Pope Francis recently made some ostensibly refreshing remarks. During an early morning Mass in memory of Fr. Jacques Hamel—the 85-year-old priest who was slaughtered by Muslims while conducting mass in his church in France—Pope Francis said:
This cruelty that asks for apostasy, let’s say the word, is satanic… Today in the church there are more Christian martyrs than in the first times. Today there are Christians who are assassinated, tortured, jailed, their throats are cut because they don’t deny Jesus Christ…. To the first Christians, apostasy was proposed – that is, say that our god is the true one, not yours. Make a sacrifice to our god, or our gods. And when they didn’t do this, when they refused apostasy, they were killed. This is repeated today. How much we would like that all of the religions would say that killing in the name of God is satanic.
He concluded by saying we should pray to have “the courage to say the truth: To kill in the name of God is Satanic.”
The Pope is to be applauded for these statements, for they are certainly true. Indeed, “there are more Christian martyrs [today] than in the first times” and “killing in the name of God is satanic.”
But his assertions are somewhat compromised in that they are incomplete and thus vague. Listening to him, one might conclude that all sorts of people are coercing Christians to accept “our god, or our gods” or else the sword; that all sorts of people are “killing in the name of God.”
In reality, there is only one group of people today—Muslims—that is forcing Christians to choose between their god and death.
Yet Francis does not merely omit mentioning the religious identity of those “killing in the name of God”; even when he is asked point blank he wavers. Thus when a journalist asked the pope if Fr. Jacques was “killed in the name of Islam,” Francis adamantly disagreed; he argued that he hears of Christians committing violence every day in Italy: “this one who has murdered his girlfriend, another who has murdered the mother-in-law… and these are baptized Catholics! There are violent Catholics! If I speak of Islamic violence, I must speak of Catholic violence.”
Apparently for Pope Francis, violence done in accordance with Allah’s commandments is no more troubling than violence done in contradiction of the Judeo-Christian God’s commandments. By this perverse logic, if we hold Islam accountable, so must we hold Christianity accountable—regardless of the fact that Islam does justify violence while Christianity condemns it.
The reality is that Francis wants to say just enough to satisfy those calling on him to acknowledge reality—that Muslims everywhere are persecuting Christians—without jeopardizing his true project: “dialogue.” This is why he only speaks about Christian persecution during unremarkable church gatherings with little media attention; but when he has the world by its ears—through encyclicals or when speaking for an hour in front of the UN—there is no talk of Christian martyrs.
Thus ten days after denouncing the “satanic” attack on Fr. Jacques during a memorial service with little media coverage, Francis met with the grieving relatives and survivors of France’s Bastille Day attack—another Islamic attack that claimed the lives of 86 and injured hundreds. He told them: “We need to start a sincere dialogue and have fraternal relations between everybody, especially those who believe in a sole God who is merciful,” a reference to monotheistic Muslims. He added that this was “an urgent priority…. We can only respond to the Devil’s attacks with God’s works which are forgiveness, love and respect for the other, even if they are different.”
And there it is: Francis offers strong (but vague and little heard) words to placate those outraged at the nonstop Islamic attacks on Christians; but he never mentions—worse, he covers for—the ideology that fuels these nonstop attacks.
Yet how can one solve a problem without first identifying its source? To this, Francis replies: “We can only respond to the Devil’s attacks with God’s works which are forgiveness, love and respect for the other, even if they are different.” This is certainly a different approach than that of his courageous namesake.
Needless to say, Francis’ passive behavior is futile vis-a-vis Islam and will only be taken advantage of. How does one have “fraternal relations” with adherents of a religion that calls on them to hate all non-Muslims, including family members and wives? Or as the Koran puts it: “There has already been for you [Muslims] an excellent example in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people… ‘We have rejected you, and there has arisen, between us and you, enmity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone’” (60:4).
Why not “respond to the Devil’s attacks” with forthrightness and truth—in this case, by calling Islam out as a creed that does teach “killing in the name of God,” the way countless popes and other Christian leaders since the seventh century—when Islam burst onto the scene slaughtering Christians and burning churches—have done?
