By Rev. Dr. Paul Baxley
Today I invite all Cooperative Baptists to join Christians all over the world in praying for Pope Leo XIV as he begins his leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.
Let us pray that the Holy Spirit guides him, and the Church he leads, to even greater faithfulness for the sake of Christ and the world. Let us join with him, our brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church, and with Christians from every denomination and every land in experiencing and extending the peace of the Risen Christ, offering compassion to those who suffer, and advocating for a just and peaceful end to the conflicts that plague our world.
Just before his death and resurrection, Jesus prayed that all of his followers in every time and place would be one. While there is certainly difference and distinction in the body of Christ, and certainly between Baptists and Catholics, we can be one in our participation in the mission of Christ, in the work of bringing good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and freedom for the oppressed.
As the new Pope declared today: “We are disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs His light. Humanity needs Him as the bridge to be reached by God and His love.”
Rev. Dr. Paul Baxley serves as Executive Coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.