Subversive Christian Unity

Pope Francis has veered  all over the place in his public statements, making some remarks that are later walked back by his church. These statements have been, in general, political ploys, to garner headlines and popularity: about gays, about socialism, about capitalism, and so on. Here, though, he is not playing to the grandstand of political opinion but speaking on a spiritual topic. He is here addressing Catholicism's Charismatic Renewal in remarks made earlier this month. I do not think this one will need walking back. Read his full remarks at the link below; I have quoted the parts I find most interesting with respect to this blog's mission and focus. Pope's Address to Charismatic Renewal | ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome : (Excerpt) "There is another strong sign of the Spirit in Charismatic Renewal: the search for unity of the Body of Christ. You, Charismatics, have a special grace to pray and work for Christian unity, because the current of grace go

My view is that here in the formerly Christian West, we are now living in the most corrupt era of the church, ever. At least the Renaissance papacies kept some veneer of sanctity and moral law, but these days you can find a church that will openly approve any sinful predilection you wish, or one that will at least agree to look the other way. If you cannot find one, no problem, simply start one up. Or if you have some particular doctrinal ax to grind, you can find a church full of fellow grinders to grind it along with you, never mind that such activities take us farther from, not closer to, our Lord's stated goal that his church show visible unity before the unsaved world. The legacy of the Reformation is that denominations can be formed around opinions. While that served at the time to preserve various valuable viewpoints in an era when dissent and reasoned discussion were suppressed, it has now become a woeful source of ongoing schisms. For just one example out of many I c