Rome Newsroom, Sep 13, 2024 / 12:00 pm (CNA).
After blessing the elderly on his last day in Singapore, Pope Francis told an assembly of youth that religions are “like languages that try to express ways to approach God” at an interreligious meeting that concluded his 12-day, four-country apostolic journey to Southeast Asia and Oceania.
‘Your prayers are very important before God’
As the Holy Father made his way toward the chapel of St. Theresa’s Home where approximately 200 elderly residents and staff gathered to receive his papal blessing, several residents in wheelchairs seized the opportunity to see the pope up close and shake his hand as he passed by them in the corridors of the country’s oldest Catholic-run nursing home.
Before imparting his blessing in English, the pope thanked the residents for their patience and their prayers and asked that they pray for him.
“Your prayers are very important before God. God is very happy to hear your prayers,” he said to those present in the chapel. “With this blessing the Lord shows himself close to you. He pardons everything.”
Pope to youth: ‘All religions are paths to reach God’
After visiting the sick and elderly in St. Theresa’s Home, the Holy Father was impressed by the capacity of Singapore’s youth to engage in interreligious dialogue following an exchange with students hosted by Catholic Junior College.
“Religions are seen as paths trying to reach God. I will use an analogy: They are like different languages that express the divine,” the pope explained.
“But God is for everyone, and therefore, we are all God’s children,” he said. “There is only one God, and religions are like languages that try to express ways to approach God. Some Sikh, some Muslim, some Hindu, some Christian.”
The Holy Father encouraged the interfaith youth representatives — Raaj, a Hindu youth who is chief coordinator of the Inter-religious Organisation Youth Wing; Preet, a young Sikh woman working in the interfaith space since 2017; and Nicole, a Catholic educator who used to work for Singapore’s Archdiocesan Catholic Council for Interreligious Dialogue — to not be closed in on themselves but to take risks and “move forward with hope” even when faced with our own and others’ mistakes and shortcomings.
“Youth is courageous and youth likes to go toward the truth,” he said.
Challenging his audience, the Holy Father urged them to have the courage to be critical thinkers: “I ask all young people, each one: Are you critical?”
“Do you have the courage to criticize and also the courage to let others criticize you?” he asked.
“This is the sincere dialogue between young people.”
During the youth-led meeting, the Holy Father also reiterated the need for “respect for others” in interreligious dialogue, even when confronted with our own or others’ mistakes and shortcomings.
“Each one of us has our own abilities and limitations,” he explained. “Do we all have abilities? Do we all have some limitations? Even the pope? Yes, all, all! As we have our limitations, we must respect the disabilities of others.”
“Why do I say this? Because overcoming these things helps in your interfaith dialogue since it is built upon respect for others. This is very important.”
According to Pew Research Center, Singapore is ranked as one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world. Approximately 26% of Singaporeans identify as Buddhist, 18% as Muslim, 17% as Christian and 8% as Hindu. An additional 22% of Singaporeans do not identify with a specific religion.
Pope urges unity among bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople
Before his Sept. 13 meetings with the elderly and youth, the Holy Father met with bishops, priests, and consecrated men and women after celebrating Mass at the St. Francis Xavier Retreat Centre.
Drawing upon the theme for his papal visit to Singapore, “Unity and Hope,” the pope reminded bishops and priests to live united with God and one another and to be “in the midst of the people” they serve.
At around midday, the Holy Father was transported to Singapore Changi Airport to embark upon his journey back to Rome to conclude his whirlwind Sept. 2–13 apostolic journey, which brought him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore to meet with civil and religious leaders and communities in the Southeast Asia and Oceania regions.
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While at his incredible journey’s end Pope Francis evocated his political spirit and fired a broadside into the middle of American politics. He detonated Catholic moral doctrine to smithereens declaring that resistance to illegal migration is a grave sin equal to abortion. Obviously he’s supporting Kamala Harris, who supports open borders, by downplaying Trump’s much less egregious position on abortion.
Apart from my hyperbole Pope Francis in calling resistance to migration a sin then comparing it to abortion which does call murder, nevertheless on placing the two moral issues as the lesser evil to consider logically equates the gravity of both.
