In the same decade that theVatican II Councilintroduced experiential religion and the charismatic movement as the key to unity, the Christian world experienced a dramatic revival. The charismatic movement, which had first appeared at the turn of the century, spread like wildfire throughout the US and the rest of the world.

In the early 1960s, the Pentecostal Church still regarded Roman Catholicism with suspicion. However, by 1965 Reverend Erwin Prange wrote, “recently I attended a Roman Catholic, Episcopalian and Lutheran retreat...I am convinced that the basic meaning of the charismatic renewal is the reunion of the churches.”ⁱ

In May 1975, Pope Paul VI spoke at the International Conference on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, encouraging attendees to find renewal and to remain anchored in the Church:

Nothing is more necessary to this more and more secularized world than the witness of the 'spiritual renewal' that we see the Holy Spirit evoking in the most diverse regions and milieu...How then could this 'spiritual renewal' not be a 'chance' for the Church and for the world? And how, in this case, could one not take all the means to insure that it remains so?ⁱⁱ

In 1988-89, Russia opened the door to the charismatic movement by issuing visas to the top charismatic preachers of the world. These preachers held mass rallies in the USSR. Among those invited was Pastor Ray McCauley of South Africa's Rhema Bible Church.

As the years have progressed, Catholics and Protestants have drawn together more and more through liturgy and the charismatic movement.

The Catholic Charismatic Movement

In 1967, the faculty and students of the Catholic Duquesne and Notre Dame Universities prayed for the gifts of the Spirit. Hundreds of adherents to the Catholic faith received what they had asked for, and the Catholic charismatic movement was born.

Pope Paul VI was at first under pressure to condemn the charismatic movement in the Catholic Church. But in 1975, at a gathering of 25,000 people at St. Peter’s in Rome, Pope Paul VI praised the spiritual renewal. Christianity Today says this about the gathering:

Bishops, archbishops and cardinals, struggling to keep their hats in place, sang and danced in ecstasy, embracing one another, raising their arms to heaven. Pope Paul VI’s address was punctuated with ecstatics.ⁱⁱⁱ

Catholic Cardinal Joseph Suenens tells us of his charismatic experience:

Since I have had this experience, my allegiance to the Holy Father as the Vicar of Christ in the world has been heightened and strengthened. My appreciation for Mary as the co-redemptress and mediatoress of my salvation has been assured. My appreciation of the mass as the sacrifice of Christ has now been heightened.^iv

Since the establishment of the charismatic movement within the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant and Orthodox churches have changed their stance towards Catholic acceptance. According to Tim Dowley, “the emergence of the Church of Rome as a partner in ecumenical discussions, and the impact of the charismatic movement, has totally changed ecumenical relationship.”^v

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