By Alex Murashko
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) congratulated Pope Francis for being elected the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church and said it hopes to continue positive dialogue together.
The Rev. Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, secretary general of WEA, which represents more than 600 million evangelical Christians, extended his “warmest congratulations” to the newly elected Pope and affirmed his prayers for the new leader, who will head the Catholic Church “at a time filled with great challenges but also a time of great possibilities…,” in a statement released Thursday.
“We look forward to building on some of the good work we have done together in the past, such as the collaboration for the document Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct,” said Tunnicliffe.
“We live at a time of grave challenges for all Christian communities. Therefore, the need to find common ground for conversation and action in this world are fundamental if we are to be faithful witnesses to Jesus Christ and his kingdom on earth,” he said.
In the statement, the WEA recognizes the various differences between Roman Catholics and evangelicals around the world, and expressed its hope “that fruitful conversations with the Catholic Church will continue.”