And he abandoned the proscriptions of the Eighth Commandment when a failure to give resistance to drug cartels, human trafficking, convicted murderers, and international terrorists crossing a border with impunity constitutes an evil in itself. Neither does he consider faulting himself for how his complicity in simplistic characterizations of serious border issues might mask his own involvement in what has become a worldwide hate movement by anti-Christian progressivist forces to slander the intentions of populist resistance to elitism. How does a Church deal with a Pope who shows little self-awareness of complicity with anti-Christian forces?
We read: “There is only one God, and religions are like languages that try to express ways to approach God. Some Sikh, some Muslim, some Hindu, some Christian.”
A good point about our human unity and languages, but nothing in this brief article about the language of the one God–“the Word made flesh” (Jn 1:14)–as God then touches our “expressions” with his own Self-Disclosure (!). The Second Person of the Triune One, as the incarnate Jesus Christ. More than a figure of speech, and in whom Christian witnesses find the graced gift of “Hope”…
Wonderfully revealing words by Pope Francis, as he does his best around the world – at enormous expense – to outdo the intereligious popularity of The Dalai Lama.
“‘Religions are seen as paths trying to reach God. I will use an analogy: They are like different languages that express the divine,’ the pope explained.” Pope Francis on Friday 13th September 2024
This is called unitarianism and it is a heresy. The words Apostle Paul addressed to the Corinthians in about 55 AD, may well still apply:
“Even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world (aka Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Sad to reflect: despite the piles of newsgrabbing glamour (that every Catholic has paid for) our current leader may rank, in Saint Paul’s terms, as a ‘perishing pontif’.
Always in the grace & mercy of King Jesus Christ; love & blessings from marty
Love and friendship are his mantras. His Holiness Pope Francis has touched the hearts of the young and the young at heart in Singapore, PNG, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste.
What exactly is “loving” about being so consumed with sentimentality and wanting to be admired as more open than those reduced to strawman caricatures of the past that one would never give a moment’s thought to the evil consequences of what one is validating for the future? Why is it morally superior to endorse the immorality advocated by religions that promote immorality and murder? Is this more of Francis’ “mercy” without qualification? Like when Francis never thinks about mercy for the victims of sin when he only talks about mercy for the sinners no longer having to have repentance?
Is Francis going to be around to pick up the pieces after the damage done from the simplistic platitudes of poison he gave to young people?
While Dr Coelho accents the positive interpretation of the unity of different religions, some absent a specific identification of a unique Godhead as a good thing, an indication of seeking God, which Lumen Gentium recognizes in the three monotheistic religions and by inference others, commenters P Dr Rice perceived the detriment of a Unitarian type vision. I would add Baháʼí, an Iranian Abrahamic unity of all believes reducing God to manifestations of God according to Wikipedia scholars.
Experience in Malawi Africa with Anglicans, Dutch Reformed, 7th day Adventists [across the border in Zambia although prohibited in Malawi] in which all of these religious groups cooperated in offering hospitality, emergency medical care with evident charity was an experience that will forever color my vision. However, the issue with Pope Francis appears to be in the direction of his putative validation of the incomplete conceptions of God and morality held by those outside of Catholicism and the relinquishing of the unique evangelization commission by Christ.
In short: to come to the aid of those in distress, in cooperation with whoever will help, is Catholic Christianity made manifest in social action.
To conceive & announce that this means the teachings of Christ are only one of many ways to God, is a pernicious error. Jesus Christ offers the world ONE way to God; and The Catholic Church, at its best, teaches the world that ONE way.
Being a good person is what all humans, at our best, do! This is not of itself salvific.
Salvation of a human soul depends completely on repentance for our sins, reliance upon Jesus Christ as our Savior, and our living in obedience to His teachings.
Ipso facto, non-Christian religions cannot save a soul. Their teachings are misleading.
For any Christian, let alone a Catholic Pope, to teach otherwise, is an anti-Apostolic abomination. Such teachers are manifestly apostates.
Ever seeking to hear & lovingly obey King Jesus Christ; blessings from marty
Dr Rice. My response to this highly important matter of salvation outside the Church is responded to below. Please read.
Apparently, in the official translation, “ma sono diversi cammini” with which the Pope ended the particular section, was omitted. If I understand correctly what went on overall, omitting this part would enhance the confusion /worsen the foible.
