so doing  to realise that beyond cultural difference, to varying  degrees, we share the same faith expressed in different  ways. An important aspect of cultural ecumenism is the  promotion of common cultural projects which are able to  bring different communities together and to inculturate the  gospel again in our own age.  

The Ecumenical Directory (§§211–218)  encourages joint projects of an academic, scientific or  artistic nature, and provides criteria for the discernment of  these projects (§212). The experience of many Catholic  dioceses shows that ecumenical concerts, festivals of  sacred art, exhibitions, and symposia, are important moments of rapprochement between Christians. Culture,  in a broad sense, presents itself as a privileged place for  the “exchange of gifts”. 

Conclusion 

42. The long history of Christian divisions and the  complex nature of the theological and cultural factors that  divide Christian communities are a great challenge to all  those involved in the ecumenical endeavour. And indeed  the obstacles to unity are beyond human strength; they 

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cannot be overcome by our efforts alone. But the death and  resurrection of Christ is God’s decisive victory over sin  and division, just as it is His victory over injustice and  every form of evil. For this reason Christians cannot  despair in the face of Christian division, just as they cannot  despair in the face of injustice or warfare. Christ has  already defeated these evils.  

The task of the Church is always to receive the  grace of the victory of Christ. The practical  recommendation and initiatives suggested in this  Vademecum are ways in which the Church and, in  particular, the bishop can strive to actualise Christ’s  victory over Christian division. Opening to God’s grace  renews the Church, and as Unitatis redintegratio taught,  this renewal is always the first and indispensable step  towards unity. An openness to God’s grace demands an  openness to our Christian brothers and sisters, and, as Pope  Francis has written, a willingness to receive “what the  Spirit has sown in them, which is also meant to be a gift  for us” (EG §246). The two parts of this Vademecum have  sought to address these two dimensions of ecumenism: the  renewal of the Church in its own life and structures; and  engagement with other Christian communities in spiritual  ecumenism, and the dialogues of Love, Truth, and Life.  

Father Paul Couturier (1881–1953), a Catholic  pioneer in the ecumenical movement and particularly of  spiritual ecumenism, called upon the grace of Christ’s  victory over division in his prayer for unity which  continues to inspire Christians of many different  traditions. With his prayer we conclude this Vademecum:

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Lord Jesus, on the night before you died for us,  

you prayed that all your disciples may be perfectly one,  as you are in your Father and your Father is in you.  Make us painfully aware of our lack of faith in not being  united. 

Give us the faithfulness to acknowledge,  

and the courage to reject, our hidden indifference,  distrust and even enmity towards one another. 

Grant that we all may meet one another in you, 

so that from our souls and our lips there may ever arise  your prayer for the unity of Christians 

as you will it and by the means that you desire. 

In you, who are perfect Love,  

grant us to find the way that leads to unity, 

in obedience to your love and your truth. 

Amen. 

The Holy Father Pope Francis has given his approval for the  publication of this document. 

From the Vatican, 5 June 2020 

Kurt Cardinal Koch 

President 

Brian Farrell 

Titular Bishop of Abitine 

Secretary

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Catholic Documents on Ecumenism 

Second Vatican Council Unitatis redintegratio (1964),  Decree on Ecumenism.  

Saint John Paul II Ut unum sint (1995), Encyclical on  Commitment to Ecumenism. 

Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and  United Bible Societies, Guidelines for Interconfessional  Cooperation in Translating the Bible (1987). 

Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on  Ecumenism (1993). 

Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, The  Ecumenical Dimension in the Formation of those Engaged  in Pastoral Work (1997). 

For these documents and for further documentation,  information and resources see the website of the Pontifical  Council for Promoting Christian Unity  (www.christianunity.va).

