Schneider and Müller are likely now to run afoul of Pope Francis, who has made the risible claim that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.” Although this is not and could not ever be a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, it is assumed to be some kind of superdogma by the Catholic hierarchy worldwide, superseding all reason, all common sense, all fact, and all prudence, and is ruthlessly enforced, such that all those who stand by the truth are forcibly silenced and marginalized.
“Bishop Schneider: Catholics and Muslims share no common faith in God, no common adoration,” LifeSite News, June 8, 2020 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
June 8, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Bishop Athanasius Schneider has once more raised his voice concerning the controversial February 4, 2019 Abu Dhabi Statement on Human Fraternity where Pope Francis and a Grand Imam jointly declared, among other problematic statements, that God wills a “diversity” of religions.
Bishop Schneider’s intervention (read full text [here]) comes after Cardinal Gerhard Müller wrote an extensive interpretation and explanation of that document. While Cardinal Müller presents an “interpretative key” with the help of which one might be able to read this document in a less controversial manner, Bishop Schneider points out those aspects of the document which are not in accordance with Catholic Tradition and thus need to be criticized.
Writing for the Catholic journal Communio (3/2020), Cardinal Müller stated that it is “sensational” that, “for the first time in the eventful and conflict-ridden history of the two largest faith communities of the world – comprising together of 3 billion people – the highest authority of the Catholic Church and a high-ranking religious and academic authority of the Islamic world present a common text” which expects from their faithful “a consent which binds them in their consciences.”
The German prelate explained that he wishes to present a “reading aid” for this document, which he assesses as being “not an act of the Magisterium” with regard to the revealed faith and morals, but still a document by the highest authority in the Church interpreting the natural moral law.
For the German prelate, this document “corresponds in its intention with the General Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations (1948),” beside its dealing with faith in God and His Grace. He continued to explain that both in the Christian and in the Islamic tradition, the “faith in God” calls for “fraternity as a vocation and a demand upon man in his conscience.”…
As can be seen in this short summary of the new intervention of Cardinal Müller, he tries to interpret the Abu Dhabi document in a less controversial manner, similar to how he had approached, in 2017, the post-synodal exhortation Amoris Laetitia. At the time, he insisted that this document, which was used by shepherds in various places around the world as a justification to give Holy Communion to “remarried” Catholics currently living in adulterous unions, is not heretical. Or, as a title by the Website Crux put it in 2017: “Müller’s defense of ‘Amoris Laetitia’ reads it in Church tradition.”
With regard to Müller’s statement on the Abu Dhabi text, both Katholisch.de – the German bishops’ new website – as well as Vatican News reviewed it in a positive way.
However, there are different positions on how to approach some of these controversial documents by Pope Francis. Bishop Athanasius Schneider has chosen to directly confront the errors or ambiguities that are to be found in the Abu Dhabi statement. Only a few days ago, he already made a statement on the Abu Dhabi document opposing the view that God positively wills the diversity of religions. In that statement, Schneider discussed some problems regarding the Second Vatican Council’s teaching on religious freedom which might need a future correction, just as it has been done in the past with other conciliar statements of previous centuries.
In his new statement as sent to LifeSiteNews, the Kazakh bishop of German origin points out that the same above-mentioned sentence – namely, that the diversity of religions is willed by God, just as the diversity of color, sex, and more – is “the most erroneous and dangerous affirmation” of the text. Bishop Schneider also criticizes the document’s formulation about a common faith in God. By quoting Holy Scripture, he insists: “There is only ‘one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism’ (Eph. 4:5), ‘for all men have not faith.’ (2 Thess. 3:2)” In essence, there is only one true Faith, the Catholic Faith, and the other religions are false religions.
Further distinguishing between the Catholic Faith and the Muslim faith – and pointing to the Second Vatican Council’s ambiguous teaching in this specific matter – the German prelate writes: “To state that Muslims adore together with us the one God (‘nobiscum Deum adorant’), as Vatican II Council did in Lumen Gentium n. 16, is theologically a highly ambiguous affirmation. That we Catholics adore with the Muslims the one God is not true. We do not adore with them. In the act of adoration, we always adore the Holy Trinity, we do not simply adore ‘the one God’ but, rather, the Holy Trinity consciously—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Islam rejects the Holy Trinity. When the Muslims adore, they do not adore on the supernatural level of faith. Even our act of adoration is radically different.”…
“According to Surah 9:29,” he writes “Muslims are to ‘fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture—[fight] until they give the tribute [jizyah] willingly while they are humbled.’”
