THE
POPE INVITES CLOSE FRIENDS TO ASSISI
The
following news release comes to us courtesy of Domus Enterprises, which calls
itself "an international news organization, staffed by lay Catholic
journalists, dedicated to providing accurate world news, written from a
distinctly Catholic perspective."
VATICAN,
Jan 17, 02 (CWNews.com)- The Italian daily newspaper Avvenire has published a
list of the religious leaders expected to participate in the January 24
inter-religious observance at Assisi.
The
Vatican has not yet released an official list of the participants, explaining
that the list will not be considered complete until all those invited have
responded. An estimated 300 people are expected to be involved, representing 44
different religious bodies.
Avvenire
reported that 33 cardinals are expected, led by the Vatican Secretary of State,
Cardinal Angelo Sodano; the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal
Giovanni Battista Re; the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace, Cardinal Francois-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan; the president of the
Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper; and Cardinal
Etchegaray, who organized the original inter-religious ceremony in Assisi in
1986. Also present will be representatives of the Episcopal conferences of
Algeria, Angola, the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria. Rwanda, and
Sudan-- countries where inter-religious dialogue is particularly important.
The
Orthodox churches of the world will send 11 patriarchs to Assisi, led by the
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. But no representative of
the Moscow patriarchate is expected. About 50 Islamic leaders will attend,
coming from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, the Philippines, and
Jordan. And Jewish rabbis will come from Jerusalem, France, and the United
States-- along with Elio Toaff, the former chief rabbi of Rome. Protestant
bodies will be represented by Konrad Kaiser, the secretary-general of the World
council of Churches; Anglican Bishop Richard Garrard of Rome; Setri Nyomi of the
World Alliance of Reformed Churches; George Freeman of the World Methodist
Council; Cecil Robeck of the Pentecostal church; Alvin Jackson of the Disciples
of Christ; Theodor Angelou of the European Baptist Federation and
Bert Beach of the Seventh-Day Adventists.
The
Vatican also expects representatives of Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Hinduism,
Zoroastrianism, and traditional African faiths. The Italian government will be
represented in Assisi by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi.
All
these participants are expected to be aboard a specially chartered train that
will leave Rome for Assisi on the morning af January 24, returning that evening.
CW
News DAILY NEWS BRIEF for JANUARY 17,2002 C>
Copyright
2002 Domus Enterprises, An international news organization, staffed by lay
Catholic journalists, dedicated to providing accurate world news, written from a
distinctly Catholic perspective
High-ranking
officials in any important organization—whether it be political, corporate,
governmental, or religious—have a short list of close friends that they make
sure they invite to special meetings.
To
this, they then add other names and organizations, which will be invited. The
secondary list consists of representatives of organizations to which they have
not had close ties over a period of time or which do not ordinarily attend their
meetings-but should attend this one.
From
time to time, the Vatican, one of the most headline-hungry organizations in the
world, decides to convene an ecumenical gathering in Rome or Assisi. The
resultant assembly accomplishes little other than grabbing media headlines
throughout the world for a few days. It is remarkable that the other
denominations and world churches willingly cooperate in this magnifying of the
papacy, yet they happily do so.
Such
meetings accomplish two objectives: First, they demonstrate that the Vatican is
still a world power, able to call together key representatives from various
governments and denominations throughout the world. It is thus shown to be an
international organization, with close ties to power brokers everywhere, able
to convene meetings which no one else seems able.
Second,
in rank, the Vatican is careful to stand a little above the other organizations
attending those gatherings. Its leader sits in the middle of a row of a few
topmost leaders and at the front of an assembly of hundreds of them. He is
always the featured speaker. His organization makes all preparatory and session
arrangements, scheduling, and press releases. By papal standards, all other
organizations and religions are thus shown to be subservient to the man the
Italians fondly refer to as il papa.
If
you stop to consider the matter, what do other denominational headquarters
normally do? They spend their time quietly tending to their own church affairs. Not
so with the Catholic Church; it is different. The little horn power is always
anxious to speak great things and show the world it is very important. It is
always at work, planning ways to express its pomposity. The very word,
"pontificate," which comes from one of the names of the pope, is
defined in the dictionary as "to speak or act with haughty, pompous
self-importance or authority." That is the description, etched in
history, of the "horn that had eyes and a mouth that spake very great
things, whose look was more stout than his fellows" (Daniel 7:20; cf. 7:8).
In
1986, the Vatican appointed Cardinal Etchegaray to organize the first
inter-religious meeting. Assisi, Italy, was selected as the location for the
gathering; as the home of the founder of the Franciscans, it savored of
historical Catholic significance. As John Paul II's papacy draws to a close (due
to his gradually weakening health) , a second worldwide interfaith assembly at
Assisi was scheduled for Thursday, January 24.
In
preparation for it, a short list of close associates and friends in important
positions most likely to respond favorably was drawn up. Vatican leadership
was so certain that they would attend that those few names were released in
advance.
The
longer list of Roman Catholic leaders included very many lesser, unnamed
Catholic leaders from all over the world, including eight nations in which
Rome is trying to obtain a stronger grip: Algeria, Angola, Philippines,
Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Sudan.
