VI. Conclusion
A. Introduction
263. In this fifth round of dialogue between Pentecostals and Catholics at the international
level, we have come to appreciate each other in new ways.
264. We have explored together different aspects of what is involved in becoming a
Christian. We have studied and been able to appreciate together the powerful insights
of Scripture, the witness of the patristic sources to the Gospel, and the ways in which
the Gospel instructs us about conversion, faith, discipleship, experience and the
receiving of Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The scriptures are foundational for both of us.
We can appreciate, although in different ways, the Fathers of the church as early
witnesses and interpreters to faith in Jesus Christ, and to the dimensions of life in
Christ.
B. The Witness of the Bible
265. Together we have learned that in our reading of the Holy Scripture we both interpret
the Bible within the horizon of our respective traditions. Both of us, even if in different
ways, would acknowledge being governed by the Word of God. Pentecostals tend to
hold to the classical Protestant doctrine of sola Scriptura. Both Catholics and
Pentecostals honor the authority of Scripture, and both look for ways in which
Tradition carries biblical truth. Future discussion should focus not only on the
relationship between Scripture and Tradition, but also on our respective understandings
of the relationship of both Scripture and Tradition to the Word of God. This might be
profitable for our dialogue especially since Pentecostal scholars have sought to identify
a distinctive Pentecostal biblical hermeneutic and Catholics have been renewed in their
approach to Scripture since the Second Vatican Council.
C. The Witness of the Fathers
266. This phase of dialogue was the first in which Pentecostals and Catholics jointly studied
the teaching and witness of the early post-biblical Christian writings, the Fathers of the
church. What benefits have we gained from this? In many ways we can see the same
challenges facing us today, in their personal struggles and in their efforts to ensure that
the apostolic faith is properly taught and handed on. In them we witness the great work
of ensuring the handing on of the Christian faith, from biblical times and cultures to
new centuries and different cultures.
267. We have seen their own personal struggles and crises as they seek to follow Christ, and
even the role of family in fostering life and faith (Augustine, The Confessions). We
have seen the reflections of some facing and welcoming martyrdom for the sake of
Christ (Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans). We have heard them speaking even
poetically of the way the faith took hold of them (“a flame kindled in my soul” Justin, Dialogue with Trypho). Hilary of Poitiers spoke of the experience of intense joy “when
we feel within us the final stirrings of the Holy Spirit” (Tract on the Psalms). We see
them celebrating the presence and power of the Holy Spirit (Basil of Caesarea, On the
Holy Spirit, Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures).
268. As the church grew, the patristic writings illustrate the missionary spirit of the Fathers
against the ideologies of their time (Justin, Apology) similar to struggles we have today.
We see them, through their writings, preparing people to celebrate the great seasons of
Lent (Cyril of Jerusalem) and Easter (Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition). We hear their
teaching on the proper celebration and understanding of the sacrament of baptism
(Didache 7, Irenaeus of Lyon, Proof of the Apostolic Teaching). We see their writing
on the intimate relations between baptism and the reception of the Holy Spirit (Origin, Commentary on John 6:33). They wrote, of course, on many other aspects of the
spiritual gifts and the life of the church.
269. In summary we have seen that there are patristic texts which can cast light on each of
the issues we considered (conversion, faith, Christian experience in community,
discipleship and formation, and Baptism in the Holy Spirit). These texts arise from the
Fathers’ reflections on the Scriptures and frequently provide insight and wisdom to
contemporary questions and situations. Moreover, they remain relevant to
contemporary experience. The writings of the Fathers are not library treasures from
centuries ago. Their words are vibrant witnesses to Christians of today, and of every
time. Through this dialogue, Pentecostals and Catholics have seen together the richness
of that witness and can share it with their respective communities today.
270. This study of the early post-biblical Christian writings, many of which were written in
those early centuries, which some call the Constantinian era, can be an initial step in
dialogue between us on historical questions which are at the root of the Pentecostal
views of Restorationism. This important issue awaits another phase of international
dialogue.
D. What We Have Learned from Our Contemporary Reflections
271. In the course of our discussion, we have noted a fascinating parallel in the different
ways our respective communities have experienced the Holy Spirit in the twentieth
century. Pentecostals report that on January 1, 1901 baptism in the Holy Spirit and
praying in tongues broke through in Topeka, Kansas and spread in increasing measure.
