INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC-PENTECOSTAL DIALOGUE

Catholic – Pentecostal International Dialogue

Rome, Italy, 18-22 June 2026

From June 18-22, 2026, the Catholic Pentecostal International Dialogue met in Rome to finalize its report on the seventh phase on “Lex orandi, lex credendi.” The goal of this Dialogue, co-sponsored by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Pentecostal World Fellowship, is to promote mutual understanding and respect, in light of the Jesus’ call to Christian unity.

After its document “Do Not Quench the Spirit. Charisms in the Life and Mission of the Church”, the Dialogue decided to focus on keygma/proclamation, prayer/worship and sacramentality as lived by Catholics and Pentecostals. During the Angelus Prayer, Pope Leo XIV greeted the members of the dialogue and said, “Reflecting together on the principle lex orandi, lex credendi is particularly relevant nowadays”.

Exploring aspects of each other's spiritual lives and engaging in open dialogue about their beliefs and liturgical and devotional practices is a learning experience to be accomplished by all Christians. The agenda of the dialogue included a general introduction to the topic lex orandi, lex credendi, followed by sessions on kerygma/Proclamation and the Christian life (Rome, Italy, 2022), Prayer/Worship and Christian life (Kasoa, Ghana, 2023), and Sacramentality and Christian living (Lisbon, Portugal, 2024).

Co-chairs of the Dialogue were Rev. Cecil M. Robeck Jr. (Assemblies of God, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA, USA) and Most Reverend Joseph Bambera, Diocese of Scranton, USA.

In meeting Dialogue members for the first time, Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, thanked them for their ecclesial service, insisted on the importance of reception, and expressed the readiness of the Catholic Church to pursue it in agreement with the Pentecostal World Fellowship.

Concluding the meeting the Catholic Co-chair, Bishop Joseph Bambera affirms: “As we bring this 7th Phase of the Dialogue to a close, the depth of our shared faith in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of believers have proven to be a source of consolation and hope as we have journeyed together these past few years. Through study, our shared reflections and prayer and through the fellowship that we have experienced, we have come to a deeper respect and understanding of each other as fellow believers in Christ.  While we acknowledge that many differences remain between Catholics and Pentecostals, we celebrate a genuine, albeit imperfect, unity rooted in our shared faith in Christ, a commitment to bearing witness to God's redeeming presence in our world, and a deep desire to continue to work together to fulfill Jesus' prayer for the unity of all believers.”

The Pentecostal Co-chair, Rev. Cecil Robeck, Jr., who has participated in the dialogue since 1985, noted with great appreciation the advances that the two sides have made in their mutual trust, understanding and relationship with one another.  “This latest round has demonstrated how deep our relationship has become over the years.  Sharing how we pray, and what we believe, not only on the macro level, but also at the local and personal levels of our spirituality during this round has profoundly affected how we think about each other.  Our common concerns, beliefs, and interests far outweigh our differences, those places where we need to keep working.  This round holds great relevance for the present, and provides us with equally great hope for our shared future.”

Pentecostal members: Dr. David Cole (Open Bible Churches, The King’s University, Southlake, TX, USA, Chair of the Christian Unity Commission of the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America) who serves as Co-secretary; Rev. Marcia Clarke (Church of God of Cleveland, TN, USA); Rev. Dale Coulter (Church of God, ); Rev. Prof. Jacqui Grey (Australia, online), Rev. Pedro López (Asambleas de Dios, Peru, online); Rev. David Moore (Four Square Gospel, USA); Rev. Opoku Onyinah (Church of Pentecost, Ghana), and Rev. David Wells (Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, Pentecostal World Fellowship Vice-Chair and Chair of PWF Commission on Christian Unity).

Catholic members: Sr. Maria Ko, F.M.A. (Holy Spirit Seminary, Hong Kong, China) unable to attend; Rev. Fr. Marcial Maçaneiro, SCJ (Catholic University of Curitiba, Brazil), Rev. Lawrence Iwuamadi (Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland/Nigeria); Prof. Teresa Francesca Rossi (Centro Pro Unione; Pontifical University St Thomas Aquinas Angelicum, Italy); and Msgr. Juan Usma Gómez, (Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Vatican City/ Colombia), who serves as Co-secretary.