How Will Pope Francis Work with Evangelicals?
International evangelist Luis Palau, a native of Argentina, vouched for the character of his personal friend Pope Francis and described the pope's faith in an interview with Christianity Today.
"He's a man of strong convictions. He isn't swayed by the powers that be of any kind, even political," Palau said in CT March 14. "He's very strong on moral issues."
Palau, who is roughly the same age as the pope, said that in their conversations through the years, Francis was "always especially concerned for the young people."
"Every time we talked about the state of Christianity in the world, he would bring up secularization and the distancing of the church from the young generation," Palau said. "... [Francis] said, 'Give those young people the Gospel. ... They need to hear the pure Gospel.' And he knows what he is saying when he says the Gospel."
As the Roman Catholic Church's pope, Palau acknowledged "there are issues that need to be talked about, prayed about, looked at the Bible about" regarding differences in doctrine, though Palau expects Francis to work closely with the evangelical community during his time as pope.
The financial manager for the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, where Francis served as cardinal, is an evangelical Christian, Palau told CT. Francis believed he could trust the man, and they would spend hours reading the Bible and praying and drinking mate, an Argentine green tea.
Regarding the new pope's faith, Palau said, "You know he knew God the Father personally. The way he prayed, the way he talked to the Lord, was of a man who knows Jesus Christ and was very spiritually intimate with the Lord. It's not an effort [for him] to pray. He didn't do reading prayers; he just prayed to the Lord spontaneously."
When asked about his leadership style, Palau said Francis is "a very Bible-centered man, a very Jesus Christ-centered man." He added, "Personally, he is more known for his personal love for Christ. He's really centered on Jesus and the Gospel, the pure Gospel."
"He's a man of strong convictions. He isn't swayed by the powers that be of any kind, even political," Palau said in CT March 14. "He's very strong on moral issues."
Palau, who is roughly the same age as the pope, said that in their conversations through the years, Francis was "always especially concerned for the young people."
"Every time we talked about the state of Christianity in the world, he would bring up secularization and the distancing of the church from the young generation," Palau said. "... [Francis] said, 'Give those young people the Gospel. ... They need to hear the pure Gospel.' And he knows what he is saying when he says the Gospel."
As the Roman Catholic Church's pope, Palau acknowledged "there are issues that need to be talked about, prayed about, looked at the Bible about" regarding differences in doctrine, though Palau expects Francis to work closely with the evangelical community during his time as pope.
The financial manager for the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, where Francis served as cardinal, is an evangelical Christian, Palau told CT. Francis believed he could trust the man, and they would spend hours reading the Bible and praying and drinking mate, an Argentine green tea.
Regarding the new pope's faith, Palau said, "You know he knew God the Father personally. The way he prayed, the way he talked to the Lord, was of a man who knows Jesus Christ and was very spiritually intimate with the Lord. It's not an effort [for him] to pray. He didn't do reading prayers; he just prayed to the Lord spontaneously."
When asked about his leadership style, Palau said Francis is "a very Bible-centered man, a very Jesus Christ-centered man." He added, "Personally, he is more known for his personal love for Christ. He's really centered on Jesus and the Gospel, the pure Gospel."
