Jesus followers in Italy face the challenge of distinguishing the gospel message of salvation from the message of Catholicism, without becoming closed off from the world around them.
How do I distinguish myself from the world without closing myself off from the world? is a question many Jesus followers wrestle with at some point. It is also a question directly facing church leaders in Italy, who are tasked with sharing the gospel of God’s grace and salvation through Jesus in an area that is culturally Catholic.
Leonardo de Chirico, an Italian Jesus follower, theologian, author and pastor who partners with OM’s efforts in Italy, explains that over the past 60-70 years since the second Vatican council (1962-1965), the Roman Catholic Church has moved their focus away from the Roman aspect of the Church, which centred on the hierarchy, tradition, Latin liturgy and exclusivity of the Roman Catholic Church.
The more modern focus is on the Catholic aspect of the Church, which emphasises inclusivity, dialogue, global diversity and the universality of Catholicism. Recent theology, since the Second Vatican Council, teaches that every person is connected to God as a child of God, but that it is within the Catholic Church that people more fully experience this level of intimacy with God.
Leonardo explains that this has “now become the dominant narrative” in Italy.
This theology would state that a practising Muslim is spiritually closer to experiencing God than someone who is an atheist, who has no belief in God at all. However, because a Muslim does not partake in the Catholic sacraments, they miss out on an aspect of experiencing God on earth. A Catholic theologian, Leonardo Boff, writes about how the Catholic Church is open to change and can adapt its thinking to include different ways people experience God.
This shift in theology creates a big gap in understanding of salvation between the Catholic Church and Jesus followers.
Jesus followers in Italy identify themselves as evangelicals, distinguishing themselves more from the Catholic Church than from other church denominations. Their belief is that it is only through a personal decision to follow Jesus Christ that anyone is saved, as described in Romans 10:9: "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (NIV).
Catholic teachings
When a young child whose father had recently died asked Pope Francis if his father — who was an atheist, but had had all four of his children baptised — would be in heaven, the Pope answered “God surely was proud of your father, because it is easier as a believer to baptise your children than to baptise them when you are not a believer. Surely this pleased God very much.”
“Do you think God would ever leave a man like him far from Him? Does God abandon His children?”
Pope Francis’ answer removes the high stakes of what it means for the Church to seek after non-believers, as the Catholic theology seems to teach that if they have a good heart on earth, then they can reach salvation.
A great benefit of the Catholic Church’s new approach to theology is that many Catholics are more open to hearing perspectives from those who have different beliefs than their own.
Set apart
The Evangelical Church in Italy must be open to sharing the good news of God’s grace and salvation through Jesus alone with everyone. Leonardo explained that in spaces where Christians are a minority, they should not close themselves off from others. Instead, by developing the capacity to interact with different groups of people, they can share the gospel of salvation through Jesus.
Leonardo himself is part of an effort to pioneer Jesus following churches in Rome — a historically predominantly Roman Catholic area. In partnership with OM, he and other church leaders have been seeking ways in which to explain that the Evangelical Church is distinct from the Catholic Church, while also demonstrating that Jesus followers should not avoid people from different belief systems.
This is a difficult task to undertake, as many Catholics view the majority of evangelicals as a sect; however, God is at work. Leonardo and his associates plan to plant five churches in Rome by the end of 2030. Leonardo is trying to keep a hopeful but realistic stance in the formation of these church plants. He thinks that growing these churches slowly and organically will help retain members who will be consistently involved in the church.
Leonardo’s approach relies on God to change people’s hearts, while still accounting for the difficulties of sharing the gospel of God’s grace and salvation through Jesus in a culturally-Catholic country.
Pray that God works through these church plants to reach culturally-Catholic Italians who have not met Jesus. Pray that God will sustain the Jesus followers striving to make a difference in their country.