Maybe the Holy Father actually understands the predicament he is placing the faithful in and accepts for it to come out like that; I can not tell. I believe it runs counter to the faith to be rounding up everyone ecumenically as a group into, like, a single herd of wild mustang and driving it all at once to a corral. While telling everyone in advance that the ones to watch out for are the faithful who will be bucking.
“Because it has to be so.” It does?
What to think? “The Holy Father seems at a loss to creatively but faithfully proclaim the faith.” Or, “The Holy Father is saying we can suspend the proclamation.”
https://onepeterfive.com/pope-francis-every-religion-is-a-way-to-arrive-at-god/
From the first reading for Holy Mass, Saturday 14th September –
“Does this mean that the food sacrificed to idols has a real value, or that the idol itself is real? Not at all. It simply means that the sacrifices that they offer they sacrifice to demons who are not God. I have no desire to see you in communion with demons.”
“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot tak your share at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons.”
“Do you want to make the Lord angry; are we stronger than He is?”
From all appearances our current Pope thinks he is stronger. Sad days indeed.
Well has it been written that The Word of God is the sword of The Holy Spirit, finely dividing truth from error.
Catholic brothers & sisters in Christ: let us stay strong in The Word that saves.
Always in the love of The Lamb of God; peace & blessing from marty
Dr Rice. Is salvation possible outside the Church? Is it possible outside of Christianity itself?
Leonard Feeney was a Jesuit priest who was excommunicated in 1953 for preaching that salvation was only available through the Roman Catholic Church. The Holy Office, under Pius XII, sent a letter to the Archbishop of Boston, condemning Feeney’s error.
There are two truths that clash on this issue, the doctrine that there is no salvation outside the Church versus the doctrine that there is indeed salvation outside of formally belonging to the Church. The following attests to the latter:
Holy Office, Aug 9, 1949, condemning doctrine of L. Feeney [DS 3870]: “It is not always required that one be actually incorporated as a member of the Church, but this at least is required: that one adhere to it in wish and desire. It is not always necessary that this be explicit, but when a man labors under invincible ignorance, God accepts even an implicit will, called by that name because it is contained in the good disposition of soul in which a man wills to conform his will to the will of God.”
“Vatican II, #16: [1964 AD] For they who without their own fault do not know of the Gospel of Christ and His Church, but yet seek God with sincere heart, and try, under the influence of grace, to carry out His will in practice, known to them through the dictate of conscience, can attain eternal salvation.”
Dr Rice there are indeed persons who do not know our God as we worship him, yet as indicated in the above are aware of him in the leanings of the heart toward charity, men and women who respond to grace won for all by Christ’s passion and death on the cross. And to your sentiment this doesn’t advocate that salvation is widely available to all men outside the Church, an heretical conflation of the truth explained above. A heresy that has curtailed the extensive missionary activity of the past, lamented by Benedict XVI. That there is salvation outside the Church doesn’t mean that entrance into the Catholic Church is unnecessary, nor that entrance into the Church greatly improves virtually beyond measure our desire for salvation. Nor does it presume those who hear the word of God and have knowledge of his Church and reject it, do not condemn themselves.
Finally, without Christ’s teaching, passion, death, and resurrection there would be no salvation for man, except for the blessed exceptions Abraham, Joseph, Judith, Moses et Al [for example those born before Christ who led holy lives were the retroactive beneficiary of Christ’s grace won for later them].
Dear Fr Peter, thank you for your informed & informative comments on the conundrum of extra-Ecclesial salvations.
The Old Testament assures us of the ascension to Heaven of Enoch, Moses, & Elijah. Maybe these were found to be prolepses of the humbly obedient righteousness of the eternal Christ, meriting their salvation through Him.
The Psalmist assures us that God knows & saves those who love God (E.g. Ps 91:14; Ps 145:20).
The author of Hebrews 9:15 also engages with the question of the salvation of those under the Old Covenant.
Yet, our Lord Jesus Christ is the only complete & perfect revelation of God.
In short – if we don’t love Jesus Christ, we don’t love God.
1 Peter 3:19 may help with this conundrum. It could be extended to imply that every departing human soul that has ever existed experiences Christ preaching The Gospel to them.
