Let's defend the Truth

A)  The text of the speech by J.M.Bergoglio:

“«But, Father, can I pray with an Evangelical, with an Orthodox, with a Lutheran?» – «You must, you must! You have received the same Baptism». We have all received the same Baptism; we are all going on Jesus’ path, we want Jesus…….. “But there are differences!”. Let us leave them aside; let us walk with what we have in common, which is enough: there is the Holy Trinity; there is Baptism. Let us go forward in the strength of the Holy Spirit” (Address to the renewal in the holy spirit movement Saint Peter’s Square Friday, 3 July 2015)

“I respond to your question only with a question: how can I participate with my husband, so that the Lord’s Supper may accompany me on my path? It is a problem to which each person must respond. A pastor friend of mine said to me: “We believe that the Lord is present there. He is present. You believe that the Lord is present. So what is the difference?” — “Well, there are explanations, interpretations…”. Life is greater than explanations and interpretations. Always refer to Baptism: “One faith, one baptism, one Lord”, as Paul tells us, and take the outcome from there. I would never dare give permission to do this because I do not have the authority. One Baptism, one Lord, one faith. Speak with the Lord and go forward. I do not dare say more” (Interview to the newspaper “Corriere della Sera”, March 5, 2014)

B) References to Scriptures:

“It happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ they answered, ‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’ He asked, ‘Then how were you baptised?’ They replied, ‘With John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him — namely Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy” (Act 19:1-6)

“There is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all” (Eph 4:4-6)

C) Comment:

The Holy Spirit is One and manifests itself uniquely. The true Church of Christ is the one animated by the Holy Spirit.

Many are those who invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit, but One is the Church of Christ where the Spirit of Christ, that is Truth, is present.

Where there is the Spirit of Christ, there is the Church of Christ.

The real baptism and the true sacraments are imparted where the Holy Spirit is present. Where the Holy Spirit is not present, those sacraments are not valid for Christians.

The Church of Christ, animated by the Holy Spirit, is only one: the Universal Christian Church.