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Posted on 05/02/2015 9:53:03 AM PDT by ebb tide
The Catholic church never works for conversions. There are people who misunderstand the mission of Christians, especially of the Catholic church, said Cardinal Mar George Alenchery, the major archbishop of Syro Malabar Church.
The major archbishop, who is on a pastoral visit to the diocese of Belthangady till May 5, said, "Conversion is a personal response of a person to God. Nobody can force or coerce a person. The church witnesses the charity of Christ and proclaims Christian values—truth, justice, love and harmony—to others. This attracts people. It is not something which we create, it is something they (people) request.
"Evangelization is not converting people. Actually conversion is not a business of a pastor or missionary. Conversion happens in the mind of a person while listening to the word of God. Ghar Wapsi is too simple a reaction to a complex problem," he added.
The archbishop said his pastoral visit is to maintain a contact with the clergy, laity and an occasion to rejuvenate the energies of those engaged in the work of church. ``A pastoral visit helps the bishop to evaluate the effectiveness of the structures and agencies designed for pastoral services, take account of the circumstances and difficulties and determine more accurately the priorities,'' he said adding this was the 16th year of the establishment of Belthangady as a diocese.
The archbishop visited St Alphonsa Forane Church, Kankanady, where he was met Mangalore diocese bishop Aloysius Paul D'Souza, bishop of Belthangady Mar Lawrence Mukkuzhy and vicar general Fr Joseph Valiaparambil among others.
A religious harmony meet was also held on Bishop's House Campus in Belthangady on Friday. Religious leaders Sri Kshetra Dharmastala dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade, Kukke Sri Narasimha Mutt seer Sri Vidyaprasanna Thirtha Swamiji, Maulana Abdul Aziz, Union minister for law and justice D V Sadananda Gowda, ministers B Ramanath Rai, Vinaykumar Sorake, U T Khader and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel were present.
“I guess Cardinal Alenchery thinks all the Catholic missionary martyrs deaths were in vain.”
No, he said: “The church witnesses the charity of Christ and proclaims Christian values—truth, justice, love and harmony—to others.”
A martyr is a witness. That’s literally what the Greek word martyr means: witness.
People say they’re Catholic and have no ownership nor acquaintance with a catechism nor with the teachings of the Catholic Church, save what they know from childhood and have attempted to morph Church teaching to their own wants.
They are certainly Catholic. In my statements, I am referring to Catholics who speak as Catholics, not as Catholics who disown the teachings of the Church for whatever reason.
They certainly are Catholic, as is anyone baptized in the Church.
yes indeed. any minister who doesn’t give God the credit is, in my understanding of the Faith, not of God.
Indian Christians need to tread carefully in a Hindu-Muslim country. Think about that before you judge them from safety.
Read the last sentence of the article. That is not “witnessing”.
Precisely. As the Bishop states in this very piece:
“Conversion happens in the mind of a person while listening to the word of God”
back to the same question. then what point is there in God using John the Baptist and the dunking in the river?
Easy
God uses people to convert others to Him.
agreed and God bless.
“Read the last sentence of the article. That is not “witnessing”.”
I read the last sentence. A meeting with leaders of other religions does not change the idea of witnessing nor does it mean that anything I said was incorrect.
Well, we are talking about the bishop. I’m just repeating what he says
well, brother. for me at least:
“God uses people to convert others to Him.”
and (quote from the article)
“... conversion is not a business of a pastor or missionary.”
is a flat contradiction, in my understanding of english and the Scripture in greek.
Hence his term ‘misunderstanding’
Teaching is teaching
Leading is leading
Converting is converting
They are different words because they mean different things
You don’t think a man like the bishop with not only a doctorate in theology but a maters in philosophy and theology uses precise words and has a dictionary?
It’s not that I mean to be sarcastic. It’s just that the license to put down the Catholic Church and its associates is so abused
He’s not Lil Boosie or even Greg gurgled. He uses exact words for their meaning and people come in and treat his statements like they’re something out of a celebrity on the Jon Stewart show
He’s simply saying that conversion is between the cover red and God. That Catholics don’t convert others nor pretend to be able to do so. They teach, lead and assist
St Francis himself who had a great conversion, said, preach the Gospel. And if necessary, use words’
again brother, all i can say is the my heart disagrees with the wording of the quote in the article as i, as just another sinner, interpret and understand Scripture, but agree’s whole heartedly with your words as quoted in a previous post.
if it helps, i can, as just another sinner in the body of Christ, easily rewrite the article quote so i can agree with it:
through God (as was the case with John the Baptist evangelization or, “conversion is” [remove not] “a business of a pastor or missionary.”
and with that i’m moving on with thanks and a blessing directed at you, brother.
I understand that you are disagreeing with the Catholic Church official teaching and a bishop with a doctorate in philosophical theology in biblical teaching and a wealth of experience as a pastor in in teaching people and bringing them to conversion and into the faith
I’m just pointing out how the pride sticks out like a sore thumb
He must be channeling Cardinal Kasper.
Kasper: “Today we longer understand ecumenism in the sense of a return, by which the others would ‘be converted’ and return to being ‘Catholics.’ This was expressly abandoned at Vatican II.”
Well, perhaps the post Vatican II church “never works for conversions”.
These pre-Vatican II popes say otherwise:
http://www.catholicessentials.net/conversion.htm
Your understanding is mistaken.
It's not up to you to determine who's disagreeing with your false ideas of what the Catholic Church teaches. Your fixation on "education" and "doctorates" is absurd.
Archbishop Milingo and Cardinals Bernadin, O'Brien, Mahony, Wuerl, Dolan, Maradiaga, Kasper, Marx all fall into your little niche of "wealth of experience".
Whatever
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