It appears Pope Francis must continue to pray for, in his own words, “the courage to say the [whole] truth” about who or what is behind the tremendous rise of Christian persecution in the modern era.
Charlie in NY says
The dialogue Pope Francis seeks with Islam – although there is no Pope equivalent who can be his interlocutor in conciliating Islam with Roman Catholicism – suffers from the same fundamental problem the Israelis face in their “peace process” with the Palestinian Arabs – who similarly lack a representative with the legitimacy to sign and authority to enforce any peace terms: Muslim intransigence to any compromise in what they view as a “zero sum” contest.
Bill says
The Pope is the “Great Dissembler”. His actions speak louder than his words. Every now and then he will say something that suggests he is not all-in for Islam but what he says and does in different venues is different. He cannot say something that would seem to endorse the murder of Christians, but he does enable the atrocities by refusing to name and confront the murderers the religion that motivates them. Christians and Catholics have been and are being slaughtered and enslaved across the planet and he says almost nothing of it. But they, they are the sheep, the poor people, the peasantry. When one of his own prelates takes it though, he has to become a little more visible. I say he is a hypocrite. What he does do is demand that more terrorists be imported into the western nations, knowing full well the consequences of that. He will not demand sanctuary for middle eastern Christians and others of non-Islamic faiths and they are the most persecuted of all. In terms of his actions, well, he has American Bishops applauding the burka and the courage of the women who have it forced upon them. He has his American Catholic institutions complicit with the Obama Administration in supporting the construction by Iran of nuclear weapons and delivery systems. His Catholic Charities is making a small fortune from Obama in resettling unvetted Islamic immigrants throughout the United States.
I listen to all is noble words that make him appear to love humanity, I have concluded he is one of those commonplace leftists that love humanity but hate people.
Mubarak says
The picture illustrates the story from OT where Elijah confronts the Prophets of Baal. What will the picture look like when Elijah kills them?
Mr. Farton says
Religious belief usually leads to severe mental retardation. This applies to Islam, Christianity and Judaism, as each one replaces critical thinking with blind acceptance of made up nonsense.
Malcolm (SouthAfria) says
Where did you get that insane thought?
Allan says
The religion of secular humanism ALWAYS leads to “severe mental retardation”, or orginates in such retardation. It finds itself expressed in “blind acceptance of made up nonsense” such as transgenderism, in sympathy for Islamic colonization of western Europe, in irrational hostility to religion, and in the dead end of socialist collectivism.
Malcolm (SouthAfria) says
Here are some insane secularist who mock Catholics.
https://www.wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/4364
Allan says
John Hardon, SJ, wrote about subsidiarity as follows in “Modern Catholic Dictionary”.
“SUBSIDIARITY. The principle by which those in authority recognize the rights of the members in a society; and those in higher authority respect the rights of those in lower authority.”
It’s difficult to find anything objectionable about that.
Source: http://therealpresence.org/dictionary/sdict.htm
Malcolm (SouthAfria) says
John Hardon, SJ.
Allan, this is from writings that many people, including myself respect.
That is why the link to insane secularist, by those that have put party politics ahead, of Christ THE King.
Thanks
Kay says
Mr. Farton,
Is that your real name?
RAB says
Mr. Farton, are you a specialist in “religion?” You seem to know so much about it, please define it for me because otherwise your comment does not any make sense and does nothing to distinguish the difference between Islam and “religion.” Or are you one of those who throws in the word “religion” to mean everything you don’t like but aren’t honest enough to say what you mean? I’m tired of you “experts” on “religion?”
CogitoErgoSum says
The belief that the god which Muslims worship is the same god which Christians worship is the most basic and the most serious mistake a person can make when dealing with Islam. The idea that if you worship only one god and I worship only one god then we must therefore worship the same god does not necessarily have to be true. In the case of Islam and Christianity it is NOT true. What must be true is that either (1) the Pope does not understand Christianity or (2) he does not understand Islam or (3) he is willingly and actively participating in the spreading of a lie intended to lead astray the followers of Christ …….. and if any one of these three things is true then in my estimation the Pope is nothing more than a fool.