“One cannot agree,” Schneider continues, “with the thesis that says that a proper reading of the Koran is opposed to every form of violence. First, this is not true simply based on a plain reading of the Koran. The later Surahs of the Koran are very violent toward non-Muslims and call for the occupation of non-Muslim countries by violence. Even in our days, this is well understood by many Muslims to be the legitimate method to read the Koran.”…
Therefore, the author comes to a clear conclusion with regard to the Abu Dhabi document: “From the theological point of view it is, therefore, misleading and confusing that the Roman Pontiff signed a common document with an Islamic religious authority using the terms ‘God’, ‘Faith’, ‘pluralism and diversity of religions’, ‘fraternity,’ though these terms have substantially different meanings in the teachings of the Koran and in the Divine Revelation of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”…
RichardL says
the Catholic Church is not a monolith. Just talked to a friend who is a monk and neither of us is happy with Pope Francis and his order.
gravenimage says
This is good–but the Pope is, of course, enormously influential, even with non-Catholics. With Pope Francis, not a good thing.
LB says
Exactly. I reckon that an overwhelming number of Catholic priests across the world are “popists” — spineless appeasers who follow whatever the current pope preaches in hopes of advancing in the order. Bishops like these who think for themselves are, unfortunately, very far and few between.
Rufolino says
Praise be to God that these prelates are speaking up !
Jack Cade says
Pope Francis is either a liar or a dolt.
RichardL says
or he has spend all his life in a closed environment and doesn’t know the real world…
Antiislamicman says
Both
Aunty Podes says
But – Like the rest of his faith – deluded.
Each and every different religion or faction do have one true belief in common. That is they all believe that the rest of them are a load of cobblers.
James Lincoln says
I suspect that he is both, Jack…
Allwell Onuoha says
Maybe the Pope said it for peace to reign
gravenimage says
How can lying about the Qur’an–or being ignorant of its content and not caring–cause peace to reign?
This is like saying that if only the West had continued to ignore and belittle the threat of Hitler 80 years ago that the Nazis would have been peaceful.
Robert Lowe says
It would’be been ” The peace of the graveyard to quote Churchill.
FYI says
“Evil seems to reign supreme in today’s world”
says The Man in White,pope francis recently
Yes,and all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to remain SILENT in the face of evil.
Like francis does in relation to persecuted christians.He stays SILENT.
Mr Bergoglio,as a very small minority of faithful Catholics know,is not a good man:he is the promoter of Apostasy and Heresy within Catholicism,protector of pederasts{see the mc carrick case:note also the corruption involved..},best friend of islam,a marxist jesuit globalist far more concerned with climate change than with the plight of persecuted christians.
The vast majority choose not to see what is going on in Rome but a small minority of cardinals DO know about the great showman and politician {but never a shepherd to his scattered flock}that is francis in the political center that is now the vatican.
The truth about francis and the deception taking place{..warned about in numerous prophetic sources!!..so there is no excuse in not knowing what is going on in Rome..}will come out…….
gravenimage says
+1
Believer says
The TRUTH WILL BE REVEALED
gravenimage says
Catholic bishop: Pope’s claim that Quran opposes violence “not true simply based on a plain reading of the Quran”
……………………..
Bishop Schneider is quite right. Anyone who reads the vicious Qur’an knows this.
James Lincoln says
I wonder how Pope Francis is going to “handle” Bishop Schneider …
x says
This pope hates the Muslimun. If he loved them he would do everything to bring them to Christianity and save their souls. As it is, he is OK with sending them to Hell.
This is what so many people miss. When a Christian tells the truth about Islam, it is not hate speech. It is love speech.
Wellington says
Your comment is enigmatic at best, simply dead wrong (and stupid) at worst.
I vote the latter.
x says
How is it stupid?
Wellington says
x says: Francis quite clearly does not hate the Musilmun, actually quite the opposite. He may indeed very much love the Musilman and he has done nothing to bring the Musliman “over” to Christianity. And I don’t believe for a minute Francis thinks he is sending the Musilman to Hell.
As for telling the truth about Islam, Francis stands guilty here exponentially. He regularly shills for Islam.
x says
->Wellington
Well.. I was trying to make a point. Obviously Francis “loves” Muslimun.
But he does not understand Christianity or he would grasp his own absurdity.
