Washington D.C., Aug 8, 2017 / 14:49 pm
Some U.S. evangelical Christian leaders want to talk with Pope Francis about a prominent Jesuit-run journal's essay on Christianity and American politics that depicted some Catholic-Evangelical collaboration as an "ecumenism of hate."
"Rather than being offended, we have chosen to attempt to make peace," Johnnie Moore said, according to Time Magazine. "We would be willing to get on a plane tomorrow to Rome to meet with whoever, whenever to create a space for dialogue instead of conflict."
Moore, a board member of the National Association of Evangelicals and past president of the Virginia-based Liberty University, requested the meeting with the Pope and other Vatican leaders on behalf of some U.S. Evangelical leaders, including some close to President Trump.
He is part of a group of evangelical Christian leaders who are informal advisors to President Trump. Only parts of the letter were made public.
Moore voiced surprise at the essay, considering the Pope's reputation as a "bridge-builder," the Washington Post reports. His letter alluded to contemporary "ongoing persecution, political division and global conflict," saying there are "efforts to divide Catholics and Evangelicals."