Waldensian Church

The Waldensian Church in Italian) is the main church today after the preaching of Peter Waldo (Vaud). It occurs mainly in Italy , with branches in South America. She is a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Conference of Protestant Churches of the Latin countries of Europe.

The real name of the Waldensian churches, that they give themselves in Piedmont , is the Waldensian. They appeared with the disciples of P. Waldo, and Vaud, in the years 1170 in the parish St. Nizier at Lyon. The name of the latter is uncertain: a document only confirms the initial. Some have translated by Petrus, that is to say, Peter. Today, there is a street bearing his name (St. Pierre Valdo) in ^the 5th arrondissement of Lyon. The name does not refer to the Canton of Vaud ( Switzerland ), and the Waldensian Evangelical Church should not be confused with the Evangelical Reformed Church of Vaud.

Peter Valdes was a wealthy merchant of the city. In 1173 , he listened to a passage in the life of St. Alexis narrated by a minstrel. This story made him feel the desire to live closer to Christ, to follow the naked Christ naked. He bequeathed his estate to his wife to follow the ideal of apostolic poverty, that is to say, imitating the life of the apostles. He placed his daughters at the Abbey of Fontevraud , founded by Robert Arbrissel. He made a translation of selected passages of the Bible from Latin into the vernacular and provincial levels.

He began preaching in the streets of Lyon , an act which was banned by the Catholic Church. Only priests and clerics , in fact, were allowed to do so. The Catholic Church initially tolerated the presence of Valdes and his followers, provided they do not preach. But, having defied the ban, they were driven from Lyon by the Archbishop , John Belles hands. They therefore formed the first Vaudois, who called themselves "poor of Lyons".

As will later Protestants , the Waldensians pushed the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Distribution

History

After being expelled from Lyons, Valdes and his followers lived as farm laborers, giving alms, wandering from village to village. The "movement" Vaud was quickly emulated, especially in Provence , where they settled in a community now called the Luberon Vaudois in Italy 's north, and later during the Middle Ages in Bohemia.

It seems that the early Waldenses have never really wanted to break with the Church, even if Rome were accused of heresy by their failure to follow instructions clergy. The Waldenses believed they were still part of the Catholic Church but they were the pars begnins "and Rome the pars maligna" riddled with sin. In 1184, the council of Verona , excommunicated the Poor of Lyon.

Peter Valdes himself rejected the Cathars (the Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229) dates from this period). He died around 1206 while he and his movement were close to a reconciliation with the Church. Pope Innocent III was prepared to talk. It seems that the Lombard branch of the movement, the Poor Lombards reinstatement after a short between 1208 and 1210 (they were granted the right to preach but to a limited audience) was excluded, and anathematized.

The Waldenses are finally declared heretical by the Council of Lateran IV in 1215. In the ^thirteenth century a group of Italian Waldensian even joined the Catholic Church. Ideally Vaud poverty in Northern Italy inspired many radical movements declared heretics at the end of the ^thirteenth century the Apostolic Gherardo Segarelli; the ^fourteenth century the radical spiritual order of Friars Minor Fraticelli and Dolciniano , part of Vaud chooses to join the Reformation. They decided to translate the Bible into French, chose a cousin of John Calvin , Peter Robert Olivetan as translator, and reaped the necessary funds for this work.

The period of the bloodiest repression took place during the Easter Vaud in 1655, in the valleys of Piedmont Italy, which forced more than 300 women in Vaud take refuge across the border in Queyras French, Molines.

In 1686, under pressure from the king of France Louis XIV , the Duke of Savoy persecuted Waldenses of the Alpine valleys which first took refuge in Geneva , like thousands of Huguenots , from where they were distributed in Switzerland in Berne possessions and Germany, several hundred also starting in Holland, England, South Africa and the New World.

After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, led by Anglo-Dutch army comprised 20% of the Huguenots , the military balance of power change in Europe. The Duke of Savoy Victor Amadeus II then granted them an edict of tolerance and Vaud in 1689 were allowed to do their " glorious return "to their valleys by a journey of 200 kilometers due south along the mountain ridges.

In 1848, King Charles Albert bestowed upon his subjects non-Catholics (Jews and Protestants) Letters Patent by which he gave them permission to pursue higher education and practice of professions (doctor, lawyer, etc. ..) This Letters Patent also opened the ghettos in which the Vaudois were locked and it is from this date that the Waldenses were spreading their faith and belief in all of Italy.

Today the Waldensian celebrate this date of 17 February 1848 by bonfires, processions and solemn worship. This date is also called "Feast of liberties"

Currently

Waldensian Evangelical Church of Turin.

The Waldensian brings together local churches Waldensian and Methodist. It is chaired by Pastor Maria Bonafede, the first woman to head the Waldensian churches (but not the head of a European Protestant Church as affirmed by the AFP, because of the pastors of Geneva was chaired by a moderator there A few years ago). Its title is moderator of the Waldensian. Women can be pastors since 1961.

In an interview in La Stampa, Maria Bonafede said desirable that the new Pope Benedict XVI "able to dialogue with other Christian churches" and "abandoned the notion of primacy of the Catholic Church on the other. " It also ruled against the presence of crucifixes in public places. Finally, she stated that "the Christian faith is incompatible with economic injustice, as it was incompatible with Nazism and apartheid. "

The Waldensian has about 30,000 followers in France and some alpine valleys in Northern Italy , mostly in the Piedmont are, for example at the Palazzo in Venice a Cavagnis Foresteria Valdese, guesthouse Waldensian and Methodist churches associated. The Waldensian are also some communities in Latin America.

Practices

Unlike the Catholics , the Waldenses did not count as priests in their ranks: only "beards," kinds of pastors who, after 3 years of learning texts and visits with barbs and confessed oldest ceremonies presided. The Waldenses of Bohemia were more severely persecuted by the Inquisition: a part of them joined the Hussites.

During the Reformation , the Waldensians sent two of them in Switzerland for the views of reformers like CEcolampadius and Guillaume Farel.

Doctrine

Originally, there was the desire to return to evangelical poverty. Subsequently, the doctrine of the Waldenses took shape at conferences (Laus - 1526, Chanforan -1532) with the base knowledge of the Gospel , the Old and New Testament.

The main aspects are:

Scripture is the only rule of faith and hearts.

Every man and woman insider knowledge of writing can preach.

It is good that the worship is done in popular language and that everyone uses the Bible.

Faith is a gift from God. It includes the Lord's love and obedience to His commandments.

Mass of the Roman worship is worthless.

The indulgences are worthless. Purgatory is a fable.

Everything is done for the salvation of the dead is useless.

Jesus is the only intercessor. We must imitate the saints, not worship them. Their worship is idolatry.

The Roman clergy who have perverted the doctrine and sacraments of the apostles, and did not imitate their example, has no authority.

Baptism is a sign of regeneration. It will actually take place until the child has a true faith. The only recognized sacraments are baptism and the Lord's Supper.

Marriage is dissolved by adultery.

Waldensian doctrine is summarized in a poem from the early ^fifteenth century in Occitan : The Noble Leicon (The noble lesson).

References

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