VATICAN CITY
Christian Post
BY NICOLA MENZIE , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
June 7, 2014
Joel Osteen, bestselling motivational author and evangelical pastor of America’s fastest-growing megachurch, was among a small group that included Mormon Sen. Mike Lee, to meet privately with Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome, this week.
Osteen said he was honored to meet with Pope Francis, who leads the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
“I like the fact that this pope is trying to make the church larger, not smaller. He’s not pushing people out but making the church more inclusive. That resonated with me,” Osteen told the Houston Chronicle.
The megachurch pastor, who ministers to 52,000 worshippers weekly and reaches millions through his books and television broadcasts, added that the group’s meeting with Francis was cut short due to the death of a cardinal, Simon Lourdusamy. Osteen added, however, that the pope asked the group to pray for peace in the Middle East as well as for him.
According to Deseret News, the meeting with Pope Francis on Thursday was “part of a multiday, unofficial visit to Italy to promote ecumenical prayer and interfaith understanding.”
In addition to Sen. Lee’s and Osteen’s presence, the publication reports that others in attendance included Tim Timmons, a pastor and author based in Newport Beach, Calif., and Gayle D. Beebe, president of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Fellowship, or The International Foundation, reportedly organized the trip. The Fellowship is led by evangelical Christian minister Douglas Coe, who was noted by the Vatican Information Services as one of many guests received by Pope Francis on Thursday, cited simply as: “Doug Coe of the National Prayer Breakfast, U.S.A., and entourage.” The Fellowship is the main organizer behind the annual National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C.
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