This
short list of Catholic dignitaries included only five men, all of them
cardinals:
.
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican Secretary of State.
.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
.
Cardinal Francois-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, President afilie Pontifical Council
for Justice and Peace.
.
Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Christian
Unity.
.
Cardinal Etchegaray, the organizer of the 1986 Assisi conference.
The
longer list of non-Catholic representatives to the gathering
included representatives from many specific denominations, world religions, and
secular governments throughout the world. Yet specific names were not given, for
it was the offices that counted; the men filling them apparently did not have a
close, ongoing, relationship to the Vatican. This longer list included:
Eleven
Orthodox patriarchs, 50 Islamic leaders from seven nations, and Jewish rabbis
from four nations. This long list also included representatives of Buddhism,
Jainism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and native African faiths (ie.,
witch doctors, etc.).
Next,
we consider the short list of non-Catholic invitees. We want to pay close
attention to these men and the offices they fill. All have, in the past, been
key men in ongoing ecumenical contacts carried on by the Vatican. If you have
any question about the fact, just consider who is included.
It
is a striking fact that, aside from five Catholic cardinals, only eleven other
men were specifically named. These were extremely important non-Catholic
contacts that the Vatican has regularly worked with.
Here
is the list of these 11 very special people:
.
Konrad Kaiser, Secretary-General of the World Council of Churches.
.
Setri Nyomi, an officer of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.
.
George Freeman, an officer of the World Methodist Council.
.
Theodor Angelou, an officer of the European Baptist Federation.
.
EUo Toaff, former chief rabbi of the city of Rome, Italy.
.
Richard Garrard, Anglican Bishop of the city of Rome, Italy.
.
Cecil Robeck, an officer of the Pentecostal Church.
.
Alvin Jackson, an officer of the Disciples of Christ.
.
Bert Beverly Beach, an officer of the General Conference of Seventh-day
Adventists.
.
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of Italy.
.
Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy.
Let
us carefully consider the above list. The few very important persons
specifically named is clearly of peculiar significance.
The
Catholic news release specifically states that "an estimated 300
people," "representing 44 different religious bodies," were
expected to attend this international ecumenical conference, hosted by the pope
of Rome.
Yet,
out of 300 people, only five Catholic cardinals, nine Protestant leaders, and
two movement leaders are specifically named.
Who
are the five named Catholics?
.
The Vatican Secretary of State is the second most influential individual in the
Vatican. If you have read my book, The Murder of Pope John Paul I, you learned
that, in my opinion, it was his secretary of state who murdered him.
.
The Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops is the Vatican's liaison with
Catholic bishops throughout the world, including missionary districts where the
hierarchy has not been established, a very important position indeed.
.
The President of the Pontifical Councilor Justice and Peace works with
non-Catholic organizations and governments throughout the world. Ostensibly
organized by Pope Paul VI on January 6, 1967, to promote international social
justice, aid underdeveloped nations, and seek ways of encouraging peace among
all peoples,—the PCJP is actually used to increase Catholic influence and
control in nations throughout the world.
.
The President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity oversees all
contacts with the World Council of Churches in Geneva, national ecumenical
councils in every country on earth, and religious organizations worldwide.
This is the ecumenical arm of the Vatican, and was established as a result of
Vatican II in the mid-1960s. It is the PCCU's connections with the WCC—and
those of our General Conference with the WCC; both started in 1967-which have
unfortunately linked us so closely together. It is as a result of such contacts
that we gave the gold medal to Pore Paul VI in 1977.
.
The organizer of this and the preceding (1986) ecumenical conference at
Assisi—would, of course, be one of the few people specifically named.
Those
are the only five men on the Vatican's short list for this ecumenical gathering.
Next
we turn our attention to the 11 non-Catholics which were specifically named:
.
The President and Prime Minister of Italy would, of course, be named.
.
Nine important religious leaders, each one representing a major segment of
Christendom would, of course, be named. These nine would be expected to be key
contact meTI between the other churches and Rome. Look over the list; it is
significant:
.
The chief rabbi and Anglican bishop of the city of Rome, both contact men
between the Vatican, world Jewry, and the Anglican Church. You would expect that
neither the Jews nor the British would want to work quietly with the Vatican
through a representative in the city of Rome.
.
Key ecumenical liaisons representing the four major, international, ecumenical
church confederations: The World Council of Churches, The World Alliance of
Reformed [Calvinist, Presbyterian] Churches, The World Methodist Council, and
The European Baptist Federation.
In
addition, three other men were mentioned. Out of 300 delegates to the
convention, why were these three singled out for special mention?
They
are obviously closely involved in ecumenical relations, on behalf of their
denominations, with the Vatican. Can there be any other reason?
One
might reply, "Yes, because those three had already accepted the
invitation." Not se, we know that Beach had not yet accepted.
The
16 men on the short list (five of whom were cardinals) were named because they
ranked very high in maintaining Vatican relations with other churches and
governments.
They
were named because they had worked so closely with Rome in the past; it was
fully expected that they would accept the invitation to attend, so their names
were released in advance.
.
