Pope Francis has invited thousands of Catholic charismatics and members of Pentecostal and Evangelical churches to Rome to celebrate Pentecost and mark the 50th anniversary of what became the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
The Pope will lead a prayer vigil on June 3, the eve of Pentecost, at Rome's Circus Maximus, an open field that was the site of an ancient Roman stadium used for chariot races. Participants will join the Pope the next morning for Pentecost Mass in St Peter's Square.
In 2014, Pope Francis had invited charismatics and Pentecostals to Rome in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Catholic charismatic movement, which traces its origins to a retreat held in 1967 at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. The anniversary event is being organised by the Vatican-based International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services.