Though I do not get your vitriol. What did I ever do to you?
Maybe you are the one that said the Kennedy assassination was not a conspiracy.
If that is the case, the FU stands.
Sorry.
Wellington says
x says: I agree with you that Francis does not understand a great deal, certainly not Islam and Christianity only so-so. As for Francis not grasping his own absurdity, this still does not equate to him consciously hating the Muslim and if unconsciously then this goes into vague realms of psychology whereby someone hates someone without realizing they hate that someone and I’m not really interested in such psychobabble.
Sorry for any vitriol but I just had to consider all the options—from enigmatic to dead wrong and even stupid.
On the matter of the JFK assassination, there was no conspiracy. None. Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Read “Case Closed” (some 600 dense pages) by Gerald Posner to confirm in great detail and beyond any reasonable doubt that all the conspiracy stuff is bunk, along with tremendous detail about Oswald (Ruby and many others too) and the actual specifics, including the ballistics, behind the assassination. Moreover, I know of no serious historian who thinks there was any conspiracy. It is one of the great myths of our time, rather like the way many think that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance.
I’m sorry to have manifested any disrespect. Mea culpa.
gravenimage says
Wellington–with the greatest respect, as always–I do understand what x is saying here. He is saying that if the Pope really loved Muslims, then he would try to give the them the good news about Christianity so they could find salvation.
That being said, I *do not* believe that this dhimmi pontiff is motivated by a hatred of Muslims. Instead, he regularly panders to them.
Wellington says
Beg to differ, gravenimage. I think Francis in his own limited, uninformed way actually both loves Muslims WITHOUT trying to convert to them to Christianity (per Vatican II nonsense about every religion being deserving of respect and having valid revelation, etc.).
The only way x says can be correct is if Francis actually hates the Musilman without realizing he hates the Musilman.
gravenimage says
I agree with you re Pope Francis, Wellington.
x says
-> Wellington
Case Closed??? This title guarantees that it is a cover up. I rest my case.
You did the wrong analogy. Thinking that the Kennedy assassination was not a conspiracy is like believing that Islam is a religion of peace.
Three questions you should probably answer:
Why did Johnson Know about the assassination before it happened?
Why did Ruby kill Oswald?
Why are you promoting this idea on a site devoted to Islam?
gravenimage says
OK, now this is getting silly.
Wellington says
x says: I’ll answer your three queries in reverse.
1) You’re the one on this thread who first brought up the JFK assassination in your 11:38 P.M. post. I simply responded.
2) Ruby, who was a highly impulsive man, killed Oswald because he had a deep affection for JFK and he just happened to be at the police station, where he was well known by the police, when Oswald was being led elsewhere. If Oswald had not asked to change his clothing, Ruby would have missed Oswald, having just come from a Western Union station close by where he wired some money to someone. Case Closed has far more details about all this, including a lot of background on Ruby’s life.
3) LBJ did not know about the assassination before it happened. This is completely false and no serious historian or journalist has averred this. It is the stuff of conspiracy nonsense.
I would end here by observing that the fact that you dismiss the book Case Closed without reading it itself says a lot about you. Why not give it a try? What do you have to lose? William Styron, the famous novelist who died in 2006, and who wrote such works as The Confessions of Nat Turner and Sophie’s Choice had this to say about Case Closed by Gerald Posner:
“I cannot believe that any rational reader will finish Gerald Posner’s book and still be persuaded that there was a conspiracy involved in the murder of John F. Kennedy or that the assassination was the result of any act other than that of Lee Harvey Oswald acting in solitary league with himself. This is a brilliant and skillful analysis. With the skill of a good novelist, but a novelist possessed of the facts, Posner follows Oswald’s tormented movements. He fully convinces me that Oswald acted alone when he killed Kennedy. Case Closed has helped lay to rest one of the great cultural and political scandals of our time.”
Many other prominent people like the historian, Stephen Ambrose, who wrote the definitive biography of Eisenhower and many other historical works, and the great journalist (there was a time when there were great journalists but, sadly, that is almost not the case anymore), Tom Wicker, also spoke very highly of this work and how completely convincing it is.
BTW, Posner actually got death threats for writing this work as well as your standard hate communications. Some conspiracy folks in effect make a religion out of their conspiracy nonsense and they don’t like heretics whatsoever.
James Lincoln says
x says,
“When a Christian tells the truth about Islam, it is not hate speech. It is love speech.”
