Dear Michael:

Sorry for the delay in answering.

That is not the reason Billy Graham directs Catholics back to their parish priests. He directs ALL people who come to his crusades to go back to their pastors for direction.

One to the firm beliefs of Rev. Graham is that an evangelist should not just sweep into town, get a bunch of people "saved", then move on to the next town leaving the new Christians to flounder.

There is a great deal of preparatory work that is done with local Churches before the Crusade even comes to town to ensure that the new Christians, or re-dedicated Christians will have followup and continuing discipleship.

Thus, this has nothing whatsoever to do with fear of his soul in converting Catholics. He is respectful of Catholics, very respectful, and his desire is that people come into a saving relationship with Jesus regardless of denomination.

As for Evangelicals who knowingly and purposely try to steal away Catholics, they are not committing a mortal sin because they do not know it is a mortal sin (one of the criteria for a sin to be mortal). Also, I do not remember recruiting a person from one fellowship to another as being grave sin in-and-of-itself. A sin cannot be mortal unless it is first grave.

People who have been deceived or misinformed (invincible ignorance) are not in mortal sin. But such people have a responsibility to learn the truth.

One God can know their heart and where the lines are drawn in terms of their innocent sincerity and invincible ignorant and what may be bigotry and refusal to accept the truth. We cannot make that judgment.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary