I was born in Venice, northern Italy, on March 22, 1917. At the age of ten, I was sent to a Roman Catholic seminary in Plasencia, and was ordained a priest after twelve years of study on October 22, 1939 Two months later Cardinal R. Rossi, my superior, sent me to America as assistant pastor of the new Italian church, the "Blessed Mother Cabrini" in Chicago, and later in New York. I never wondered if my sermons or instructions were against the Bible. My only rush and ambition was to please the Pope. It was Sunday in February 1944, when I accidentally put the radio in contact with a religious program of Protestant origin. The pastor preached his radio message. I was going to change the program because I was not allowed to listen to Protestant sermons but (I don't know why) I kept listening ...
My theology was shaken by a text I heard on the radio. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved."So it is not a sin against the Holy Spirit to believe that one is saved. I was not yet converted, but my mind was full of doubts regarding the Roman religion. I began to rush more by the teachings of the Bible than by dogmas and decrees of the Pope. People above me were giving every day from 5 to 30 dollars, for a 20 minute ceremony, called the Mass, because it promised to free the souls of their relatives from the fire of purgatory. But every time I saw the large crucifix on the altar it seemed to me that Christ was rebuking me by saying: You are stealing money from poor and working people through false promises. You teach doctrines against my teachings. The souls of those who believe do not go to a place of torment, because I have said "Blessed are the dead who here die in the Lord. Yes, says the Spirit, let them rest from their labors; for their works follow him" (Revelation 14:13). I do not need vain repetitions of the sacrifice of the cross, because my sacrifice was complete. My work of salvation was perfect, and God sanctioned it by raising him from the dead. "Because with just one offering he made the sanctified perfect forever"(Hebrews 10:14). If the priests and the Pope have the power to free souls from purgatory with Masses and indulgences, why do they expect an offering? If you see a dog burning in the fire, you will not wait until the owner brings you $ 5.00 to get the dog out of there. Now, I couldn't face the Christ on the altar. When I was preaching that the Pope is the vicar of Christ, the successor of Peter, the infallible rock on which Christ built his Church, a voice seemed to rebuke me and tell me; "You saw the Pope in Rome: his enormous and very rich palace; his guards; the men kissing his feet. Do you really believe that he represents me? I came to serve the people; I washed the men's feet. where to lay my head. Look at me on the cross? Do you really believe that God has built his Church on a man, when the Bible clearly says that the vicar of Christ on earth is the Holy Spirit, and not a man? (John 14:26) And that rock was Christ. If the Roman Church is based on a man, then it is not my Church. "I still preached that the Bible is not a sufficient rule of Faith, and that we need the tradition and dogmas of the Church to understand the scriptures. So a voice within I said to myself: "You preach against the teachings of the Bible; you preach nonsense. If Christians need a Pope to understand Scripture, what do they need to understand the Pope? I have condemned tradition, because everyone can understand what is necessary for personal salvation. These however are written so that you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and so that believing, you may have life in his name " (John 20:31). I taught my people to go to Mary and the Saints, instead of going directly to Christ. But a voice inside me asked me: "Who on the cross saved you?" "Who paid your debts by shedding their blood? Mary, the Saints, or I, Jesus? You and many other priests do not believe in scapulars, novenas, rosaries, statues, candles, but they keep them in their Churches because they say that simple people need simple things to remind them of God. They have them in their Churches because they are a good source of money, but I don't want any kind of merchandise in my Church. My believers must worship me in Spirit and truth Destroy these idols; teach my people to pray, to come to me alone. " instead of going straight to Christ. But a voice inside me asked me: "Who on the cross saved you?" "Who paid your debts by shedding their blood? Mary, the Saints, or I, Jesus? You and many other priests do not believe in scapulars, novenas, rosaries, statues, candles, but they keep them in their Churches because they say that simple people need simple things to remind them of God. They have them in their Churches because they are a good source of money, but I don't want any kind of merchandise in my Church. My believers must worship me in Spirit and truth Destroy these idols; teach my people to pray, to come to me alone. " instead of going straight to Christ. But a voice inside me asked me: "Who on the cross saved you?" "Who paid your debts by shedding their blood? Mary, the Saints, or I, Jesus? You and many other priests do not believe in scapulars, novenas, rosaries, statues, candles, but they keep them in their Churches because they say that simple people need simple things to remind them of God. They have them in their Churches because they are a good source of money, but I don't want any kind of merchandise in my Church. My believers must worship me in Spirit and truth Destroy these idols; teach my people to pray, to come to me alone. " the Saints, or I, Jesus? You and many other priests do not believe in scapulars, novenas, rosaries, statues, candles, but they keep them in their Churches because they say that simple people need simple things to remind them of God. They have them in their churches because they are a good source of money, but I don't want any kind of merchandise in my church. My believers must worship me in Spirit and truth. Destroy these idols; teach my people to pray, to come to me alone. " the Saints, or I, Jesus? You and many other priests do not believe in scapulars, novenas, rosaries, statues, candles, but they keep them in their Churches because they say that simple people need simple things to remind them of God. They have them in their churches because they are a good source of money, but I don't want any kind of merchandise in my church. My believers must worship me in Spirit and truth. Destroy these idols; teach my people to pray, to come to me alone. " but I don't want any kind of merchandise in my Church. My believers must worship me in Spirit and truth. Destroy these idols; teach my people to pray, to come to me alone. " but I don't want any kind of merchandise in my Church. My believers must worship me in Spirit and truth. Destroy these idols; teach my people to pray, to come to me alone. "
Where my doubts really tormented me was in the confessional. People would come to me and kneel down on me, confessing their sins. And I, with a sign of the cross, promised them that I had the power to forgive their sins. I, a sinner, a man, was taking God's place, God's right; That terrible voice penetrated me and said, "You are stealing the glory of God if sinners want to obtain forgiveness of their sins they have to go to God and not to you. It is the law of God that they have violated. God then, They must make their confession; they must only pray to God for forgiveness. No other man can forgive sins but Jesus. And you will call his name JESUS, because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Because there is no other name underneath. of heaven given to men, in which we may be saved (Acts 4:12). For there is a God
I couldn't stay in the Roman Catholic Church because I couldn't serve two Lords: The Pope and Christ. He couldn't believe two contradictory teachings: Tradition and the Bible. I had to choose between Christ and the Pope; between tradition and the Bible; I have chosen Jesus and the Bible. I left the Roman Priesthood and the Roman religion in 1944, and now I have been led by the Holy Spirit to evangelize Roman Catholics, and to ask believers to witness to them without fear.
Joseph zacchell
(Testimony published in the book " Far From Rome, Near to God ", Ed. Portavoz, R.Bennet and M.Buckingham (compilers), 2000 (Original "Far From Rome, Near to God, 1994), Testimony N ° 23 , pp. 184-188) The exposed text corresponds to the English version translated into Spanish in mid-2000 (date from which it was published on this website).
[Source: https://www.conocereislaverdad.org/testimonios.htm#sacerdote]
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