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Appendix 

The international dialogue partners of the Catholic  Church 

Bilateral dialogue 

The work of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian  Unity is both to foster ever-closer relations with our brothers and  sisters in Christ (the Dialogue of Love) and to strive to overcome  the doctrinal divisions which prevent us from being able to share  full, visible communion (the Dialogue of Truth). It conducts  bilateral dialogues or conversations with the following Christian  communities.19 

Orthodox Churches of the Byzantine Tradition Churches of the Byzantine tradition are united by the recognition  of the seven ecumenical councils of the first millennium and the  same spiritual and canonical tradition inherited from Byzantium.  These Churches, which form the Orthodox Church as a whole,  are organized according to the principle of autocephaly, each  with its own primate and the Ecumenical Patriarch having,  among them, the primacy of honour. The unanimously  recognised autocephalous Churches are: the Patriarchates of  Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Moscow,  Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, and the Autocephalous  Churches of Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Albania, and the Czech  Lands and Slovakia. Some of the patriarchates also include so called “autonomous” churches within them. In 2019 the  Ecumenical Patriarch granted a tomos of autocephaly to the  Orthodox Church of Ukraine. This Church is still in the process    

19. Before entering into ecumenical relations locally and nationally it  is helpful first of all to establish that a particular Christian community  is in a full communion relationship with one of the worldwide  communions listed in this appendix. There are, for example, non 

canonical Orthodox Churches, Anglican provinces or dioceses which  are not in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and many  Baptist communities are not members of the Baptist World Alliance.  Furthermore, there are also communities that do not have a  representative global structure. Discernment is required when entering  into ecumenical relations with such groups. It may be helpful to seek  advice from the ecumenical commission of the bishops’ conference or  synod, or from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

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of being recognised by other Churches. The International Joint  Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic  Church and the Orthodox Church as a whole, founded in 1979,  has adopted six texts. The first three documents concerned the  sacramental structure of the Church (Munich, 1982; Bari, 1987;  and Valamo, 1988) and the fourth addressed the question of  uniatism (Balamand, 1993). After a period of crisis, a new phase  of dialogue began in 2006 focussing on the relationship between  primacy and synodality and to date has adopted two documents  (Ravenna 2007, and Chieti 2016). 

Oriental Orthodox Churches 

The Oriental Orthodox Churches, also known as “non Chalcedonian” because they do not recognize the fourth  Ecumenical Council, are distinguished between three main  traditions: Coptic, Syriac and Armenian. An international joint  commission was established in 2003 bringing together all the  seven Churches that recognise the first three ecumenical  councils: the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Syrian Orthodox  Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church (Catholicosate of  Etchmiadzin and Catholicosate of Cilicia), the Malankar  Orthodox-Syrian Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo  Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. A first  phase of the dialogue culminated in 2009 with a document on  the nature and mission of the Church. A new phase resulted in  the adoption in 2015 of a document on the exercise of  communion in the life of the early Church. The current dialogue  is about the sacraments.  

Parallel to this commission there is also a special  dialogue with the Malankara Churches of South India. In 1989  and 1990, two parallel bilateral dialogues were established  respectively with the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and  with the Malankara (Jacobite) Syrian Orthodox Church, and  these were maintained despite the foundation of the commission  mentioned above. These dialogues focus on three main themes:  Church history, common witness and ecclesiology.  

Assyrian Church of the East 

The dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian  Church of the East has produced many fruitful results. As a  result of a first phase of dialogue on christological issues Pope 

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John Paul II and Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV signed a Joint  Christological Declaration in 1994, which opened new horizons  for both theological dialogue and pastoral collaboration.  Subsequently, the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue  between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the  East planned two further phases of work: one on sacramental  theology and the other on the constitution of the Church. The  second phase of dialogue concluded with a wide consensus on  sacramental issues allowing the publication by the PCPCU of  the “Guidelines For Admission To The Eucharist Between The  Chaldean Church and The Assyrian Church Of The East”, and  an agreement on the final document entitled Common Statement  on Sacramental Life, adopted in 2017. The third phase of the  dialogue on the nature and constitution of the Church started in  2018. 

Old Catholic Church of the Union of Utrecht 

The Union of Utrecht comprises six national churches that  belong to the International Old Catholic Bishops’ Conference.  Listed in the order of entry into the Union (1889 onwards) they  are the Old Catholic Churches in the Netherlands, Germany,  Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland. The  International Roman Catholic–Old Catholic Dialogue  Commission was established in 2004. Its recent publication The  Church and Ecclesial Communion incorporates the two reports  of 2009 and 2016. It concludes that the shared understanding of  the Church as a multilayered communion of local churches may  open up common vistas and enable a common vision of the  primacy of the Bishop of Rome within a universal synodal  perspective.  