None are deprived of the choice to love or reject Jesus, who is truly The Way, The Truth, & and The Life for all who love God.
What then is the value of knowing and obeying God’s commandments, or of being a Catholic or other Christian?
Well, the author of Hebrews 9:27 assures us that when we die we will face judgment. For a Catholic or other Christian who has lived in obedience to Christ that judgment should hold no fear, as in e.g. 1 John 4:18 – “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.”
So, bringing people into The Church, its Sacramental journey, and its ministry can ensure that they hear and obey the Apostolic witness to Jesus; preparing them in advance for meeting Christ face-to-face when they die. Obviously a HUGE advantage.
In this way, at least for me, the Scriptures enable one to believe that every departed human soul has an opportunity to chose to love God & be saved eternally by listening to Christ preach His Gospel.
Thus John 10:27-30 might be a salvation statute that applies both in life and, pressingly, at the moment of death . . .
For Catholics: the whole ministry of The Church thus prepares our souls to pass this test-of-all-tests.
Hence: our urgent call to evangelize and baptise all people everywhere, so they become ready to meet Jesus face-to-face.
This is not claiming the lives of non-Christians cannot prepare them to meet The LORD. It claims that becoming a Christian and lovingly following Christ’s Way is BY FAR the best way to prepare for our common, post-mortem encounter with God.
We Catholics, with substantial reasons, claim that ours is the original & best Christian preparation for that fateful, unavoidable meeting with Righteousness-in-Person. May our Catholic faithfulness give us humble, confident assurance. And, a passionate love for all others, to help them join us in our Catholic Christian pilgrimage of preparation.
Well, dear Fr Peter that’s my best reflection at the moment on this famous theological conundrum .
Looking forward to any comments you might make.
Always seeking to be faithful to the Apostolic revelation of King Jesus Christ; blessings from marty
Agreed with your conclusion expressed here Dr Rice, that Christ revealed a singular, exclusive message for salvation to all Mankind.
Agreed.
And that “message for salvation” relies entirely on Jesus Christ in Person.
“For The Father judges no one; He has entrusted all judgment to The Son, so that all may honour The Son as they honour The Father. Whoever refuses honour to The Son refuses honour to The Father who sent Him.” John 5:22-23
Catholics (including every pope) are duty bound to let everyone know that, at death, their soul will answer to King Jesus Christ. Not to any pagan deity, buddha, mohommed, etc., etc.
Failure to do that reveals a lack of love for God and a neglect of human souls. Serious stuff . . .
In the grace & mercy of King Jesus Christ; love & blessings from marty
It might be worth adding that a crucial (even ‘fatal’) distinction often eludes today’s Catholic & other Christian teachers.
Yes! Most certainly, in this life God loves all human souls unconditionally (Christ crucified witnesses to that wonderful truth).
The ungodly are loved unconditionally as much as the godly [Matthew 5:45]. All, all . . .
In contrast: strict conditions apply upon death when each human soul will face Christ as Judge of all.
No longer: “All, all . . .” but: “Well done . . !” for some souls. “Depart from Me . . !” for others.
Surely, it’s that: “Depart from Me, I don’t know you . . !” that should make Catholics, from Pope to pewsitters, deeply serious about obeying the Apostolic instructions that teach us how to be good & faithful servants in the eyes of our one-and-only eternal Judge?
Failure to teach the flock that in this life God’s unconditional love is simply our opportunity to live in obedience to Christ’s instructions, so as to merit His favourable judgment when we die, is very serious. That failure places such a teacher in danger of losing their soul.
Its fatal to think God’s unparalleled goodness in this life to both good & wicked humans means both good & wicked will be approved by King Jesus Christ when He judges our souls. At judgment there’s no: “All, all . . .”.
The Apostolic witness is that only a few are approved – Matthew 7:14; with the majority rejected – Matthew 7:13.
As a life-time teacher, now in my eighties, I appeal to all teachers to teach the living truth the Apostles have given us.
Let’s summarize with the words of John, the Apostle of Love:
“Little children let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as He (Jesus Christ) is righteous. Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.” 1 John 3:7-8
Always in awe of God’s revelation in Christ Jesus, our King; love & blessings from marty