Just goes to show how relativistic and vapid this Pope is. Being no fan of the Catholic religion, but certainly no fan of the Charismatics/Pentecostals, and having once been one of their member, I assure you there is nothing about this movement that is a benefit to anybody. It is wholly focused on emotionalism, and layers upon itself one bad doctrine upon another. Indeed, their number one manifestation, “speaking in tongues,” is not only not biblical (tongues in the Bible were an actual language), but is pure madness, with people literally flaying around as they get “baptized by the Holy Spirit.”
These same phenomena I have seen repeated by stage hypnotists, and even confessed frauds like Marjoe Gortner, who even described the emotional game he would play with these people when he would lay hands on them, allegedly “healing” their ailments and other such things. I’ve seen Occultists use them as well. ‘Psychic vampires,’ self proclaimed, getting people to fall over or even to pass out from across the room.
Most of it, I would say, is purely psychological. In other cases, it is diabolical. But in every case, it’s something that does not engender any kind of love for the truth or encourage real thinking.
“’speaking in tongues,’ is not only not biblical (tongues in the Bible were an actual language)”
What in the world are you talking about? Tongues are biblical. Tongues can be an actual language, but they are gifts of the Spirit.
“These signs will accompany those who believe ... they will speak new languages” -Mark 16:17
“Now I should like all of you to speak in tongues...” -1 Cor 14:5
“how ... vapid this Pope is.”
How many languages do you speak? How many advanced degrees do you have? You could benefit from a little humility.
“there is nothing about this movement that is a benefit to anyone”
You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve personally seen one person healed of a bad back situation by a charismatic priest. There are people who have been healed by charismatics and there are before and after x-rays and tests to prove they’ve been healed. A number of charismatics are very gifted and bring great good to others.
I’ve never been a big charismatic but was in the movement a bit during the 90s. Like Pope Francis, I was put off a bit by liturgical abuses I saw in Charismatic Masses and a few charismatics who seemed to think the Holy Spirit guided them to something contrary to the Magisterium. There have been excesses in the Charismatic movement and a need for it to be purified. But to say it’s not Biblical ... What do you do? Throw out 1 Cor 13 and 14?
“(tongues in the Bible were an actual language)”
No one knows what the “tongues of angels” sounds like but they must exist if Paul mentioned them(when speaking of the importance of love(charity in some translations). I know of a case where a Jewish person, versed in Hebrew had been visiting a Pentecostal congregation and heard glorious praises to God being offered up in Hebrew. Real languages can often be heard in such Pentecostal or Charismatic services. The issue becomes where languages are spoken and there is no one to interpret...Paul stated it was better at that point for those who had been given tongues to pray in those languages privately so that “there would be no confusion”.
I call it buffoonery.