Anglican Communion 

The Anglican Communion has 39 Provinces and more than 85  million members. Although others claim the name Anglican, the  communion is defined as being those dioceses whose bishop is  in communion with the ancient See of Canterbury. Ecumenical  dialogue between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic  Church began after the historic meeting between Saint Paul VI  and Archbishop Michael Ramsey in 1966. The first Anglican– Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC I) met  between 1970 and 1981. It produced a high level of agreement 

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on the topics of Eucharist and Ministry. ARCIC II took up the  work of its predecessor on authority in an important document  entitled The Gift of Authority (1999). It also produced agreed  statements on salvation, Mary, ecclesiology, ethics and grace.  Most recently ARCIC III has published an agreed statement on  ecclesiology entitled Walking Together on the Way. The  International Anglican–Roman Catholic Commission for Unity  and Mission (IARCCUM) is a commission of paired Anglican  and Catholic bishops who seek to further the reception of  ARCIC’s documents and to give greater witness to our common  faith in service of those in need. 

Lutheran World Federation (LWF) 

The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of 148 Lutheran churches which live in pulpit and altar fellowship.  LWF member churches can be found in 99 countries and  together they have over 75.5 million members. The LWF was  founded in 1947 in Lund. The Lutheran–Catholic Commission  on Unity began its work in 1967. The dialogue between  Catholics and Lutherans has continued uninterrupted since then.  In the five phases of the dialogue, the Commission has published  study documents on the gospel and the Church, ministry,  Eucharist, justification and the apostolicity of the Church. Its  current working theme is Baptism and growth in communion.  An important historical milestone in Lutheran–Catholic  relations was achieved by The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine  of Justification (1999). The theology of justification was the  central theological dispute between Martin Luther and the  church authorities which led to the Reformation. The Joint  Declaration proposes 44 common affirmations relating to the  doctrine of justification. On the basis of the high degree of  consensus reached it was agreed that the condemnations in  Lutheran Confessions and in the Council of Trent no longer  apply. The document From Conflict to Communion (2013)  marked the Lutheran–Catholic Common Commemoration of the  500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. 

World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) The World Communion of Reformed Churches and its member  churches trace their roots to the 16th century Reformation led by  John Calvin, John Knox, and Ulrich Zwingli, and to the earlier  reforming movements of Jan Hus and Peter Valdes. WCRC 

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member churches are Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed, United/Uniting and Waldensian. In 2010, the World Alliance of  Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical  Council (REC) united to create the World Communion of  Reformed Churches. The Reformed–Roman Catholic  Commission officially began its work in Rome in 1970. A total  of four phases of dialogue have been held by the Commission  producing the following four dialogue reports: The Presence of  Christ in Church and World (1970–1977); Towards a Common  Understanding of the Church (1984–1990); The Church as  Community of Common Witness to the Kingdom of God (1998– 2005); and Justification and Sacramentality: The Christian  Community as an Agent for Justice (2011–2015). 

World Methodist Council (WMC) 

The World Methodist Council is an association of 80 churches  from across the world. Most of these have their roots in the  teaching of the 18th century Anglican preacher, John Wesley.  Methodists have a long history of ecumenical covenants and so  in many countries such as Canada, Australia and India,  Methodists have become part of United or Uniting Churches.  The Methodist–Roman Catholic International Commission  began work in 1967. The Commission produces reports every  five years to coincide with the meetings of the World Methodist  Council. These reports have focussed on topics such as: the Holy  Spirit, the Church, the sacraments, the apostolic tradition,  revelation and faith, teaching authority in the Church, and  holiness. The 2017–2021 phase of dialogue focusses on the  theme of the Church as a reconciled and reconciling community.  

