Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 24, 1995 TAG: 9509250084
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ESTHER DISKIN LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium
Details of the meeting in New York City have not been made final, said Gene Kapp, vice president of public relations for Robertson's network.
Pope John Paul II has made Christian unity a principal goal for the year 2000. In June, he published an encyclical on ecumenism in which he acknowledged that the Roman Catholic Church shared blame for previous schisms between Rome and the Protestant and Orthodox churches. Since then, he has made several speeches about healing discord between the faiths.
Robertson also is focusing on cooperation among Christian denominations, Kapp said. In 1994, Robertson joined a group of national religious leaders in signing a document called ``Evangelicals and Catholics Together.''
``Mr. Robertson shares the same vision as the pope does, a vision of Christian unity and world evangelism,'' Kapp said.
Kapp said the meeting is not tied to plans by Robertson's grass-roots political organization, the Christian Coalition, to kick off a new Catholic wing shortly before the pope's visit. The coalition's ``Catholic Alliance'' is envisioned as a way to boost the coalition's Catholic membership and distribute voter guides at Catholic churches.
Earlier this month, Roman Catholic Bishop Walter F. Sullivan sent a letter to pastoral leaders in the Richmond Diocese, which includes Western Virginia, reminding them of his long-standing policy of refusing voter guides prepared by outside political groups. In an interview, Sullivan noted the coalition's growing alliance with the Republican Party and wrote, ``We cannot allow the Church to be used for partisan purposes.''
Robertson will not discuss the coalition's plan with the pope, Kapp said. ``This meeting is about prayer, not politics.''
by CNB