RE: the election of Pope Francis
| NOTE: The EFC is the regional affiliate of the World Evangelical Alliance, and its secretary general, the Canadian Geoff Tunnicliffe, attended Pope Francis's inauguration at the Vatican and also previously extended his congratulations. |
Msgr. Patrick Powers, P.H.
2500 Don Reid Dr.
Ottawa, ON K1H 2J2
Dear Monsignor Powers,
On behalf of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, I wish to congratulate the Bishops of Canada on the election of Jorge Mario Borgoglio as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
There are significant opportunities and challenges facing Christians globally. We will be in prayer for Pope Francis as he gives leadership to the Roman Catholic Church and for his influence on the broader Christian movement worldwide.
We affirm his passion to care for the vulnerable and marginalized, and share his concern for Christians, and indeed all persons, who are persecuted for their faith.
We know of the good relationships he has with evangelicals in Argentina and we look forward to a continuing fruitful dialogue between evangelicals and Roman Catholics, both globally and here in Canada. While we have our differences, there is much to learn form each other and many things on which we can collaborate.
We are pleased that Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, the Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, of which the EFC is a member, has been invited by the Vatican to attend the inauguration of Pope Francis.
Sincerely,
Bruce J. Clemenger
President, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada