The naive Francis twice said: “As-salamu alaikum!,” not realizing that in Islamic law, only Muslims may use that greeting, when greeting fellow Muslims. It means “Peace be upon you,” and to unbelievers, a Muslim is supposed to say “Peace be upon those who are rightly guided.”
He also said: “I offer you cordial greetings and I express my prayerful hope that the peace of the Most High may descend upon each of you: upon you, who desire to foster reconciliation in order to avoid divisions and conflicts in Muslim communities; upon you, who see in extremism a danger that corrodes genuine religion; upon you, who are committed to dispelling erroneous interpretations that through violence misconstrue, exploit and do a disservice to religious belief.”
It would be refreshing if the Muslim Council of Elders actually bothered to explain how the interpretations of “extremists” are “erroneous,” so that their influence in Muslim communities could be combatted. But they don’t do this, and the pope doesn’t seem to notice or care.
“Pope Francis to Muslim Elders: God ‘Never Incites Hatred, Never Supports Violence,’” by Thomas D. Williams, Breitbart, November 5, 2022:
ROME — Pope Francis told Muslim elders in Bahrain Friday that God is the source of peace and he “never brings about war, never incites hatred, never supports violence.”
“I have come among you as a believer in God, as a brother and as a pilgrim of peace,” the pontiff told the Muslim Council of Elders, so that “we can journey together.”
In passing, the pope also addressed concerns of alleged human rights abuses in the majority Sunni Muslim nation, especially of the country’s minority Shiite Muslim community. In recent years many Shiite activists have been imprisoned or deported, and the largest Shiite opposition group has been outlawed.
“I offer … my prayerful hope that the peace of the Most High may descend upon each of you … who desire to foster reconciliation in order to avoid divisions and conflicts in Muslim communities,” Francis said.
“We, who believe in [God], are called to promote peace with tools of peace, such as encounter, patient negotiations and dialogue, which is the oxygen of peaceful coexistence,” he said.
“Peace is born of fraternity; it grows through the struggle against injustice and inequality; it is built by holding out a hand to others,” he declared, which is made possible “by eliminating the forms of inequality and discrimination that give rise to instability and hostility.”
The pope praised his hearers for seeing in extremism “a danger that corrodes genuine religion” and for their commitment “to dispelling erroneous interpretations that through violence misconstrue, exploit and do a disservice to religious belief.”
“We need to put a future of fraternity ahead of a past of antagonism, overcoming historical prejudices and misunderstandings in the name of the One who is the source of peace,” he asserted….
mg says
Meanwhile back in the real world, the next article up is titled ‘Nigeria: Muslims enter villages on market day, open fire, murder at least 18 children’. And that is not some one out, utter rarity but the common state in Nigeria and many other regions and nations of the world.
PRCS says
+1
gravenimage says
Important point, mg.
tim gallagher says
This Pope seems to inhabit a fantasy land when it comes to islam and Muslims. I read what he says there about how he, as a Christian, is meant to foster peace using the “tools of peace” and it sounds OK except that it won’t work with the vicious Muslims. They will merely see him as a fool, a naive fool, and they will exploit his use of the “tools of peace”. What he should say is that Muslims and Chistians believe in completely different types of God, the Christian God being peaceful, the Muslim god being an evil, murderously violent type of god and he should call out all the evils of islam (its child brides, its honour killings, the endless terrorist attacks against non-Muslims and so on). The Muslims must see this idiotic Pope as a great gift to them, a gullible fool. And I agree with mg’s comment. Look at the next report from Nigeria. That’s satanically evil islam in action. The Pope should call islam what it is – evil and barbaric.
Bud says
Remember the address by Pope Benedict XVI at Regensburg in 2006?
I believe he only used a centuries old example of violence and barbarism by Muslims, and went on to suggest that at this time in history that there was a need to move past the use of violence to promote one’s faith.
The response around the Muslim world was violent and deadly, with threats coming from all quarters.