David says
Muslims worship SATAN !
And all educated muslims know this to be a fact.
Just try to get a muslim to say the words: JEHOVAH IS GREAT !
HE will try to murder you first!
The krap about : “we worship the same god as you do.”
Is the biggest lie ever spoken. But they learned it from “the father of lies ” himself!
Allan says
It would be interesting to hear the most educated Muhammadists explain whether or not God could make the Trinity true if God chose to do so. If so, then why doubt that Jesus is Lord? The Koran is plainly inferior to the Torah and Gospels in terms of literary merit. If, however, God can’t make the Trinity true, then why believe that God is greater than the impersonal law of existence which prohibits the Trinity?
Carolyne says
If there is a Muslim God” and a Christian “God,” perhaps it would be better to let them fight it out and leave us alone?
Adrian Johnson says
The Pope is a Jesuit, so he’s no fool. He is working with the “Superforce” working towards the NWO and the one world religion.
These in turn are the political and religious arena for the advent of the next anti-christ, (the “beast” of the Apocalypse?) who is waiting in the wings. At first he’ll look good and seem to solve all the world’s problems; when he is given political power, we will find him far worse than Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Edi Amin put together– and he will have all modern technology to persue & punish those who resist him.
There is a prophecy that the last Pope of this era will be under the (witting or unwitting) influence of Satan (the “False Prophet” of the Apocalypse?). The warnings and messages Our Lady gave at Fatima in 1917 have been disregarded: on the centennial of Fatima’s message, expect a dire object-lesson from heaven. By 2029 (100 years after Heaven asked the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which the popes have failed to do) “comes the deluge” this time not of water, as in Noah’s day; but of fire from the sky. . . .(from several prophecies in many eras.)
We’ve been warned.
Angemon says
Good article.
Mark A says
Good article Raymond Ibrahim.
Mark Swan says
Yes thank You Mr. Ibrahim.
Westman says
In a perverse logic, Pope Francis is undermining Christianity by demonstrating that only secular powers will be able or willing to restrain Islam in any way. Worse yet, the secular powers are currently at cross-purpose and disunited in both the necessity and approach to combating jihad.
It’s not difficult to see that, like Pope Francis, Islam is approaching a crisis of credibility in a modern world. This lack of credibility is the underlying source of jihad – an attempt to bring credibilty and power to a supremist system that was failing to bring its promised rewards and recognition to the believer. I’m still waiting for someone to refer to an act of kindness as, “it was the Muslim thing to do”.
From a historical perspective, it will require destructive wars on the order of Horoshima to stop jihad and convince Islamists that their “Emperor”/slavemaster, Allah, is not God.
Westman says
Correction: Hiroshima replaces Horoshima
Keys says
“Killing in the name of God is Satanic”.
It is only a short logical step to see that Islam is Satanic based on the foundational texts of Islam, the Koran and Sunna, where Allah calls for killing non-believers. Why can not Francis see that?
Ernie says
“Killing in the name of G-d is Satanic ” . First : why is Satanic written with a , ‘capital’ ( ( satan doesn’t deserve that capital ) ? What islam dictates is killing in the name of allah/satan . The “pope” knows very well that our G-d is NOT allah , and that allah is satan . . He is a scholar , an intellectual ; and I’ll not blame him for being naive or stupid . “Pope Francis” has his own reasons and strategy for not calling out islam a murderous perverse herecy , By saying that G-d is ( the SAME as ) allah (satan) , he says : G-d is satan . And THAT IS A HERESY .
Adrian Johnson says
He sees it; he just doesn’t want to “offend” the muslims.
He’s forgotten that Jesus said he came not to bring peace, but the sword; and that he would be a sign that would be contradicted. Or that if we follow Christ, who was hated by the world, — we also will be hated by the world. It was Jesus Christ, son of God (not a prophet inferior to the false prophet Mohammed) who said ( and this media’s-darling Pope should remember) “Beware when all men speak well of you.”
janeatte says
I condemn killing in any way, but when the killing come between 2 people on anger not like the killing come from Allah because there is a difference in believes. Islamic god is terrorist .
whirlwinder says
Islam sets up “interfaith dialogues” with Christian leaders to demoralize them and destroy the faithful.
