While the founders of Operation Rescue may have intended only to save the
lives of the helpless children that are destroyed through abortion, they
now find themselves serving an entirely different purpose.
"I have never seen such an instrument for
ecumenism as Operation Rescue is," said Catholic priest Patrick Malone,
head of St. Mary Catholic Parish just outside Wichita. Malone explained
that Operation Rescue "has a very strong evangelical flavor nationwide,
but the experience here has been that the operations break down barriers
that have separated churches as we stand for the common cause of the unborn
child."
Recognizing that the movement offers a tremendous opportunity to sweep millions
of Protestants under the guidance of the papacy, Catholic leaders are now
encouraging Roman Catholics to join Operation Rescue and shape its future
direction. It's already working. said Malone, "People I've demonstrated
with, attended rallies with and spent time in jail with--the evangelicals
and others--apologized again and again to me" for the views they had
held of the Catholic Church.
At Indianapolis 1990, Catholic priest Michael Scanlan gave a testimony about
being arrested during an Operation Rescue demonstration. He spoke of the
close fellowship between Catholics and Protestants in the jail, and said
many of the Protestants attended the masses which were held there. He also
said that after these ecumenical experiences, some Protestants began reciting
the rosary during Operation Rescue demonstrations.
The National Catholic Register has reported in at least two articles the
news that Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry is the latest Protestant
pro-life activist to join the Roman Catholic Church. In a Register interview,
Terry was asked, "When did you first take an interest in the Catholic Church?"
His answer is: "It was during my work in Operation Rescue that I first became
interested in the Roman Catholic Church."
Other Modern Ecumenical Movements
- (ECT) Evangelicals and Catholics Together
- Freemasonry
- The New Age Movement
- Baha'i World Faith
- Promise Keepers