I certainly agree with that part of your post – but I don’t believe that the rest of it is evidence-based…
Kay says
x, as a Christian, I understand this comment. To tell the truth — about many things, including Islam— is frequently branded as hate speech in our society. But for a Christian to speak truth and lead another to God, is actually love, no matter what it is called in society.
God gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.
Linde Barrera says
To x- Thank you for your comment of June 14, 2030 at 7:55 pm. I agree with you, and think that many more people need to understand the validity of your statement about love speech to Muslims regarding Jesus Christ. The problem is that Muslims believe Allah has “saved” them. My Muslim neighbor (originally from Uzbekistan) told me “Muslims do not need Jesus because Allah is merciful and forgives us.”
I would love to know from Robert Spencer if there is ANYWHERE in the Quran that states:
“Allah LOVES his creations” or even “Allah LOVES Muslims.” I want to know if Allah LOVES at all, in the slightest degree.
Wellington says
Writing from a purely agnostic point of view, as “independent” of a particular religious conviction as one could be, I see no way any informed Christian can possibly defend Islam.
Islam denies the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus (in Sura 4 of the Koran). Islam portrays Jesus (Isa) as a Mohammedan—for instance when the baby Jesus in the cradle, risibly in Sura 19, says, “I am a Muslim.” This “Jesus” of Islam, too, will also throw all Christians into Hell at the end of the world for deifying Him.
Islam also describes Christians (and Jews) in Sura 98:6 as “the vilest of creatures.” And the “People of the Book” nonsense and deception means that Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians will be tolerated, given a few crumbs here and there, if only they “feel subdued and pay the jizya” {Sura 9:29}.
As for non-Christians, non-Jews, non-Zoroastrians, you’re on your own, even more so than someone looking for decaffeinated coffee that tastes as good as regular—and with death waiting in the wings as opposed to any “decaffeinated coffee” enthusiast who fails in his “quest.” As an aside, I really like the coffee analogy, I really do—but I digress.
In an case, most of the West is still in stupid mode, melt-down mode. And for what? For Islam? How effing foolish can you get? Ask Pope Francis. Ah, never mind, asking this doofus would only be a waste of time.
Think I’ll have a cup of decaffeinated coffee that hopefully tastes as good as regular. But wishin’ ain’t necessarily gettin’. If it were, I would wish that Islam disappears from the earth and that every Muslim tomorrow would wake up a devout Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, agnostic, atheist, etc. Ah, if only.
Kay says
Ah, if only.
Kepha says
You can say that because you are an educated man, dear Wellington. Further, you have admitted on occasion that you were shaped by a Christian/Roman Catholic background and culture, and respect the system of ethics it taught you . As a confessional Protestant of the Reformed (“Calvinist”) persuasion, I agree that there is no way an informed Christian can defend Islam–or Marxism, or New Age, for that matter.
I will demurr slightly. Yes, Islam is right on a number of points. There is one God (Christians confess a Trinity of Persons, but Unity of Substance). There is a Day of Judgment. God has not kept silent; although as a Christian, I confess that God did more, in that God the Word took on our flesh and “pitched his tent” among us, leaving witnesses to his saving work. Hence, life is a serious business rather than an odd confluence of chance and necessity. The Marxists are also right in that history progresses (albeit not to the end they posit; nor according to the way they teach). The New Agers are right in that there are things at which we properly express a sense of awe.
As for “the vilest of creatures”, so said Iyyub/Ayyub/Job when confronted with God’s own revelation of himself; only including himself in that number (Job 40:4, KJV). In contrast, what I see of Islam is something sunk in pride and self-righteousness.
As for Abps. Schneider and Muller, perhaps they need to find a hammer, some nails, and a convenient church door on which to nail up their theses. Who knows? They may shake up Germany and Europe (including its extensions) in a way that they badly need. These are indeed dark days, but I believe that God is capable of doing great things at the times and places he chooses.
Shirley Ann says
Showman & LEFT-Wing Marxist Politician is what I see & hear from the Lips of Pope Francis. His EVIL EYES & DICTATORIAL MANNER would frighten the Pants off Anyone. He can change his Robes & Move right into the DEM/SOCIALIST PARTY, without missing a Beat. His Rhetoric IS LENIN & MARX TO A FRIGHTENING DEGREE.
Rufolino says
As to his looks, Francis is certainly the ugliest pope in living memory.
I’m not speaking about a triviality either.