Mennonite World Conference (MWC) 

The Mennonite World Conference represents the majority of the  global family of Christian churches that have their origins in the  16th century Radical Reformation in Europe, and particularly in  the Anabaptist movement. MWC membership includes 107  Mennonite and Brethren in Christ national churches from 58  countries, with around 1.5 million baptized believers. International conversations between the Roman Catholic Church  and the MWC started in 1998 and produced one dialogue report, 

Called Together to Be Peacemakers (1998–2003).

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More recently (2012–2017) the PCPCU has  participated in a tripartite dialogue called the International  Trilateral Dialogue Commission with the MWC and the LWF  which finalised a report in 2017 entitled “Baptism and  Incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church”. 

Baptist World Alliance (BWA) 

The Alliance is a worldwide fellowship of Baptist believers  formed in London in 1905. Currently there are about 240  member churches totalling approximately 46 million members. The Baptist movement began in 17th century England as a  separatist movement breaking from the Puritans and advocating  the radical separation of church and state. Early leaders of the  movement (John Smyth and Thomas Helwys) became  convinced that infant baptism was contrary to Scripture. Along  with the Mennonites (Anabaptists), who influenced Baptist  theology in Holland and beyond, Baptists do not practise infant baptism but advocate what they term “believers’ baptism”. The  Baptist–Roman Catholic international conversations began in  1984. Two phases of international dialogues have produced two  reports: Summons to Witness to Christ in Today’s World (1984– 1988) and The Word of God in the Life of the Church (2006– 

2010). Currently, a third phase of dialogue is reflecting on the  theme of common Christian witness in the contemporary world.  

Disciples of Christ 

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was born in the early  19th century in the USA, out of a search for both catholicity and  unity. Christian unity is foremost in the Disciples’ doctrine of  the church and in their witness to the kingdom of God. They  refer to themselves as a “Protestant Eucharistic community” and  frequently repeat that “our reconciling journey begins, and ends,  at the [Eucharistic] Table”. The dialogue with the Catholic  Church started in 1977 and has published four documents:  Apostolicity and Catholicity (1982); The Church as Communion  in Christ (1992); Handing on the Faith (2002); and The  Presence of Christ in the Church with particular reference to the  Eucharist (2009).

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Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements 

The Los Angeles Azusa Street Revival Movement in 1906 is  usually considered as the beginning of the Pentecostal  Movement. Classical Pentecostalism has its origins in this  Revival that soon formed into denominations in the protestant  sense and have since become international networks such as the  Assemblies of God, Four Square Gospel, and the Church of God.  The Denominational Pentecostals which sprang from revivals in  the 1950s within different Christian traditions while remaining  within these confessional boundaries are normally called  Charismatics (the Catholic Charismatic Renewal born in 1968 is  part of this movement while remaining an ecclesial movement  within the Catholic Church). Lastly Non-Denominational  Pentecostals or New Charismatic Churches appeared in late  1980s and 1990s. At present Pentecostals and Charismatics are  estimated to number about 500 million globally. The  Pentecostal–Catholic dialogue began in 1972 and has produced  six reports the most recent of which, Do Not Quench the Spirit,  addresses charisms in the life and mission of the Church. 

A series of preliminary conversations between a group  of leaders of the New Charismatic Churches (NCC) and the  Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity took place in  the Vatican (2008–12). At the end of this preliminary phase, it 

was agreed to have a round of conversations to explore their  identity and self-understanding (2014–18). A document entitled  “The Characteristics of the New Charismatic Churches” resulted from the NCC’s reflections on these conversations. It is not an  ecumenical document, but represents the NCC’s attempt to  describe themselves in a dialogical context and is intended to  help and encourage relations between Catholics and New 

Charismatic leaders around the world. 