What! You say! This is just another tactic in the GLOBAL JIHAD. Lets say a leader, such at the pope, sides with Islam and says they could not be violent or some such other lie. The faithful know he is lying and it demoralizes them and they lose faith in their leader.
The pope in Nov. 2013 the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium was published by the Vatican. Paragraph 253 reads: . . . . . “our respect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful generalisations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every FORM OF VIOLENCE..”
This is how Islam weakens the west through corrupting its institutions.
tgusa says
I am the Lord, your God.
Thou shall bring no false idols before me.
Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Thou shall not kill/murder†.
Thou shall not commit adultery.
Thou shall not steal††.
Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Thou shall not covet‡ your neighbor’s wife (or anything that belongs to your neighbor).
1. I am the Lord, your God, Satan.
2. Thou shall bring false idols before me.
3. Take the name of the Lord in vain.
4. Forget the Sabbath.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother unless they veer from the path of allah and then kill them.
6. Thou shall not kill/murder, excepting disbelievers or un-islamics among us.
7. Thou shall not commit adultery excepting disbelievers.
8. Thou shall not steal except from, disbelievers.
9. Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor excepting disbelievers.
10. Thou shall not covet‡ your neighbor’s wife (or anything that belongs to your neighbor) excepting disbelievers.
1. I am the Lord, your God, Satan.
2. Thou shall bring false idols before me.
3. Take the name of the Lord in vain.
4. Forget the Sabbath.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother unless they veer from the path of allah and then kill them.
6. Thou shall not kill/murder, excepting disbelievers or un-islamics among us.
7. Thou shall not commit adultery excepting against disbelievers.
8. Thou shall not steal except from disbelievers.
9. Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor excepting disbelievers.
10. Thou shall not covet‡ your neighbor’s wife (or anything that belongs to your neighbor) excepting disbelievers.
Totally, opposite.
Thomaspj Poovathinkal SSP says
” We can only respond to the Devil’s attacks with God’s works which are forgiveness, love and respect for the other, even if they are different.”
The Pope is very true. The Lord it is who said. “LOVE your ENEMIES …pray FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU…..”
If Pope Francis DECLARES A war on ALL MUSLIMS, it is against the MIND of Christ the Lord. When there is CANCER in the body, we cut away the CANCER but do not DESTROY the whole body. A sensible and sound principle. Identify the EVIL factor and expose.
Carolyne says
What happened to “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?” For every peaceable verse you find in the bible, there is an opposite verse. It is the same in the Koran.
Vicky says
In response to Thomaspj Poovathinkal: the Mind of Christ is Truth, so the way to respond to the Devil’s attacks is also to tell the truth about Islam. Jesus said “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Also, the Bible makes it quite clear that you cannot call evil good, nor good evil. So the war is not against all Muslims, but against Islam and its evil doctrines. Do not even Muslims deserve to be free? Only through truth-telling can freedom be manifest.
Thomaspj Poovathinkal SSP says
‘We have rejected you, and there has arisen, between us and you, enmity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone’” (60:4).
IF Pope Francis could GENTLY bring to the attention of the Islamic LEADERS, the hurting and destroying parts from the Holy Book of Islam, it would be good and a wonderful service to the Christian World.
Adrian Johnson says
Been there; done that. St Francis of Assisi tried that (he tried to convert the Sultan with love and gentleness) and it didn’t work.
Islam doesn’t do or listen to “gentleness”.
The Koran teaches force in converting others; and punishes any muslims who leave this cult with death.
Tony46 says
St. Francis of Assisi’s prophecy:
(Yes, non other than this saint)
”…..because in those days The Lord won’t send us a Shepherd but a Destroyer”
Thomaspj Poovathinkal SSP says
He concluded by saying we should pray to have “the courage to say the truth: To kill in the name of God is Satanic.”