The remaining three non-Catholics on the short list were: Cecil Robeck, a
Pentecostal; Alvin Jackson, of the Disciples of Christ; and Bert B. Beach, an
officer (recently retired) of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Why
was Beach named?
SimpIe
enough: He has been the Seventh-day Adventist Church contact man with the WCC
and the Vatican for decades. Indeed, he has probably been a liaison with the WCC
and Rome longer than any other man named on the entire list—Catholic,
Protestant, or governmental!
Who
is Bert B. Beach? He is the son of Walter Beach, Secretary of the General
Conference in 1950s, when I attended our Seminary and worked on the night crew
at the General Conference. Bert Beach is a European who speaks several languages
fluently and has been the General Conference representative to the WCC since
1967—the same year that Pope Paul VI appointed its first Vatican
representative to the WCC.
Now
you can understand why Bert Beach was our denomination's representative in
kneeling before the pope on May 18,1977, and offering him a gold medallion on
behalf the people and organization of Seventh-day Adventists.
He
was in Rome that day as leader of the World Confessional Families (now called
Christian World Communions), an interfaith organization of several Protestant
denominations, organized by the WCC in 1968. How did he get appointed to that
position? It carne as a result of his year-after-year contacts With Protestant
church leaders at WCC headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ignore
this talk that our church does not have a representative at the World Council of
Churches! We have had one there for 35 years! Is he voting member? He most
assuredly is. He is a voting member of the most important ecumenical and
interfaith doctrinal committee of the WCC, representing a broad range of
Protestant denominations (The Faith and Order Commission). On that committee has
sat a Vatican representative since 1967, the same year that Beach carne on
board.
In
fact, Beach has been the chairman of that WCC ecumenical committee for at least
two decades!
Why
was he so influential? First, he is at ease in so many European languages.
Second, he has been on the committee longer than anyone else. Third, he is so
friendly, that he sets all the newcomers at case. He is an extremely congenial
person. Fourth, he knows all the background of ecumenical activities of the committee
and the WCC, going back further than anyone else. So it has been natural for the
representatives to elect this friendly, astute, knowledgeable man of affairs,
year after year, as committee chairman.
If
you ask our church leaders about this, they will reply that the General
Conference is not, and has never held membership in the World Council of
Churches. Very true. Instead, the General Conference used two ruses to maintain
its very close connections with the WCC.
First,
our General Conference appointed Bert Beach as a voting "personal
representative" to this key WCC interfaith Faith and Order Commission,
especially set up for the purpose of cooperating With the Vatican II objective
of sending representatives to the other churches and to the WCC, but not joining
the WCC.
It
is significant that, of all the denominations in Christendom, only two chose to
send representatives Without joining the WCC. Everyone else either joined it or
stayed out of it entirely. Those two were the Roman Catholic Church and the
Seventh-day Adventist Church. They send "personal representatives."
Why
did the Catholic Church do that? It wanted to deepen its contacts and alliances
with the other churches; but, because its doctrines taught that it was the only
true church of Christ, it did not want to lower itself to full membership in the
WCC.
The
Adventist Church followed the same route because it knew its members (most of
whom were still conservative back then) would be extremely upset if it openly
joined the WCC.
So
both organizations used the device of joining a committee, giving them access to
the WCC and other churches without accepting the problems, which would result
from, what the WCC calls, a "full membership." Second, our General
Conference also appointed several Bible teachers at Andrews to the WCC, on a
rotating basis, as additional "personal representatives." This
fiction was originality used by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the early 1940s, when
he appointed Myron Taylor as ambassador to the Vatican. RooseveIt well knew the
American public would not tolerate a U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, so he
announced that Taylor was "a personal ambassador"-i.e., representing
himself!
One
more detail: If Beach was expected to attend the ecumenical function, why did
he not do so? He has attended similar gatherings at the WCC and Canterbury for
years; why not this one? It was slated to be given too much publicity. According
to Kermit Netteburg, General Conference spokesman, after carefully discussing
the invitation, General Conference leadership decided that Beach had better
not attend after all. One person on the Vatican's short list of papal fawners
had backed out. - vf
For
a very large collection of historical and documentary evidence relating to this,
see our Seventh day Adventist Vatican Ecumenical involvement set of two books:
Book 1: History, 80 pp. ($6.00 + $2.50); Book 2: Documents, 146 pp. ($11.00 +
$3.00).
"The
SDAC is regularly represented through observers or advisers at WCC and other
church meetings. For many years, an SDA has been a member of the WCC Faith and
Order Commission in a personal capacity. The SDAC has participated in dialogues
With the WCC and various religious bodies and since 1968 has been represented at
the conference of secretaries of Christian World Communions. "More
recently, the SDAC has been represented at the annual conference of U.S. church
leaders. Christian World Communions and various churches have responded to the
SDA invitation and sent observers to the quinquennial General Conference
Sessions. "-Article, "Seventh-day Adventist Church," in
Dictionary of the Ecumenical Movement, published by WCC Publications, Geneva,
Switzerland. 1991, p. 919 [abbreviations theirs].
Read
Great Controversy, 445:0-1, 592:2-3. An ecumenical coalition of the churches
will bring on the National Sunday Law!
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