World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) 

Evangelicals are one of the first ecumenical movements in  modern church history. Originally, the Evangelical Alliance,  founded in 1846 in London, brought together Christians of  Lutheran, Reformed, and Anabaptist traditions. In the founding  of the Evangelical Alliance (now World Evangelical Alliance),  a personal relationship to Christ was considered the fundamental  uniting value, that is the sense of conversion (repentance) and  spiritual rebirth (born-again Christians). Even though the 

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Evangelicals agree on the four so-called exclusive articles of the  Reformation (“solas”), at present issues around mission and  evangelism are the core concern for Evangelicals, who belong to  very many different ecclesial traditions from Anglicanism to  Pentecostalism. The World Evangelical Alliance, an association  of National Evangelical Alliances with a visible infrastructure,  and the Lausanne Movement, which for the most part is an  association of individual Evangelicals, represent the concerns of  Evangelicalism today. Three rounds of international  consultations have been undertaken between representatives of  the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the  WEA and have produced three reports: Evangelicals and  Catholics on Mission (ERCDOM, 1976–1984); Church,  Evangelisation and the Bonds of Koinonia (1997–2002); ‘Scripture and Tradition’ and ‘The Church in Salvation’ – Catholics and Evangelicals Explore Challenges and  Opportunities (2009–2016). 

Salvation Army 

The Salvation Army has its roots in mid-19th century England,  as a mission movement for the poor and marginalized. The  founder, William Booth, was a Methodist minister. The  Salvation Army operates in 124 countries. Its membership  includes more than 17,000 active and more than 8,700 retired  officers, over 1 million soldiers, around 100,000 other  employees and more than 4.5 million volunteers. Salvationists  can be classified as Evangelical Christians who do not practise  any sacraments. A series of informal ecumenical conversations  between Salvationists and the Pontifical Council for Promoting  Christian Unity began in 2007 in Middlesex, United Kingdom.  There were a total of five meetings ending in 2012. A summary  of the international dialogue was published by the Salvation  Army in 2014 under the title Conversations with the Catholic  Church

Multilateral dialogues 

Through the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity  the Catholic Church also engages in multilateral dialogues. 

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World Council of Churches (WCC) 

Founded in 1948, the World Council of Churches is “a  fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as  God and Saviour according to the scriptures, and therefore seek  to fulfil together their common calling to the glory of the one  God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (The Basis adopted by the  Third Assembly in New Delhi in 1961). The WCC is today the  broadest and most inclusive organized expression of the  ecumenical movement. It brings together 350 member churches including Orthodox, Lutherans, Reformed, Anglicans,  Methodists, Baptists as well as Evangelicals, Pentecostals and  United and Independent churches. All together they represent  over 500 million Christians from all continents and more than  110 countries. 

Although the Catholic Church is not a member of the  WCC, there has been growing collaboration on issues of  common concern since the Second Vatican Council. The most  important collaboration for the pursuit of the goal of full visible  unity is undertaken through the Pontifical Council for Promoting  Christian Unity (PCPCU). This includes the Joint Working  Group (established in 1965), collaboration in the field of  ecumenical formation and education, and the common  preparation of the material for the Week of Prayer for Christian  Unity. Catholic experts are also members of various  commissions of the WCC such as the Commission on World  Mission and Evangelism, the Commission on Ecumenical  Education and Formation, as well as various ad hoc working  groups related to specific projects. Particularly important for  resolving doctrinal, moral and structural divergences among the  Churches is the Commission on Faith and Order, 10% of whose  membership is Catholic. Since its establishment in 1948, the  Commission has undertaken many studies on important  ecumenical topics including Holy Scripture and Tradition,  apostolic faith, anthropology, hermeneutics, reconciliation,  violence and peace, preservation of creation, and visible unity.  In 1982 it published Baptism, Eucharist, Ministry (BEM, also  known as The Lima Statement), the first multilateral  convergence statement on the issues at the heart of the  ecumenical debate. The official Catholic response (1987)  expressed the conviction that the study of ecclesiology should  take a central place in ecumenical dialogue in order to resolve 

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remaining issues. In 2013, the Commission published a second  convergence statement The Church: Towards a Common Vision (TCTCV). A result of three decades of intense theological  dialogue involving hundreds of theologians and church leaders,  TCTCV demonstrates “how far Christian communities have  come in their common understanding of the church, showing the  progress that has been made and indicating work that still needs  to be done” (Introduction). The official Catholic response (2019)  makes it clear that without pretending to having achieved full  agreement, TCTCV shows growing consensus on controversial  issues regarding the Church’s nature, mission and unity.  

