VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis on Friday (March 22) called for more intense dialogue between religious leaders, particularly Muslims, as he tries to recalibrate relations between the world’s two largest religious groups.
Pope Francis waves from the pope-mobile during his inauguration Mass at St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday (March 19) at the Vatican. RNS photo by Andrea Sabbadini
This image available for Web and print publication. For questions, contact Sally Morrow.
Speaking in the Vatican’s majestic Sala Regia, the Argentine pontiff said that part of his mission is to connect “all people, in such a way that everyone can see in the other not an enemy, not a rival, but a brother or sister.”
In a meeting with Vatican diplomats and foreign leaders, Francis also reaffirmed the church’s commitment to protect the poor and the environment, an early theme in his young pontificate.
“Fighting poverty, both material and spiritual, building peace and constructing bridges: these, as it were, are the reference points for a journey that I want to invite each of the countries here represented to take up,” the pope said.
Francis said that his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, “teaches us profound respect for the whole of creation and the protection of our environment, which all too often, instead of using for the good, we exploit greedily, to one another’s detriment.”
He also said his family’s international roots – his parents were born in Italy but moved to Argentina – means that the “dialogue between places and cultures a great distance apart matters greatly to me.”
As today’s world becomes “more interdependent,” he added, it is necessary to “intensify dialogue among the various religions,” particularly Islam. Francis also expressed appreciation for the “presence of so many civil and religious leaders from the Islamic world” at his installation Mass on Tuesday.
“It is also important to intensify outreach to non-believers,” he added, echoing his Wednesday appeal to those who have no religion to collaborate with faiths in order to build peace and protect the environment.
On Friday Francis drew oen of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s favorite themes, when he condemned the “’tyranny of relativism’, which makes everyone his own criterion and endangers the coexistence of peoples.” He said “richer countries” are “seriously” affected by this form of “spiritual poverty.”
Francis and Benedict are scheduled to meet on Saturday, the first time in centuries that a pontiff has met his predecessor.
6 Comments
Gea
65% of Qur’an and teaching Muslims to hate non-Muslims, and also promote pedophilia, polygamy, misogyny, dhimmitude and murder for Allahu Akbar. How can you negotiate with somebody who believes that he is superior to you,a and because you are a Christian, Buddhist, Hindu or god-forbid a Jew, you will go to hell and good Muslims are supposed to make it happen fast by killing you…
Jihad is real and it is not a spiritual struggle but cutting heads off. Stealth jihad by Muslim immigrants who were allowed into Europe and Australia by foolish immigration policies are causing troubles for their home countries. Until Islam drops teachings of superiority over and hatred of non-Muslims there is no hope for any kind of a meaningful dialogues. Islam also teaches to lie in order to promote their agenda thus ANYTHING that is agreed upon in a dialogue with a Muslim cannot be trusted to last.
sleepless
You can easily communicate with them, simply because they are not like the way you depict them.
Sam
Gea, your comment has outlined the only truthful statement about Islam, their Friday sermon calls for killing all infidels and of course Jews, and that is their real mission in life.
sleepless
They use the standart term “our Christian (or Jewish) brothers and sisters” in their sermons, except in specific places where political problems have already translated into religious language. In the US, in Europe, North Africa, Balkans, China and South Asia (which constitutes the majority of Muslim population basically), Jews and Christians are referred as “brothers and sisters” in sermons.
Pope Francis calls for intensified dialogue with Muslims | IRENIC
[...] Speciale, Religion News Service, [...]
Is Pope Francis Forming An Alliance With Islam? « vineoflife.net
[...] Pope Francis calls for intensified dialogue with Muslims (religionnews.com) [...]