Jan 2002 The Pope calls on all lawers to refuse
to represent clients seeking divorce. Although he mentioned Catholic
lawers the news services indicated that the message was for all
lawyers. He said "Marriage is indissoluble.... It doesn't make any
sense to talk about the 'imposition' of human law, because it should
reflect and protect natural and divine law." He indicated that
divine law superseded human law. Some from the political and law
field said the comments were at best inappropriate and at worst were
an attempt to intervene in state affairs. Politicians from both left
and right wing parties warned the Church to stay out of state
affairs.
In May 2001 the pope made history by becoming the first
Catholic leader to set foot into a mosque and participate in an
organized prayer service. The symbolic meeting took place when
the Pope entered the Umayyad Mosque in the Syrian capital of Damascus.
Jan 1, 2001 After four decades of talks, Episcopalians
and Lutherans now allow the their churches to share clergy, sacraments
and programs.
2000 Pew Survey Showed that Catholics have a more
favorable impression (8 out of 10) with Americans than did
Evangelicals. (6 out of 10) Evangelicals had a "unfavorable" rating
(16%) twice as high as Roman Catholics had (9%).
September 2000 Vatican Says Protestants Are Not Equals
The Roman Catholic document Dominus Iesus, issued Sept. 5, questions
the validity of Protestant churches. The official statement, issued
by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, rejects
the idea that other branches of Christianity could be considered
equal to Roman Catholicism, whose authority comes directly from God
through the pope, the successor to St. Peter, it says. Other
Christian churches - referred to as "ecclesial communities" -- have
"defects" even though the "Church of Christ" is present in them,
according to the statement.
January 2000, representatives of the Lutheran,
Anglican and Orthodox churches helped Pope John Paul usher in a Year
of Jubilee in the Vatican.
Tuesday 16 th June 1998 Lutherans Approve Joint Declaration on
Justification with Catholics Document ends 400-year dispute on
doctrine of justification Source: LWF By a unanimous vote