The 'Golden Jubilee' of the Charismatic Renewal is an opportunity for reconciliation
The meeting with Pope Francis marked the recognition of the movement, described as a "current of grace". Three groups from Lebanon met in Rome. Unexpected rapprochement occurs between groups of different confessions. For Pope Francis, “Unity is for the mission, to proclaim that Jesus is the Lord”. The pontiff also looks at the ecumenism of blood.
Rome (AsiaNews) – There is no need to be on the defensive. Pope Francis fully certified the Charismatic Renewal (RC) on the Golden Jubilee of this "current of grace" with countless tributaries, which was celebrated during the long weekend of Pentecost, in Rome (31 May-4 June).
Henceforth, it is without any hang-ups that the members of RC assemblies or communities can speak of the "baptism in the Spirit", without having to explain that it is not a second baptism but a confirmation of his grace and presence, valid for every Christian.
Coming from the five continents, galvanised by a pope who openly speaks their language and uses the same points of reference as they do, some fifty thousand people experienced in celebrations or workshops a true "ecumenical Pentecost” in various Roman basilicas and institutes. The highlight was the Easter vigil of Pentecost in the presence of Francis. Three groups with different backgrounds came from Lebanon.
The Pope himself wanted this, said Pascale Debbané, a Lebanese volunteer who is a member of the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service (ICCRS), a coordination centre in Rome that oversaw the preparatory work for the event. "The Jubilee is the fruit of two years of hard work," she added. For the first time, Pentecost vigil was not held in St Peter’s, but in a less Catholic place, the Circus Maximus (near the Colosseum), out of consideration for Pentecostal and Evangelical guests at the ceremony."
The theme of the vigil was ‘Jesus is Lord’, which Charismatics like to proclaim, something central to all the kerygma, and which no Church can appropriate for itself.
"The preparation time for the Jubilee provided an opportunity for unexpected connections between some of the leaders of charismatic movements. Reconciliations took place that were thought difficult,” Pascale Debbané noted.
"Such moments of reconciliation went on for the five days of the Jubilee and constituted one of its most moving aspects," said Bruce Yocum, a lay American who sees the establishment of covenant communities as part of the Church’s strategy for renewal.
Bruce Yocum is part of the first generation of the Charismatic Renewal in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was in Rome in 1975 when Paul VI welcomed the first international congress of this movement, and led a Mass on its behalf in St Peter's Basilica, calling it "a chance for the Church".
Division, rivalry, conflicts of personalities, jealousies, and ingratitude have indeed marked the growth of the Charismatic Renewal, whose extraordinary surge has exceeded all expectations, often giving rise to painful spiritual secessions and loose filiations.
Fifty years after it appeared, nearly two hundred million Catholics today identify with this "current of grace" – a term by Cardinal Suenens taken up by the pope – which began in 1967 as a small, seemingly innocuous thread at Duquesne University during a student retreat that sparked the charismatic renewal in the Catholic Church.
Reconciled diversity
The ecumenical vigil was marked by powerfully chanted songs of praise, enthusiastically picked up by a colourful crowd from more than 120 countries. Visibly excited, the pope and the other Christian leaders were more than happy to go with the flow, people like the very "charismatic" Franciscan Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, Pentecostal leader Vinson Synan, ICCRS president Michelle Moran, Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Communities founder Gilberto Barbosa and Catholic evangelist Ralph Martin.
In the central meditation, Pope Francis spoke about Pentecost. "Unity is for the mission, to proclaim that Jesus is the Lord," he emphasised. We certainly have differences, but we want to be a reconciled diversity," he stressed, noting that he borrowed these terms from a Lutheran theologian. The pope took up this theme during the Pentecost Mass on Sunday, in St Peter's Square.
Referring to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, the pontiff presented it as “a current of the grace of the Spirit!” that “has neither founder nor statute or government bodies. Clearly, in this current, many expressions were born that certainly are human works inspired by the Spirit, with various charisms, all in the service of the Church. But against the current, one cannot build dams, nor lock up the Holy Spirit in a cage!"
The day before, during a Mass celebrated in the same place, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farell, presented the Charismatic Renewal as a current "having reached its ecclesial maturity", and invited it to take charge of the Church and take on its responsibilities.
The pope was even more direct, giving the members of his assemblies a mandate to "Share the baptism in the Holy Spirit with everyone in the Church, praise the Lord non-stop, walk together with Christians of various Churches and Christian communities in prayer and action, for the neediest. Serving the poorest and the sick is what the Church and the pope expects from you, Catholic Charismatic Renewal, but also from you all, all of you who have entered this current of grace!"
The pontiff also mentioned the ecumenism of blood. "Today, we have chosen to gather here, in this place because here during the [period of] persecutions Christians were martyred for the amusement of those who watched. [. . .] Those who kill Christians, before they kill them do not ask them, ‘Are you orthodox? Are you Catholic? Are you Evangelical? Are you Lutheran? Are you Calvinist? ' No! 'Are you a Christian?' Today there are more than in the early days."
In a future article, we will analyse this phenomenon more closely, looking at its relationship to various Church movements, including the charismatic renewal.
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