Global Christian Forum (GCF) 

The Global Christian Forum is a recent ecumenical initiative that  emerged at the end of the last century within the context of the  WCC. It intends to create an open space – a forum – where  representatives of the so-called “historic churches” (Catholic,  Orthodox and post-Reformation Protestant churches) and those  identified as “recent churches” (Pentecostal, Evangelical and  Independent) could join together on an equal basis to foster  mutual respect, to share faith stories, and to address together  common challenges. The aim of the GCF is to gather around one  table representatives of almost all Christian traditions, including  African Instituted Churches, mega churches, migrant churches,  and new ecumenical movements and communities. Represented  in the GCF are many Christian world communions and world  Christian organisations, including the Pontifical Council for  Promoting Christian Unity, the Pentecostal World Fellowship,  the World Evangelical Alliance and the World Council of  Churches. Without formal membership, the GCF provides space  for networking and for church leaders to explore issues of  common interest in the fast changing context of global  Christianity today. 

Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) The Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) is a  fellowship of over 90 Protestant churches which have signed the  Leuenberg Agreement. Its aim is to implement church  fellowship through common witness and service. Membership  consists of most of the Lutheran and Reformed churches in  Europe, the United churches originating from mergers of those  churches, the Waldensian Church, and the European Methodist 

49 

churches. Some European churches have remained outside the  fellowship, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland  and the Church of Sweden. In a worship service in Basel on 16 September 2018, the CPCE and the Pontifical Council for  Promoting Christian Unity committed to begin an official  dialogue on the theme of church and church communion. 

50 

 

.VII. Listen, Read and Share Links of The Great Controversy Book Audio  All Chapters-English and in Kinyarwanda:

Repetition Model application for 2300 Prophetic Days, as coupled to Historical 5 Strongest worldwide Empires from Babylon to Pagan Roman Empire till end of Early Christianity and Raise of Final Vatican Papacy 7th/2/2021 to 31st/7/2024.



You can Click Here to View our Alarm, set for You to Start Counting down for 2nd Coming of Our Lord Messiah Jesus Christ our King of 7th Day Holy Sabbath and of All Sealed 7th Day Holy Sabbath Keepers until Tuesday, 15 October 2024 (Chicago time).




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The Great Controversy

Home EGW Writings Books The Great Controversy

Preface



The Book Great Controversy in Audio: Igitabo Intambara Ikomeye mu majwi
0.[Chapter 00- Introduction/The Great Controversy-Audio],(Chap 0-IJAMBO RY'IBANZE in Kinyarwanda )


Appendix

Copy and paste to share to 7 people /Sangiza n' abandi bantu 7,Yesu yaje twatashye:2020-06-06:14h41'51''Inama y' Agakiza Yesu i Getsemani itangiranye n' itariki ya 1Nzeri2020 kugeza kw' Itegeko ry' Icyumweru 15Gashyantare 2021,Yesu azagaruka 15 Ukwakira 2024,Isaha yageze,Mwiyeze Imbabazi Z'Imana Kubeza Isabato ni 22Ukwakira 2020. Imvura y'itumba n'ihembura rizamara amezi 3 n' iminsi 15, bizahuza na Gashyantare 7th-17th, 2020.Twatashye Yesu Yaje,Mwige Ikigisho cya 42 Intambara Ikomeye, musome Yesaya 12:1-6, Musome 1 Abami 81:66, Mubihuze na Yohana 17:1-26"17:17"Ubereshe Ukuri, Ijambo Ryawe niryo Kuri:1)Inyandiko: http://www.africanunionsc.org/2020/06/2020060614h4151getsemani-itangiranye.html  ,2) Amajwi: https://vocaroo.com/93jDG6UqbSC , 3) YouTube updates on Sunday Law movements: http://www.africanunionsc.org/2020/05/click-here-to-listen-to-updated-sunday.html 
Ijambo ry' Umwanditsi ku musomyi W' IGITABO INTAMBARA IKOMEYE"YouTube"(Isengesho):

