Fair Play for the Charismatic Movement

by Letters Editor · June 12, 2014

From Stephen Selbourne, Cape Town

In the past, there has been a lot of misunderstanding, confusion and even outright rejection of the Catholic Charismatic Movement.�We believe the movement is being tolerated rather than celebrated. Even our current Pope Francis admitted that he thought the charismatic movement was turning sacred liturgy into a samba dance. He said: �I repented later when I saw the good that they are doing for the Church and now I favour them.� Viva Pope Francis!

Contrary to what most parishioners and even priests believe, the Charismatic Renewal Movement embraces all the teachings of the Church and is not an enemy or a maverick group in the Church.

We have been going steadily through the desert for 40 years, despite many obstacles, to eventually enter the Promised Land.

Our prayer is that we will be accepted first by all leaders of the dioceses so that they can spread a positive message of encouragement to the rest of the community. In recognition we thank our spiritual father, Archbishop Stephen Brislin, for his endorsement of the charismatic renewal movement.

Under the leadership of our director Fr Emmanuel Siljeur, we are a committed, disciplined and dedicated community labouring for Christ and his Church.

Our sole reason for existing and exercising our ministry is to bring people into a living, dynamic, Holy Spirit-filled life and to encounter a personal relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

All of us are aware that many of our people have left the Church for the more �charismatic kind of churches�. It is our mission through the Holy Spirit to welcome all people, including the lapsed, the lost, the hurt and the abandoned, back to the Church where they belong.

Christ Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit and mandated us to go, not sit or slumber, but to go and make disciples.

We believe, with cooperation and working together, that the best for the charismatic renewal and the Church as a whole is yet to come.

For when God is for us, who can be against us?