In Rome, on that same day, Pope Leo XIII entrusted the new century to the Holy Spirit
(Veni Sancte Spiritus). Responding to prophetic requests from within the Catholic
Church, Pope Leo had already written an Apostolic Exhortation in 1895 and an
Encyclical in 1897 in which he called for devotion to the Holy Spirit and recommended
the nine days before Pentecost as a novena of prayer for the Holy Spirit aimed at the
renewal of the church and of society, the reunification of Christianity and a “renewal
of the face of the earth”.
272. For Pentecostals an outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Azusa Street (Los Angeles) in 1906
marks a significant beginning of the Pentecostal movement which has grown
throughout the century, affecting millions of believers. Within the Catholic Church
signs of the Holy Spirit are seen in various movements: biblical, liturgical, theological,
ecumenical, and charismatic, which have developed during the twentieth century
fostering renewal in basic aspects of Christian faith and life. A certain culmination of
these movements resulted in the Second Vatican Council which Catholics believe was
inspired by the Holy Spirit. At the beginning of the Council, Pope John XXIII prayed
that it be a new Pentecost. The Council fostered renewal in faith, prayer, spiritual life,
Christian unity – signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit. In 1989 the new awareness of
the Holy Spirit was fostered by Pope John Paul II with his Encyclical Dominum et
vivificantem on the Holy Spirit. At the vigil of Pentecost in 1998 in Rome, the
acknowledgment of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit led Pope John Paul II,
meeting 400,000 members of Catholic spiritual movements, to declare that: “We could
say, what happened in Jerusalem 2000 years ago is renewed in this square tonight. As
the apostles then, so we find ourselves together in this Upper Room, full of longing and
praying for the out-pouring of the Spirit”.
273. At one critical point these parallel impulses found in two different communities began
to interrelate and converge. In 1967, the witness of the Pentecostal Movement fostered
the initiation of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. The Catholic Church and the
Pentecostal Movement have had contact ever since. The influence of the new
ecumenical commitment of the Catholics, as part of the ecumenical movement which
the Second Vatican Council insisted is “fostered by the grace of the Holy Spirit” (UR 1), helped open the way to a dialogue for mutual respect and reconciliation between
Pentecostals and Catholics. First running parallel to and separate from one another, the
Pentecostal movement and the Catholic Church have had more contact than previously.
They are no longer entirely separated. They have begun to interrelate through dialogue,
friendship and co-operation; they have engaged each other in partnership for nearly
thirty-five years.
274. In acknowledging the work of the Holy Spirit in each of our traditions, we have been
better able to learn from each other. Therefore, we are grateful that the renewal and
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the twentieth century has opened our hearts and minds
to one another. In God’s providence we believe that the emergence of Pentecostal /
Charismatic movements along with the Ecumenical movement in the twentieth century
calls us to a dialogue between our communions that is spiritual as well as theological.
Much of our theological engagement with one another focused on the implications of
our respective views of faith, conversion and discipleship for the Christian life. This is
as it should be and we believe that the recognition of this is vital for practical
ecumenism at the local level between Catholic parishes and Pentecostal congregations.
275. As we have read and studied the church Fathers together we have become even more
mindful of our contemporary theological responsibilities. Inspired by their example of
combining pastoral care with theological insight, the praise of God with the knowledge
of God, and holiness of life with doctrinal orthodoxy, we too seek to serve our
respective communities in the same spirit. It is particularly in regard to evangelization,
discipleship and Christian formation, and openness to the presence and power of the
Holy Spirit that we desire to exercise our theological and pastoral tasks.
276. Our discussions on the nature of Christian conversion in the ancient church, and
especially on the relationship between event and process, have illuminated our own
understanding of what transpires in our churches today. We are cautioned against being
too quick to judge what has or has not taken place in the various testimonies and
narratives of conversion that we have witnessed in our communities. Most importantly,
we see the need for a clear call to conversion, a conversion to Jesus Christ that should
be at the heart of our proclamation and witness to the world. We are well aware that
even in our churches believers need to hear this message so that Christian profession
may be authentic and may lead to maturity and growth in the Christian life.
277. Likewise we are impressed by the ongoing life of conversion and discipleship in the
ancient church. For all the topics and themes we discussed we attempted to reflect on
their significance for our ecclesial communions today. It was clear that the writings of
the church Fathers reflect a vibrant exercise of the faith in their churches and a
profound apprehension of the depths of the Christian life. Although we differed on the
importance of the sacramental mediation of grace we can only consider their witness as
an incentive for our own churches today to grow in maturity and holiness. We also
agree that ongoing Christian formation must be an intentional process in our churches,
mindful that for the seed of God’s Word to bear fruit requires openness to that Word
and a willingness to respond obediently to it in Christian and ecclesial life.
