Roman Catholicism claims to represent the “catholic” (complete, full) teaching and to embody the “catholic” (historical, global) Church. The truth is that it is more “Roman” than biblically catholic. The evangelical faith is biblically grounded, historically attested, open to renewal by God’s Word and the Spirit, and a global family of believers. It is there that true catholicity can be found.

This is part 5 of a 5-part series on "Why I Am Not a Roman Catholic."

Find more great talks like this at https://www.FOCLonline.org.
Remember to like and subscribe to see all of our talks!

Leonardo De Chirico is the pastor of Breccia di Roma, a church that he helped plant in Rome in 2009, and Chair of the Theological Commission of the Italian Evangelical Alliance. Previously, Leonardo planted and pastored an evangelical church in Ferrara, Italy from 1997 to 2009. He earned degrees in history (University of Bologna), theology (ETCW, Bridgend, Wales) and bioethics (University of Padova). His PhD is from King's College (London); it was published as Evangelical Theological Perspectives on Post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism. His recent books are A Christian Pocket Guide to Papacy (Christian Focus, 2015); A Christian Pocket Guide to Mary (Christian Focus, 2017), Same Words, Different Worlds. Do Roman Catholics and evangelicals believe the same gospel? (IVP, 2021) and Engaging with Thomas Aquinas. An evangelical approach (IVP, 2024). He is a lecturer of historical theology at Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione in Padova, Italy. Additionally, Leonardo is the director of the Reformanda Initiative, which aims to equip evangelical leaders to understand better and engage with Roman Catholicism, and the leader of the Rome Scholars and Leaders Network (RSLN).

MCFEB24e