Vatican reportedly working on “Ecumenical Rite of Mass” for joint worship with Protestants

The commission consists of representatives from all three denominations, all bound to secrecy.

The journalist, who is well known in Italy for his accurate reporting of all things happening in the Vatican, has said that while this news is merely a “rumor” at this point, his “sources are usually good.”

According to his sources, the commission is finding little difficulty in finding common ground in the “liturgy of the word”. Tosatti reports: “After the confession of sins, asking for forgiveness, and reciting the Gloria, there would be the readings and the Gospel.”

He also said that the commission is allegedly studying the problem of the Creed. Protestant churches prefer to pray the Apostles’ Creed, although they do recognize the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church alternates between them. So not even this point should be a major problem.

The presentation of the gifts likewise does not present a major obstacle to the project.

According to Tosatti, the central issue lies in the Eucharist, since the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist is profoundly different from that of the Lutherans or of other Protestant denominations. Catholics believe in Transubstantiation and the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, while Protestants believe that it is merely a memorial.

Tosatti reports that a possible “solution” being proposed is that the words of Consecration be replaced by silence:

But how can a common liturgy be celebrated that clearly differs in the wording right at the most important point of the event?

One of the proposed possible solutions would be silence. It would mean that after the Sanctus, at the moment in which normally during the Mass the priest would say the words: “Father, you are holy indeed…” the different celebrants would keep silent, everyone mentally repeating “his own” formula.

The silence is broken in the congregation with the recitation of the Our Father. It is still not clear how the lines for Communion would be formed.

In light of this well-founded rumor, we should take heed of the remarks of Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, a close collaborator of Pope Francis and currently the President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. The Vatican cardinal has suggested that we stop thinking of sacraments so rigidly as only either valid or invalid. For the sake of ecumenism, he opined that we should start looking into sacraments perhaps having “imperfect” or “partial” validity. Below are his exact words, as published in his exclusive interview with Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register:

You should read the book of Revelation where God rains down judgment after judgment upon the world - terrible things that this world has NEVER experienced before. The Bride of the Lamb is not appointed unto wrath (I Thess. 5:9). Jesus is our deliverer from the coming wrath (I Thess. 1:10). The seals and bowl judgments that God will be inflicting upon the world in those days are not meant for the elect. Persecution and tribulation FROM the evil world system will befall believers and always has, but this is the judgment OF God's wrath upon that evil system and He has already taken us out when it begins.

But whether or not you agree with this eschatology, you stated that "the Gospels and Epistles gave numerous solemn prophesies and warnings that we would all have much tribulation, much to suffer. And everybody dies. We’re all gonna die. You die, and then the Judgement. To hypothesize otherwise, it seems to me, is not the Gospel, it is a dangerous novelty unheard-of before the 19th century." I'd like to know how you see this view as "not the Gospel" and a "dangerous novelty"?

Believing in a pre-tribulation Rapture, to me, enhances the urgency we feel in serving the Lord and winning souls to Jesus Christ as well as watching for and always being ready to join Him. The servants that were ready for the master were praised while those that mocked his imminent return and did nothing were judged. The early Christians were already expecting Jesus to return in their day and Paul had to chastise some for giving up their jobs and sitting around waiting for Him while others had to work to feed them. Some had even been told by false teachers that the Day of the Lord had already happened. Paul wrote to the believers at Thessalonika:

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (II Thess. 2:1-12)

We definitely know these things are yet to happen and we know because Scripture says so.

You opined, "The wrath of God we are saved from, is damnation." The Bible says something different.

The Word of God says the wrath poured out during the Tribulation, in ever increasing severity, is to put an end to sin. During that time it is 144,000 Jews who will be evangelizing the world, not the Ekklesia, the bride of Christ but the chosen Jews. And during that time of Jacob's Trouble, a number so great will get transported to Heaven, a number so great no man in John's day could number them. They will be In Heaven because by faith they washed their garments in the righteous blood of the Lamb of God, so their garment is purified.

They do not eat the blood, they wash their garment in the blood. And no one will be allowed 'There' who has not washed their garment (by faith) in His Righteous blood. THAT TOO is revealed in The Revelation of John, though Jesus gave a story about a wedding crasher without the wedding garment.

For the record, damnation is a state chosen by those who refuse The Grace of God, choose not to believe God's Promises. Damnation is not the wrath of God, it is the separation from Him because He is Righteous and cannot have unbelievers, rebellious, unrighteous beings in His Presence.

Damnation is separation from God, for all eternity, never ending separation. Utter separation from love.

The wrath of God upon the Earth is delineated in The Revelation of John, from chapter 6 to 22. In Daniel 9 and 12 the reason for this period of wrath from God is revealed. It is from THAT wrath that Jesus 'hath delivered us', according tot he Douay-Rheims Bible (1 Thess 1:10).

Well I suppose if one ‘didn’t’ believe he’s coming for the believers, (commonly called the Rapture) before the Tribulation then they wouldn’t call it a “coming”...... It’s important to note ,I think, that the purpose of Christ’s teaching was to prepare believers for his coming....He wanted his followers to be watchful, living each day as though his return was imminent... The message is simply, “Be Ready.”

However....His ‘coming for believers to meet them in the air’ before the Tribulation simply distinguishes his actual coming ‘to earth’.

It’s not unusual for people to get the scripture references mixed up......I had to do my own study of this to determine the truth of what I see the scriptures are saying......God is faithful...he does ‘teach’ us when we ask.

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