He knew what we are dealing with.
tim gallagher says
I didn’t remember that, Bud, so thanks for the information. I do know that there were Popes way back at the time of the Crusades who called islam evil and violent because I read about them in Robert Spencer’s book, “The History of Jihad” a few years ago. I’m pretty sure that islam is never going to change and become peaceful. Murderous violence and hatred towards non-Muslims is too deeply ingrained in the mentality of Muslims. This present Pope is wasting his time trying to get along with Muslims. I’m certain that they see him as a naive fool.
Wellington says
The current pontifex maximus, whether out of ignorance, or even worse, some kind of complicity, continues to enable the most influential evil religion in world history. Whatever this man’s motive, it remains both highly injurious to mankind as a whole (and particularly to the West) and is utterly inexcusable.
The Roman Catholic Church at various times has been a beacon of light respecting how man should proceed. Yes, it has also failed at times, no doubt, but never more so than now under the worst Pope ever. Compounding all this is that so many in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, as well as much of its laity, also, regrettably, think the way this woeful excuse for a Pope does. Put another way, the Roman Catholic Church of old is gone forever. It’s never coming back. Lasted some 2,000 years and bested by the ancient Egyptian religion in duration and which religion lasted some 3,000 years. Considered from a prehistoric, anthropological perspective, never mind a geological one, two millennia doesn’t add up to all that much. Arguably just another blip on the radar screen of human life and all of life here on Earth. Still, what a waste.
Ade Fegan says
Oh yes !
They’ll be doing that alright
(all that moderate stuff must go !)
LOL
somehistory says
Will they tell the pope that he has it all messed up? will they set him straight on the reason for their “dialogue” and that they are nothing like Christians and don’t consider that they are brothers of Christians? Will he accept it from their mouths?
He should read and study the Bible, but he will not. He refuses to learn…which has to be a willful decision on his part.
“There is no peace, my God has said, for the wicked one.” “They keep saying “peace, peace” when there no peace.” “Whenever it is that they are saying “peace and security” sudden destruction will be instantly upon them.”
True peace comes from having God’s Holy Spirit, which none of these have. they will never achieve peace.
James Lincoln says
somehistory says,
“He should read and study the Bible”
Yes – and compare and contrast with the Koran.
With an exam at the end of the month. Matching, multiple-choice, short answer, etc.
Let the world know how much he doesn’t know…
somehistory says
thanks, James
and, he evidently needs to clean house
LA Times
“French cardinal says he abused 14-year-old girl 35 years ago”
ntesdorf says
The Pope should be looking into the massive slaughter of Christians in Nigeria and other parts of Africa instead of playing footsies with the murdering Muslims.
Alkflaeda says
I am reminded of Peter de Rosa’s novel, Pope Patrick https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/601553
In it, the first ever Irish pope decides to put the Sermon on the Mount literally into action – and it culminates with the Western world abandoning nuclear arms. As the Pope negotiates with the representatives of the “Muslim Federation” in Rome, the bombs start falling on a newly defenceless Europe, because said representatives of the MF were a decoy and always knew that they were going to die as “martyrs”. I wonder if anyone would dare publish such a novel today?
davidafoot says
Pancho I is a Marxist, he has some of the most terrible Marxist friends imaginable and here also, for all to see Pancho puts his throne to support the minds behind the invasion of the West by Islam.
Pancho I hates the West, capitalism and prosperity and would bring us down if he could. Where Pancho comes from (Argentina) he supports a party which used to burn Catholic churches down, so don’t think Pancho wants to save us or even save the Catholic Church for that matter.
Pancho is more for the Anti-Christ than for Christ Totally alligned with Islam and Marxism he told Christians not to preach the Gospel to the Moslem! Pancho I has modified the word of Christ (he knew the gravity of that what he was saying so he tried to use another word which means the same thing as preach)!
James Lincoln says
Pope Francis has never found anything in islam that he doesn’t like.