Is there a gIobal Roman Catholic evangelistic campaign specifically targeting Seventh-day Adventists?

Beginning in 1999, a document started circulating that prob. ably originated somewhere in Latin America, perhaps Central America. It purports to represent an organized ten-point program ( even more than ten points) from the Vatican specificaIly aimed at evangelizing Seventh-day Adventists. As far as we can tell, the document is spurious.

It is poor1y put together and sounds rather primitive. Some of the language looks more like garbled Adventist terminology and not the way Catholics express themselves. The Vatican itsel fhas stated it has no reason to believe the document is authentic Our impression is that the document has been concocted or changed by enemies on the fringes or outside our church.

Having said aIl this, it must be made clear that Catholics have every right to evangelize any region or peop1e-group in the world This is a principle of religious liberty.

Furthermore, any church tha is losing members to other churches has the right to use legitimatl evangelistic means to protect itself and try to stop the membership hemorrhage. Quite a number of Catholics, often only nominal mem bers, have become Adventists. Any local Catholic bishop or member worth his sait would be expected to be concemed by such a development and react in his local diocese. There is, however, no creditable evidence of a worldwide Vatican sponsored campaign aiming at specifically winning Seventh-day Adventists.

In the General Conference Working Policy 0/100, we affirm our right and our divine commission to call the gospel "to the attention of all peoples everywhere." While we believe we have a message of present gospel truth for everyone, we also acknowledge that other churches, including the Church of Rome, have this same religious liberty right in civil society. As the saying goes, what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Religious liberty is important to the goose, especially when she is laying golden evangelistic eggs.