278. Since both of our traditions value the experience of grace as an important dimension of
faith and spirituality we have come to appreciate the respective charismatic, mystical
and liturgical emphasis of the Pentecostal and Catholic communities. We have also
learned that one cannot simply oppose these two modalities of Christian experience.
Each has some experience of what has traditionally been prized by the other. This
affords us another way forward in our dialogue, as “spiritual ecumenism” becomes
more and more the basis for theological conversations. Most of all spiritual discernment
alerts us to the providential possibilities that God offers in his freedom and grace
towards us.
279. Finally, we return to our appreciation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the
twentieth century which Pentecostals believe is a gift for the whole church. Our
discussion of “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” focused on this distinctive trait of
Pentecostal spirituality which is also experienced within the Catholic Church. While we
did not arrive at a theological consensus concerning Baptism in the Holy Spirit, we do
recognize that the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, including the charismata, was
not unfamiliar to the ancient church and is a source of renewal for the contemporary
church. We have learned that while theological evaluation and judgement is necessary,
this can only be in service of the Spirit’s work, never to quench or grieve the Holy
Spirit (Eph 4:30; 1 Thess 5:19). Together we desire to hold fast to what is good (1
Thess 5:21) and follow the Spirit’s lead (Gal 5:25) in the days and years to come.
E. Proposals for Future Dialogue
280. Underlying these results of our dialogue emerge various issues which we have not yet
been able to address with the attention they deserve and which could serve as promising
points of departure for future dialogue. For example, one theme dear to the first leaders
of the various Pentecostal churches and movements was that the recovery of Baptism in
the Holy Spirit signaled a restoration of the church of the time of the apostles. This
explanation is premised upon the judgment that, at a certain point in history after the
apostolic age, the original and authentic apostolic community fell into decay and
eventually ceased to exist. Catholics and Pentecostals disagree about such an
assessment of history. Future dialogue should take up this crucial question of how we
read history in different ways and explore why we do so.
281. A second topic which has emerged from our consideration of Baptism in the Holy
Spirit within the context of becoming a Christian concerns the nature and role of water
baptism, to which could be added those other ritual actions which Catholics call
sacraments and some of which Pentecostals call ordinances. The present phase of
dialogue has recorded some degree of convergence about the need for water baptism
and for participation in the Lord’s Supper as part of the full meaning of becoming a
Christian. In light of this, the clarification of what is normative for becoming a
Christian and/or for Christian Initiation should be a matter for future dialogue.
282. Third, we have considered the evidence attesting that one has truly received the
Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Such evidence is addressed to the Christian community and
raises the question of how the church is equipped by God to discern authentic graced
experience and, by way of extension, also authentic orthodox doctrine. The need for
discernment concerning experience and doctrine naturally raises the question of the role
of authority within the church.
283. Such issues as these – a restorationist view of Christian history, the nature of
sacraments or ordinances, and the exercise of authority within the church, in addition to
our varying principles for interpreting Scripture– are all significant issues raised by our
discussion of the five dimensions of becoming a Christian treated in this phase of
dialogue. They remain “unresolved” issues between us which still need further serious
reflection. Whether they can be “resolved” in the sense of becoming matters about
which we can arrive at consensus can only come to light through further dialogue and
the assistance of the Holy Spirit. But we clearly have much more to talk about as we
seek to obey the sentiment expressed in Jesus’ prayer “that they all may be one.”
F. A Final Word
284. Finally, each of us has learned a great deal about the ways in which the other fosters
faith, conversion, discipleship and formation, understands experience, and the Baptism
in the Holy Spirit. As we reflected on the scriptures and to the witness of the early
church writers, and as we heard the way our partners in this dialogue engage in
fostering the Christian life in those who come to the faith, we recognize in each other a
deep commitment to Christ. Although Pentecostals and Catholics may give different
emphases on aspects of becoming a Christian, each fosters the Christian life for the
glory of God. Knowing this helps overcome misunderstandings or stereotypes we may
have had about each other. It follows that this calls Catholics and Pentecostals to
examine their conscience about the way they have sometimes described one another in
the past, for example calling the other a “non-Christian” or a member of a “sect”. We
have found much that we share together. Although we have significant differences still
on some questions, we are able because of our study in this dialogue, to call one
another brothers and sisters in Christ.
285. We hope that this phase of dialogue has helped this relationship to grow. We ask God’s
blessing on our continuing dialogue that it will be for the glory of His name.
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