"Uwiteka Imana yacu Uhabwe ikuzo n' Icyubahiro, dore aho iki gitabo kigeze , mumajwi, umuntu wese uje aha abasha nawe kumva ibice byose by'iki gitabo INTAMBARA IKOMEYE mu Kinyarwanda, kandi akanakanda ahanditse download, ibice byacyo byose uko ari 42 akabikura kuri interineti akabika amajwi y' iki gitabo hafi ye , bitewe n'akarengane kegereje abeza isabato yawe Data wa twese ,akazabasha kuba aho yabisangiza n'abandi bitamusabye kuba yasubiye kuri interneti.
kandi Mwami mana yanjye ,nkaba ngusaba kumvisha abasoma iby'iyi nyandiko kurararikirwa nayo gutakambira Uwiteka Imana yacu ngo tubashe guhabwa Imbabai z' Ibyaha , no gusukirwa Umwuka Wera Mu Mvura y'itumba.
Mbisabye byose mu Izina rya Yesu Kristo Umwami n'Umukza wacu.Amen."

Igitabo cy' Intambara Ikomeye mu majwi kuri interineti,Umva ibice byose , ubikurure ho ubibike ,ubisangize n' abandi;14/06/2020:

0.Chap 0-IJAMBO RY'IBANZE
1.Chap 1-KURIMBUKA KWA YERUSALEMU
2.Chap 2-AKARENGANE MU BINYEJANA BYA MBERE
3.Chap 3-INTANDARO YO KUGOMA
4.Chap 4- ABAVODUWA
5.Chap 5-YOHANI WYCLIFE
6.Chap 6-HUSE NA YORAMU
7.Chap 7-LUTHER YITANDUKANYA NA ROMA
8.Chap 8-LUTHER IMBERE Y'URUKIKO RW'I WORMS
9.Chap 9-ZWINGLE
10.Chap 10-AMAJYAMBERE Y'UBUGOROZI MU BUDAGE
11.Chap 11-UBUHAKANYI BW'IBIKOMANGOMA
12.Chap 12-UBUGOROZI MU BUFARANSA
13.Chap 13-IBIHUGU BYITWA PAYS-BAS
14.Chap 14-ABAGOROZI BAKURIKIYEHO MU BWONGEREZA
15.Chap 15-BIBILIYA N'IHINDURAMATWARA MU BUFARANSA
16.Chap 16-ABAPADIRI B'ABAGENZI
17.Chap 17-INTEGUZA ZO MU RUTURUTURU
18.Chap 18-UMUGOROZI W'UMUNYAMERIKA
19.Chap 19-KUVA MU MWIJIMA UJYA MU MUCYO
20.Chap 20-IVUGURURA RIKOMEYE MU ITORERO
21.Chap 21-UKUBURIRWA KUTITAWEHO
22.Chap 22-UBUHANUZI BUSOHORA
23.Chap 23-UBUTURO BWERA
24.Chap 24-AHERA CYANE
25.Chap 25-AMATEGEKO Y'IMANA NTAHINDUKA
26.Chap 26-UMURIMO W'UBUGOROZI
27.Chap 27-IVUGURURA RYO MURI IKI GIHE
28.Chap 28-ISUZUMARUBANZA
29.Chap 29-INKOMOKO Y'IKIBI
30.Chap 30-URWANGO HAGATI Y'UMUNTU NA SATANI
31.Chap 31- UMURIMO W'IMYUKA MIBI
32.Chap 32-IMITEGO YA SATANI:(Imyaka 6000)
33.Chap 33-IKINYOMA GIKOMEYE CYA MBERE NA MBERE
34.Chap 34-ABAPFUYE BASHOBORA KUVUGANA N'ABAZIMA
35.Chap 35-IMICO N'IMIGAMBI Y'UBUPAPA
36.Chap 36-INTAMBARA YEGEREJE N'INTANDARO YAYO
37.Chap 37-IBYANDITSWE BYERA NI UMURINZI WACU
38.Chap 38-IMIBURO IHERUKA
39.Chap 39-IGIHE CY'UMUBABARO
40.Chap 40-GUCUNGURWA K'UBWOKO BW'IMANA
41.Chap 41-ISI IHINDUKA UMUSAKA
42.Chap 42-IHEREZO RY'INTAMBARA:(Imyaka 6000)

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