Italy: landmark consensus

Nearly 100% of Italian evangelical churches and bodies (85% of Italian Protestants) on July 19 signed a common statement reinforcing evangelical commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ, as well as providing biblical standards to assess the mounting ecumenical pressure coming from the Roman Catholic Church.

Following a round table on ‘An evangelical perspective on Roman Catholicism’, promoted by the Italian Evangelical Alliance and held in Aversa on July 19, the Federation of Pentecostal Churches, the Assemblies of God in Italy, the Apostolic Church and the Pentecostal Congregations, concerned by recent ecumenical initiatives between national and international evangelical and Pentecostal circles and the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope, believe that a church which operates as mediator of salvation and presents other figures as mediators of grace is incompatible with the teaching of Scripture, since God’s grace comes to us by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2.8) and without the agency of other mediators (1 Timothy 2.5).

Incompatible with Scripture

They also believe that it is incompatible with Scripture to have a church that: took the liberty to add dogmas (such as the Marian ones) to the faith once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3; Revelation 22.18); at heart is a political state that is a legacy of an ‘imperial’ church from which it has inherited titles and prerogatives.

Furthermore they believe that sectors of Roman Catholicism that appear to have similarities with the evangelical faith are not in themselves reasons for hope in a true change. Taking into consideration theological and ethical differences, they cannot advocate ecumenical initiatives towards the Roman Catholic Church.

The Italian Evangelical Alliance is glad to have facilitated the process that led to this historic event and looks forward to seeing this renewed sense of evangelical unity being further nurtured. The churches and bodies that endorsed this statement represent almost all evangelicals who hold to a conservative Protestant theology and a strong evangelistic commitment in Italy.