The Vatican is apparently pleasantly disposed to the decision of the Reformed Churches (the modernist and always modernizing ones) to sign on to the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification:
The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has released a note regarding the association of the Reformed Churches to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ), calling the occasion an “important milestone”.
The Joint Declaration was signed between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation in 1999, with the World Methodist Council adopting the document in 2006.
On Wednesday, 5 July 2017 the World Communion of Reformed Churches becomes the fourth party to associate itself to the doctrine on Justification as accepted by Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists.
“One of the crucial issues of dissent between the Reformers and the authorities of the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century is thus being diffused and overcome, making further growth in spiritual and ecclesial communion between the Protestant and Catholic Churches possible,” the note states.
An ecumenical prayer service held in Wittenberg, Germany by the Communion of Reformed Churches, along with representation by the Vatican and other signatories, marks their association with the Joint Declaration.
The Vatican is represented by Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Fr. Avelino Gonzalez, an official of the Western Section of the same dicastery.
Though a milestone in ecumenical relations and “the full, visible unity of Christians”, the note says the event is “not yet the end of the road but a significant stage on the way.”
So will the Vatican help modernist Lutherans, Methodists, and Reformed Protestants overcome their errors of ordaining women and celebrating gay marriages? Or are such matters merely ecclesiastical preferences, like using port instead of a red blend?
Whatever the answer, ecumenism only happens when churches become indifferent to doctrine. Of course, doctrine doesn’t change. Churches don’t have to. You just stop enforcing orthodoxy.
Are Bryan and the Jasons really that gullible?
Old Life 
Note that the Vat statement says what they really like about these “Reformed” denoms (which include by membership EPC, ECO, and Cumberland Presbys) is their way of linking social justice and justification. Why no love for the New PCA — which now has corresponding fellowship with the EPC?
http://wcrc.ch/members#north_america
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Painfully true. “We are closer together…” even if you do encourage homosexuality. On the doctrinal questions modern churches hardly even comprehend anymore, we have achieved consensus! Depressing how much rome is becoming one of the mainline churches. And demoralizing.
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Is Rome getting more mainline or are mainline getting more Romish?
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Rome really has become a big tent. As long as you can affirm, or at least not deny something like its sacramental theology, you can be in. That’s why this happened. The mainline, in its own way, puts everything in the sacraments and nothing in the preaching of the gospel. They prattle on and on and on about how the table is open to all, no actual explicit Christian faith required. This isn’t much different than how Rome works in practice.
Francis has just accelerated this universalizing trend. Have women bishops? Homosexual clergy? No-fault divorce? It’s all good as long as you water down JBFA to make it meaningless and adopt a form of ex opere operato sacramentalism.
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Wresby, Rome is getting more mainline. What Vatican II is about. Make Christianity relevant.
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Maybe Bryan and the Jasons should become sedevacantists.
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