'Historic' meeting announced between Pope Leo XIV and Catholic Charismatic Renewal
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- 53 minutes ago
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By Andy Drozdziak
Pope Leo XIV will meet with Catholic Charismatic Renewal for the first time in what is being hailed as ‘a historic moment of communion.’
The special meeting was announced by CHARIS International, who wrote: "For the first time, Pope Leo XIV will receive the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in a historic moment of communion.
"This special meeting is part of a major Event promoted by CHARIS, scheduled from 29 May to 2 June in Rome, in preparation for the Jubilee of the CCR in the Holy Land in 2027."
The meeting will take place will take place on 30 May in Rome. CHARIS International told CHARIS England and Wales that they "are currently finali(s)ing the program"and that further details will be shared through its website for "official updates." Ticket information will be released as soon as it becomes available.
This will not be the first meeting to take place between CCR and a Pope. One of the most influential encounters for Catholic Charismatic Renewal came at Pentecost 1998, when Pope John Paul II addressed 455,000 participants in St Peter's Square during a meeting with movements and new communities in the Church, from which CCR sent a considerable number.
'Accept gratefully and obediently the charisms which the Spirit never ceases to bestow on us'
In a historic 25-minute speech, Pope John Paul II declared: “The institutional and charismatic aspects are co-essential to the Church’s constitution.” The Pope also mentioned charisms by name, urging those present to use the gifts of the Spirit. He said: “I would like to cry out to all of you gathered here in St Peter’s Square and to all Christians: open yourselves docilely to the gifts of the Spirit! Accept gratefully and obediently the charisms which the Spirit never ceases to bestow on us! Do not forget that every charism is given for the common good, that is, for the benefit of the whole Church.”
Catholic Charismatic Renewal "totally committed to serving and building up the life of the Church at every level"
Following the historic speech, Charles Whitehead, the then-president of ICCRS (International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services) was chosen to respond because, in his own words, “the Pope knew me and because the CCR had the largest number of representatives present among the 455,000 people in the Square.”
Explaining the relationship between himself and the Pope, Charles told CHARIS England and Wales: “I had a lot of time with Pope John Paul II between 1989 and 2003 when I was President of ICCRS, and he invited me to speak to himself and the Papal household on several occasions. I also enjoyed an open invitation to his daily Mass in his private apartment.” In his response, Charles “responded with an assurance that the Catholic Charismatic Renewal was totally committed to serving and building up the life of the Church at every level.”
'CHARIS is at the heart of the official Church'
The meeting laid solid foundations for fruitful future relationship between CCR and the Vatican. Pope Francis, based on a positive personal experience of Renewal when he was a Bishop and Cardinal in Buenos Aires, said in Rome in June 2014: “I expect from you that you share with all in the Church the grace of Baptism in the Holy Spirit”.
Speaking at a retreat for priests in June 2015, he said: “I ask each and all of you that as part of the current of grace of Charismatic Renewal you organise seminars of Life in the Spirit in your parishes, seminaries, schools and in neighbourhoods, to share Baptism in the Spirit. It is catechesis, so it produces by the work of the Holy Spirit the personal encounter with Jesus who changes our lives."
Pope Francis then went on to introduce CHARIS in 2019, seeking advice from both Charles Whitehead and Michelle Moran in order, said Whitehead, “to advise him of our views on the contents of the necessary documentation” and to ensure Renewal is “on a firm ecclesial foundation.”
Speaking of the significance of the formation of CHARIS, Charles Whitehead told CHARIS England and Wales: “CHARIS is at the heart of the official Church, with a Moderator and a Council. The advent of CHARIS means that the Church has fully, formally and officially recognised the Charismatic Renewal as an important and integral part of her life and mission, and that every bishop, whatever his personal views, will accept his pastoral responsibility for every reality of the CR in his particular area.”
As a result, CHARIS now has a public juridical personality as part of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, as instructed by Pope Francis.
We pray for the meeting with Pope Leo, that it may be a fruitful and joyful encounter and lead to the growth of God’s Kingdom on earth. As his namesake Pope Leo XIII, who famously consecrated the 20th century to the Holy Spirit, wrote in his encyclical to the Holy Spirit, quoting the famous hymn Veni Sancte Spiritus: "Come, Father of the poor! Come, Giver of gifts! Come, Light of our hearts! O, best of Consolers, sweet Guest of the soul, our refreshment!"