IPHC Service with Pope Benedict

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Ecumenical Prayer Service
with Pope Benedict XVI

My journey of dialoging with churches outside the Pentecostal Movement started in 1984. Through the years I have taken part in such encounters around the world. I have also hosted conferences that brought together a wide spectrum of Christian bodies around a common table. We always call on the old and the young, male and female, coming from different social-economic contexts, and diverse cultures drawn from five continents.

It is the mission of this ministry to address conflicts between various Christian groups wherever such crises might arise around the world. We speak in clear tones about the pain and anguish of oppression whatever the source. We also seek to move forward to find common ground on matters essential to all Christians around the world.

As a pilgrim of faith seeking divine direction, I have been taken to international dialogues like that between the Roman Catholic Church and Pentecostals. Twenty years ago, I was called on to personally greet Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter’s Square while in Rome, Italy. A colleague and I hosted a 2004 conference in Malta where the papers were published by Paternoster Press under the title The Suffering Body. And much the same was the case when leading the theological stream of the Azusa Street Revival Centennial in Los Angeles two years ago this week.

Many other examples abound, but this is how my path took me to New York City on April 18 to participate in a service with Pope Benedict XVI. The pontiff spoke with moral clarity and chastened those who have compromised the faith. I left praying that all of God’s children would be stirred to hear what the Spirit has to say to the churches.

Dr. Harold D. Hunter, Director
IPHC Archives & Research Center

Last update on 4/24/08
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Ecumenical Prayer Service
with Pope Benedict XVI

My journey of dialoging with churches outside the Pentecostal Movement started in 1984. Through the years I have taken part in such encounters around the world. I have also hosted conferences that brought together a wide spectrum of Christian bodies around a common table. We always call on the old and the young, male and female, coming from different social-economic contexts, and diverse cultures drawn from five continents.

It is the mission of this ministry to address conflicts between various Christian groups wherever such crises might arise around the world. We speak in clear tones about the pain and anguish of oppression whatever the source. We also seek to move forward to find common ground on matters essential to all Christians around the world.

As a pilgrim of faith seeking divine direction, I have been taken to international dialogues like that between the Roman Catholic Church and Pentecostals. Twenty years ago, I was called on to personally greet Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter’s Square while in Rome, Italy. A colleague and I hosted a 2004 conference in Malta where the papers were published by Paternoster Press under the title The Suffering Body. And much the same was the case when leading the theological stream of the Azusa Street Revival Centennial in Los Angeles two years ago this week.

Many other examples abound, but this is how my path took me to New York City on April 18 to participate in a service with Pope Benedict XVI. The pontiff spoke with moral clarity and chastened those who have compromised the faith. I left praying that all of God’s children would be stirred to hear what the Spirit has to say to the churches.

Dr. Harold D. Hunter, Director
IPHC Archives & Research Center