The Presence of God can be implied by two conditions:
Love, and Beauty.
It is actually possible for a physically ugly human being to radiate the Beauty of Love… and to be transfigured by it.
Frankly I do not find this to be true in the Pope’s case, sadly and very unfortunately. Maybe I am wrong.
Vladimir says
Pope Francis is the first Jesuit Pope, the result I am certain of a longer range plan decades long at the least, if not longer. I do not believe that Muslim empowerment is his aim, but that he is ”helping” them for reasons kept to himself and a close circle of intimates. Talk is cheap, especially when words can be used as weapons.
Dapto says
The Poop and his followers still havn’t opened to gates of the Vatican to migrants and until he does i for on will not believe anything they say.
Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says
According to the pope’s Abu Dhabi statement, “the diversity of religions is willed by God, just as the diversity of color, sex, and more”. Diversity of sex too? How many sexes does he will? So far, we’re up to 81:
https://apath.org/63-genders/
Antiislamicman says
Islam is all about hate violence under age sex and lies.
Oz-Rita says
This Pope who usurped the chair of St. Peter whores for Islam. I think that even Jesus would find it hard not to throw a stone (or at least let a stone be thrown) in the direction of this repulsive creature.
stressed eric says
Fake Francis the man made poop the anti Christ sucking up yet again to the devious lying Muslims the cult must think this Kaffir anti Christ is so thick and stupid
libertyORdeath says
“…God wills a “diversity” of religions.”
Can the disinformation be any more clear than this? Allah commands his followers time and again to destroy all other religions until it is left for him alone. I know the Bible says to love your enemies but do you really have to spread their propaganda as well?
Linde Barrera says
To libertyORdeath- Thank you for your comment of June 15, 2020, 8:19 am. So so true, particularly your last sentence!
👍❤️🤗
Ronald Lorette says
I notice very little is said about Christs return to this planet to rectify,put in order His Kingdom,free of Popes,Cardinals,Priests created outside the order that Christ created ,The Priesthood of all Believers. I look forward to the day as Peter says in 2nd Peter 3:10 in which the elements shall melt with fervent heat,the earth and the works shall be burned up,which includes the vatican state, the kaaba and all other religious monstrosities of whichever human invented belief system. The new Heavens and New earth do not have historic sites that can be visited to show where humans have been,They will only have The Saviour ,who even now has everything in His Control,or are we fearful that mohammad and allah will win the day . Turn your eyes upon Jesus,look full in His wonderful Face,and the things of earth will grow strangely dim ,in the Light of His Glory and Grace.
janwog says
The Abrahamic Fallacy by Mark Durie (February 2014)
https://www.newenglishreview.org/Mark_Durie/The_Abrahamic_Fallacy/
Vatican II nostrae aetate is an absolute heresy in saying Islam offers a way of salvation
John Silvis says
The life of Mohamed as shown in all Islamic teachings prove that he trashed all the ten commandments as soon as he became a person of power. All ten commandments many times over and Moslems take pride and joy in his total disregard basic teachings of a foundational documents of Christianity. Murder, theft, adultery,
idol worship, bearing false witness, etc. all sins of Mohamed. Would Jesus go along with this absurd view of Mohamed and his barbaric rantings? Would Moses? Pope Francis is either totally ignorant of the facts about Islam or maybe he is dangerously insane, or both. His views are suicide for “Christian” virtues and factual thinking. Catholicism is in BIG trouble.
tim gallagher says
It is very good to see that there are some Catholic Church people of authority who actually can see the truth about islam, this enemy of Christianity, and who are telling the truth, as opposed to the Pope, who either knows nothing about Islam’s nature or is a liar, who spends his time trying to fool people into thinking that islam is a some peaceful, pleasant ideology, which is, of course, complete bullshit.
Kepha says
I recall visiting Bologna, seeing the church of St Petronius, with its chapel where Charles V was crowned, its pendulum along a meridian, and fresco of Muhammad suffering on a rock in Hell. IKn further reply to Wellington above, I wonder if the Pope has that much education in the Christian Scriptures, rather than an indoctrination in the clerical fantasies of liberation “theology” wrapped in a smugness that comes from the facile Leftist dogma that it represents the necessary goal of all human history.
Wellington says
I wonder about that too, Kepha. Not sure what motivates this man but whatever does is not something wise or profound.
Prince Eugene says
Thank God! Not all Catholic bishops are gay, pedophiles or apologists for Islam.