Ecumenism based on flexible agreements

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Ecumenism is advancing. Finding the common denominator is achieved by working out extremely flexible agreements, whereby the Church of Rome has not deviated from its teachings by an inch. But appearance outweighs reality.

Church of Rome – The pseudo-mobile

Vatican II gave the starting signal for the forced advancement of ecumenism. Conservative Catholics in particular complain that their church has given in significantly and has adopted too many “Protestant customs” after the Second Vatican Council. There were complaints from conservative Protestants that too much of the achievements of the early reformers were being abandoned.

From the outside you may definitely see a convergence, but if you look behind the facade, the Roman Catholic Church has not deviated a millimeter from its previous dogmas and viewpoints. This alone prohibits their self-image from proclaiming dogmas in a state of “incapacity for error.” A departure from this would be tantamount to either correcting an error or moving away from the “truth” found in “infallibility”.

Instead, agreements are being made between the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, which were once enemies of each other, which are like a rubber stamp, into which each party can interpret what seems necessary for its path of faith. One such example is the very old Apostles’ Creed in the so-called ecumenical version and the passage “Community of Saints”. While the Protestant recognizes the fellow believers around him in this, the Catholic includes the “saints” who have long since died.

Examples of flexibility

In 1999, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.” A prime example of flexibility for personal needs:
“It is only by grace through faith in the saving act of Christ, not on the basis of our merit, that we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts and enables us and calls us to good works.“

“By grace alone.” Whose grace? The grace of Jesus Christ or that of the Pope?
“The saving act of Christ”. The Catholic takes the good works of Jesus, and the Protestant takes the shed sacrificial blood of Jesus.
It is evident that the Church of Rome denies the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, even though there can be no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood, Hebrews 9:22:
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.“

Wine, the symbol of the blood of Jesus, is withheld from faithful Catholics at mass. Instead, they are called to eat the true(!) body of Jesus, who was sacrificed again and again (Info).

Ecumenism – “Reconciled Difference”

But one doesn’t want to argue about such “little things” in the course of ecumenism. Rather, it is important to smooth out the waves and “reconcile differences”. Any departure from ecumenism is discredited as a division of the “common body of Christ”.

Ecumenism is not just “Protestant-Catholic”, as “katholisch.de” put it (Source). Indeed, because ecumenism comes from the Greek, Oikomene, and means “encompassing the world, global”. This effort applies not only to the repatriation of the “rebellious daughters” (Info), but to all religions in this world.

Church of Rome is “outside above”

What is difficult to convey, however, is that the Roman Catholic Church does not participate at all in the spirit of ecumenism. She exercises herself as a supervisor, as the mother who stands over all her daughters as they gather. Josef Ratzinger expressed this clearly on June 30, 2000 in his role as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Inquisition):
“It must always remain clear, even when the expression sister churches is used in this correct sense, that the universal, one, holy, catholic and apostolic church is not the sister but the mother of all the particular churches.“

A clear statement that has also found its way into the “Charta Oecumenica” as a “confession”.(Info).

Free churches in focus

The large Protestant church under the umbrella of the Evangelical Churches in Germany (EKD) can already be considered as having fallen. There were still a number of free churches to work on. Most have already joined ecumenical associations, such as the Working Group of Christian Churches (ACK). This is explosive for those driving ecumenism, as the large churches are increasingly losing members and the free churches, on the other hand, are constantly growing in size.

It’s not about the truth at all

The big question that is never asked in ecumenism is, are we still moving on the foundation of truth? No wonder, because that’s not the point at all. The aim of ecumenism is not to give up one’s own religion and dogmas and traditions, but rather to recognize a central authority that sets morality.

An institution that speaks of religious freedom, but only allows this within the narrow corridor of the “common good”. The Pope has already offered himself as the “honorary head” of all churches. If this isn’t a wink with the fence post (Info).

Bible verses from King James Version (1611)