Billy Graham with the Pope in November 1982Graham in bed with the Pope - on several occasions 1963: Upon the death of Pope John XXIII, Graham said from Bonn, Germany, "I admired Pope John tremendously … I felt he brought a new era to the world. It is my hope that the Cardinals elect a new Pope who will follow the same line as John. It would be a great tragedy if they chose a man who reacted against John" (2/2/63 Michigan City News-Dispatch; 6/8/63 Chicago Tribune).

1966: Graham said, "I find myself closer to Catholics than the radical Protestants. I think the Roman Catholic Church today is going through a second Reformation" (Philadelphia Evening Bulletin 24 may, 1966. See graduation photo from Catholic College)

1967: Graham on his graduation speech from Catholic Abbey he stated: "Finally, the way of salvation has not changed. I know how the ending of the book will be. The Gospel that built this school Catholic] and the Gospel that brings me here tonight is still the way to salvation" ("Belmont Abbey Confers Honorary Degree," Paul Smith, Gazette staff reporter, The Gastonia Gazette, Gastonia, North Carolina, Nov. 22, 1967).

1968: At a meeting in San Antonio, Texas, 1968, Graham said that the Roman Church had given "tremendous cooperation" in areas where he had held crusades. He added, "A great part of our support today comes from Catholics. We never hold a crusade without priests and nuns being much in evidence in the audience."

1972: Graham received the Catholic International Franciscan Award for "his contribution to true ecumenism" and "his sincere and authentic ecumenism" (4/22/72 Minneapolis Star). In acknowledging the award, Graham said, "While I am not worthy to touch the shoe laces of St. Francis, yet this same Christ that called Francis in the 13th century also called me to be one of his servants in the 20th century" (2/86 The Gospel Standard).

Billy Graham received the Catholic International Franciscan Award in Minneapolis, given by the Franciscan Friars for "his contribution to true ecumenism" and his "sincere and authentic evangelism" (Minneapolis Star).

1973: Graham recommended Roman Catholic literature in the ecumenical Key '73 meetings held across North America; he especially recommended a biography of the Pope John XXIII containing hundreds of pages of devotion to Mary and the Saints, worship of the host (wafer) at the Mass, and his [the Pope's] trust in the sacraments as the means of salvation. Graham advertised this book as "a classic in devotion" (2/86 The Gospel Standard; Key '73: Congregational Resource Book).

1979: "The visit of Pope John Paul II to the United States is an event of great significance not only for Roman Catholics, but for all Americans as well as the world. In the short time he has been the Pope, John Paul II has become the moral leader of the world. My prayers and the prayers of countless other Protestants will be with him as he makes his journey" (Billy Graham, 9/27/79 Religious New Service dispatch; quoted in New Neutralism II, p. 40).

1979: Billy Graham appeared on the Phil Donahue show on 10/11/79, and in discussing Pope John Paul II's visit to the U.S.A., said: "I think the American people are looking for a leader, a moral and spiritual leader that believes something. And the Pope does. … Thank God, I've got somebody to quote now with some real authority."

1979: "The visit of Pope John Paul II to the United States is an event of great significance not only for Roman Catholics, but for all Americans-as well as the world … In the short time he has been the Pope, John Paul II has become the moral leader of the world. My prayers and the prayers of countless other Protestants will be with him as he makes his journey (9/27/79 Religious New Service dispatch; quoted in New Neutralism II, p. 40).

1979: "No other man in the world today could attract as much attention on moral and spiritual subjects as John Paul. He is articulating what Catholic and Protestant churches have traditionally held, the moral values from the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. The country is responding in a magnificent way. It shows there’s a great spiritual hunger. The Pope has reached millions of Protestants. The organized ecumenical movement seems to be on the back burner and ecumenicity is now taking place where Roman Catholics and Protestants share beliefs in matters like the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection of Christ" (Billy Graham, Time, October 15, 1979).

1980: "Since his election, Pope John Paul II has emerged as the greatest religious leader of the modern world, and one of the greatest moral and spiritual leaders of this century … The Pope came [to America] as a statesman and a pastor, but I believe he also sees himself coming as an evangelist. … The Pope sought to speak to the spiritual hunger of our age in the same way Christians throughout the centuries have spoken to the spiritual yearnings of every age-by pointing people to Christ" (Saturday Evening Post, Jan.-Feb. 1980). [In this same article Graham was quoted as saying, "Recently I learned the word 'Pontiff' comes from the Latin words which originally meant 'bridge builder.' … Pope John Paul II [is] indeed a bridge builder, and that is something our divided world desperately needs." Historically, "pontiff" does not mean bridge- builder, but refers to the papal title of Pontifex Maximus, which was handed down to the early popes from the high priests of ancient heathen religion in the Roman Empire; "Pontiff" in Italian and Latin means "bridge," and clearly points to the Pope's blasphemous claim that he himself is that bridge between man and God.] (Billy Graham, The Saturday Evening Post, Jan.-Feb. 1980).

1981: Graham met Pope John Paul II on 1/13 and was reported in the Religious News Service as saying that the intense conversations lasting about two hours were "very private, intimate conversation. He [the Pope] was extremely warm and interested in our work" (7/17/81 Christianity Today).

1984: On coming to Vancouver less than a month after the Pope had been there, Graham commented on the Pope's message: "I'll tell you, that was just about as straight an evangelical address as I've ever heard. It was tremendous. Of course, I'm a great admirer of his. He gives moral guidance in a world that seems to have lost its way" (Foundation, Vol. V, Iss. 5, 1984).

1986: In acknowledging the award, Graham said, "While I am not worthy to touch the shoe laces of St. Francis, yet this same Christ that called Francis in the 13th century also called me to be one of his servants in the 20th century" (2/86 The Gospel Standard).

1989: Graham spoke about a meeting with Pope John Paul II-"There was a pause in the conversation; suddenly the Pope's arm shot out and he grabbed the lapels of my coat, he pulled me forward within inches of his own face. He fixed his eyes on me and said, 'Listen Graham, we are brothers'" (6/8/89 Today). Graham said that that was a great happening in his life.

1990: After meeting with the Pope, Graham said that it is particularly evident in the Pope's speeches that his attitudes and decisions "are based on his great personal spiritual life. … he bases his work and messages and vision on biblical principles" (Ewin, The Assimilation of Evangelist Billy Graham Into the Roman Catholic Church, 1992, p. N).

1992: In , Graham stated that he "expects to spend eternity with God, the great, and the good - including Elvis Presley." (4/16/92 issue of USA Today)

1993: At a 7/12 interview by Joan Lunden on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America," Graham said: "I'm delighted the Pope is coming [to Denver] ... I admire the Pope even though I don't agree with him on everything ..." [The Pope in talks this year insists that he is the infallible "Vicar of Christ." How can anyone who proclaims the one and only true Gospel ever be "delighted" that a counterfeit Christ would come with a false gospel to beguile thousands of youth?]

"This past week I preached in the great Catholic Cathedral a funeral sermon for a close friend of mine who was a Catholic, and they had several Bishops and Archbishops to participate. And as I sat there going through the funeral Mass, that was a very beautiful thing, and certainly straight and clear in the gospel. There was a wonderful little priest that would tell me when to stand and when to kneel and what to do" (O Timothy, Vol. 10, Issue 9, 1993, pp. 16-17). There you have it. Billy Graham kneeling and worshiping the Mass wafer

Dr. Billy Graham recently told Parade Magazine, "I fully adhere to the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith for myself and my ministry, but as an American, I respect other paths to God."

Other paths to God? What did God himself say about this...