Brazil Cardinal Laments Protestant Growth

[blackstone]

VATICAN CITY(AP) Sunday Morning News Oct. 9, 2005
A senior Brazilian cardinal on saturday lamented the rapid growth of Protestant movements in Latin Ameriica and how wondered how much longer the coninent could be called catholic.
The comments byCardinal Claudio Hummes to the Synod of Bishops reflected increaseing concern in the church about the competition for souls in Latin America and Africa.
Hummes said Brazil’s Catholics, who represented about 90 percent of the country’s population during the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council, had fallen to 83 percent in 1991 and 67 percent today.
At the same time, for every catholic priest in Brazil, there are now two Protestant ministers, he said, according to a summary of his remarks released by the vatican. (end of article)

I can remenber when back in 1948 our church was one of the first Baptist churches in America to send missionarys to Brazil. How the Lord has blessed their work!

abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1195881

{Moderator note: Please don’t forget to cite your source!}

 

[scylla]

So are do you believe that the divisions in Christianity are the Lord’s intent.

What I saw in reading the article was a country 90% united in faith, which needed a strengthening of faithfulness, yet was then divided into hundreds of competing views of the gospel. Which one is fully true? Many damn each other for competing views.

Have you heard of Pare de Sufrir? What do you think of that church which originated in Brazil and is now sending missionaries to the United States?

I want what Jesus prayed for, a unity of belief, one Church with a love of Jesus Christ and unity of doctrine. I want my brothers and sisters in Christ to unite out of love of Jesus Christ.

God Bless
Scylla

 

[ComradeAndrei]

Protestant “missionary” work in Catholic lands ammounts to nothing more than leading souls away from the fold into possible eternal damnation. It is not the will of God but the work of the devil.

 

[silvano]

ComradeAndrei:

Protestant “missionary” work in Catholic lands ammounts to nothing more than leading souls away from the fold into possible eternal damnation. It is not the will of God but the work of the devil.

Furthermore,these poorly or uncatechized ex Catholics,they didnt join into one congregation,they are scattered around JW,LDS,SDA,BAPTISTS,PENTECOSTAL et al,who themselves have opposing views of each other faith and hostile to each other.However,they are united in attacking RCC,the only church that Jesus Christ established in this universe!

I am happy and contemted to revert to RCC,from joining Pentecostal and Baptist faith!

 

[Darrel]

ComradeAndrei:

Protestant “missionary” work in Catholic lands ammounts to nothing more than leading souls away from the fold into possible eternal damnation. It is not the will of God but the work of the devil.

Wow!

I think this might be a little to much here. Can you please define “Catholic Lands”? I think prot missionaries do lots of good things and help many people just like the Catholics do. It’s going to be a smaller and stronger Church at the end of the day. Let the protestants do their thing. God is still in charge and we will all be fine.

-D

 

[ComradeAndrei]

I think this might be a little to much here. Can you please define “Catholic Lands”? I think prot missionaries do lots of good things and help many people just like the Catholics do. It’s going to be a smaller and stronger Church at the end of the day. Let the protestants do their thing. God is still in charge and we will all be fine.

What I mean by “Catholic lands” are those lands that are predominately Catholic-i.e. the old Spanish and Portuguese Empire. Most of the countries that came about after the overthrow of the colonial empires remained Catholic-in the 90% range. Now, granted there were and are plenty of people that stuck to their pagan ways and voodoo etc. but at least there was only Catholicism available.

Now, granted the protestants might do some good for other folks but it is still the fact that they teach error and lead people away from the True Faith. It is objectively a mortal sin to leave the Catholic Church for a heretical group, so it is definately not a good thing that these people are lead away-be them good Catholics or lax Catholics.

Also, I know everything will be fine-the Gates of Hell will not prevail against Christ’s Church. There were times in the past where heresy came dangerously close to taking over from orthodox Catholicism-such as with the Arians. However, look what became of Arianism and see what Church is still around (not to mention strong!)-the Catholic Church. I just pray for the poor confused souls that teach these errors and the poor misguided souls that buy into it.

 

[axolotl]

We can also try to give generously to the Latin America fund, will provides for evangelization, among other things.

The next schedulaed collection is January 22, 2006.

 

[tom.wineman]

So why doesn’t he get off his posterior and do something ?

 

[silvano]

Darrel:

Wow!

I think this might be a little to much here. Can you please define “Catholic Lands”? I think prot missionaries do lots of good things and help many people just like the Catholics do. It’s going to be a smaller and stronger Church at the end of the day. Let the protestants do their thing. God is still in charge and we will all be fine.

-D

I completely disagree with you.Majority of these Protestants/Non Denom Missionaries, are brainwashing and turning ex Catholics to become rabid anti Catholic.That is their ultimate mission, no more,no less!

 

[djrakowski]

silvano:

I completely disagree with you.Majority of these Protestants/Non Denom Missionaries, are brainwashing and turning ex Catholics to become rabid anti Catholic.That is their ultimate mission, no more,no less!

My wife’s cousin married a young man from a family of missionaries, and they spent time in Brazil. Knowing this man and his family, and the character they exhibit, what you’ve asserted is far from the truth. They went to Brazil out of zeal for their calling as Christians to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Your disagreement with their theology doesn’t make their motives any less honest or more deceptive.

By the way, why is it fair to ascribe the basest motives to Protestant evangelism, and yet not fair to call into question any of the historic missteps (to put it lightly) of the Catholic church?

 

[Detroit_Sue]

I’m sooo glad you posted here. The original poster is someone I know from one of the anti-Catholic boards, and he WAS just stirring up a fight. He claimed he got banned because of this thread, but I really think it was his “purgatory” thread. Here’s a link to the particular discussion, so you can see what these guys are all about. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing here, and just a wolf at his own board. His name is Tan2day.

p094.ezboard.com/fcatholicreformationfrm22.showMessage?topicID=5108.topic
I am “chooselifealways.”

Some of them are former Catholics there, and one guy going by the name Jinendo claims to be a former priest, but he doesn’t write like one.

There ARE evil people out there, but they come in all stripes. This “blackstone” is one of them.

One of my friends from my old job was a missionary in South Africa a couple of years ago. He brought videotapes and pictures. I don’t understand why there are such venomous people on both sides.

 

[djrakowski]

True, it was obvious from the stuff written by the OP that he was here for the sole purpose of being nasty. That’s a shame, and it discredits boths sides when we act like this.

We need to figure out that, when we engage in such strident attacks against each other, we hurt the entire cause of Christ.

Sue, thanks for adding your insight. I don’t even know how I found this thread, as it hasn’t been active for a few months.
Detroit Sue:

I’m sooo glad you posted here. The original poster is someone I know from one of the anti-Catholic boards, and he WAS just stirring up a fight. He claimed he got banned because of this thread, but I really think it was his “purgatory” thread. Here’s a link to the particular discussion, so you can see what these guys are all about. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing here, and just a wolf at his own board. His name is Tan2day.

p094.ezboard.com/fcatholicreformationfrm22.showMessage?topicID=5108.topic
I am “chooselifealways.”

Some of them are former Catholics there, and one guy going by the name Jinendo claims to be a former priest, but he doesn’t write like one.

There ARE evil people out there, but they come in all stripes. This “blackstone” is one of them.

One of my friends from my old job was a missionary in South Africa a couple of years ago. He brought videotapes and pictures. I don’t understand why there are such venomous people on both sides.