“The Pope is to be applauded for these statements, for they are certainly true. Indeed, “there are more Christian martyrs [today] than in the first times” and “killing in the name of God is satanic.”
But his assertions are somewhat compromised in that they are incomplete and thus vague. Listening to him, one might conclude that all sorts of people are coercing Christians to accept “our god, or our gods” or else the sword; that all sorts of people are “killing in the name of God.”
In reality, there is only one group of people today—Muslims—that is forcing Christians to choose between their god and death.”
Pope Francis is HIMSELF. He is NOT you or I.Let us accept this TRUTH.
Carolyne says
When are these “First times” you people keep referring to? 2 million, 3 million years ago?
Bea says
First times of Christian martyrs. Even comunists know that, what planet or better say what palm tree did you come down from?
Thomaspj Poovathinkal SSP says
“And there it is: Francis offers strong (but vague and little heard) words to placate those outraged at the nonstop Islamic attacks on Christians; but he never mentions—worse, he covers for—the ideology that fuels these nonstop attacks.”
You mean to have the Pope on your side?
But then remember , the Pope is the REPRESENTATIVE of Christ the Lord on EARTH, appointed to look after his “SHEEP”.
The EVILS that are threatening the Christian World, is not a matter between MUSLIMS and US. It is a matter between GOD and US.
God always PUNISHED his People when they obstinately kept on SINNING. All through the Old Testaments we have plenty of proof for this.
Herod mixed the blood of those who sacrificed with the sacrificial blood. And the TOWER of Siloam fell on those people 18 of them….and the Lord told the people, “UNLESS you REPENT you will all DIE likewise.”
We need to LOOK at the HAND that wields the AXE and not at the AXE.
The Christian World is living by the PHARISAICAL SPIRIT and NOT by THE SPIRIT OF Jesus the Lord; then why it will not be PUNISHED?
WE ALL need to LEARN from THE AUTHENTIC APOSTLES OF THE LORD in today’s World : We find them in THE DIVINE and THE SEHION Retreat Centres in Kerala, INDIA – FIND THEM on GOOGLE. Even Muslims preach God’s Word in some of these places.
Carolyne says
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the monkey god. Don’t forget him.
Bonnie Loranger says
I truly hate this pope and I am a roman catholic
Adrian Johnson says
Pray for your enemies. This includes the Pope. 🙂
Paul Clark says
The pope is another CINO. ( Christian In Name Only.) He is a Castro, Che, type socialist. This is some of the same ideology the black liberation movement adopted from South American priests and socialists as has O’ Bama, most of NAACP, most of the Black Caucus, BLM, Black Panthers, the Revs. Wright, Jackson, and Sharpton.
Paul Clark says
P. S.
The true racists in America.
Paul Clark says
If this pope of the representative of Christ on earth, He has failed. He is more like a False Prophet like Muhammad. He has distorted the Holy scriptures. I truly I hoped that I am wrong, but I know he is a weak man. I think he may hear on judgement day; ” I knew you not.” Again I hope not. Pray for him.
carol says
Far too man Jesuits being plunked into place – first this unsatisfactory “switch” onto the papal throne; then Jesuit-trained Joe Biden (who some say is the not-so-stupid leash holder for “golfer” Obama); now the very creepy Jesuit Tim Kaine lurking over Hillary like a hearse driver. And all kinds of these political leaders go through indoctrination at Washington and other schools that are Jesuit-based. They say the Jesuits are the Military and CIA branch of the Catholic church and they are very cold and capable. Some say it’s all about the New World Order and it’s starting to look like this isn’t just a “conspiracy theory”.
Adrian Johnson says
You said it. I recommend the old but quite topical book “The Jesuits” by ex-Jesuit Malachi Martin.
(Martin, a holy priest who gave the proceeds of his best-selling books to charity, lived a holy and simple life was falsely slandered to try to discredit his warnings–and it is probable that his mysterious death was murder.)
You can get cheap second-hand copies “The Jesuits” online. It explains this Jesuit pope perfectly, and you can see the geopolitical mechanics that elected him in this time of engineered upheaval in what is left of “western civilisation.”