Caution Francis Speaks: “God does not justify any form of fundamentalism or colonialism”
At the interreligious meeting which took place in Baku’s mosque, Francis
said: “May his most holy Name be adored, not profaned or bartered as a
commodity through forms of hatred and human opposition.” The Skeikh of
the Caucasus region thanked the Pope for his peace initiatives
TCK: Religions or the Catholic Religion? The new language coming from Universalist Rome should be no surprise for those who have studied the New Age. In the formalized New Age religion to come, "fundamentalism" in ANY religion cannot be tolerated because all must come together and work with unified purpose. Dogmatism must end the New Age says and each day we see these heretics "chipping away further at Catholic doctrine". Catholics must reject the Vatican II Revolution as a whole and keep themselves separate from the contagion. The Church is about to go underground. Now for the article:
The Pope’s visit to the Caucasus concluded with a warm welcome offered by the Muslim community. The Muslim Skeikh of the Caucasus region, Allahshukur Pashazadeh, received Francis in the Heydar Aliyev mosque, saying to him: “Your initiatives arouse keen interest among us. It is very important to observe your critical approach to the problems the world faces, your disapprobation pf the migrant problem, your protest at the link between Islam and terrorism and also, your tough condemnation of the real causes of terrorism and your sharp words against xenophobia.” Pashazadeh, a Shiite Sheikh who has theological authority over Sunni Muslims too, spoke out firmly against ISIS in recent months. Azerbaijan is a majority Muslim country (85% Muslim, who which 75% is Shiite) where religions live peacefully side by side, however radical jihadists are attempting to infiltrate it.
Pope Francis removed his shoes before entering Baku’s Heydar Aliyev mosque. The Skeikh presented him with a copy of the Quran and a prayer rug. The Pope reciprocated with a mosaic depicting Castel Sant’Angelo. The two religious leaders had a private conversation in front of the mosque’s mihrab, the niche indicating the direction of Mecca.
The Muslim leader - who was awarded the Order of St. Gregory by John Paul II – pronounced some important words during the course of the interreligious meeting that concludes the Pope’s visit to Baku, the final leg of his visit to the Caucasus region: “We appreciate the efforts you make during your visits to help resolve conflicts for the sake of world peace and the importance you attribute to interreligious dialogue. With attention and respect, we received the words you pronounced as a great religious leader, about the need for a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
In addition to Islamic dignitaries, leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church and Jewish communities were also present at the meeting. In his speech, the Pope recalled that Azerbaijan “distinguishes itself for its welcome and hospitality” and the Catholic Church also “finds a place and lives in harmony among other religions that have far more members, demonstrating concretely that it is not opposition but cooperation that helps to build better and more peaceful societies”.
“Humanity therefore needs religion,” (Doesnt say the Catholic Religion!) Francis observed, “if it is to reach its goal. Religion is a compass that orients us to the good and steers us away from evil, which is always crouching at the door of a person’s heart. Religions, therefore, have an educational task: to help bring out the best in each person. We, as guides, have a great responsibility, in order to offer authentic responses to men and women who are searching, who are often lost among the swirling contradictions of our time.”
The Pope noted that today, “we observe on the one hand the dominance of the nihilism of those who no longer believe in anything except their own wellbeing, advantage and profit, of those who throw life away, having become accustomed to the saying, “if God does not exist then everything is permissible”. “On the other hand, we see the growing emergence of rigid and fundamentalist reactions on the part of those who, through violent words and deeds, seek to impose extreme and radical attitudes which are furthest from the living God”.
“Religions, on the contrary, which help to discern the good and put it into practice through deeds, prayer and diligent cultivation of the inner life,” Francis explained, “are called to build a culture of encounter and peace, based on patience, understanding, and humble, tangible steps. This is the way a humane society is best served. For its part, society must always overcome the temptation to take advantage of religious factors: religions must never be instrumentalised, nor can they ever lend support to, or approve of, conflicts and disagreements.”
Just as he used the image of the carpet to illustrate his point at this morning’s mass for the country’s small flock of Catholics, so this afternoon, Francis referred to the example of a local artefact, the precious artistic windows, crafted simply out of wood and tinted glass (Shebeke). A very special method is used to make these windows: neither glue nor nails are used, but the wood and the glass are set into each other through time-consuming and meticulous effort. “In the same way,” Francis observed, “it is the task of every civil society to support religion, which allows a light to shine through, indispensable for living. In order for this to happen, an effective and authentic freedom must be guaranteed. Artificial kinds of “glue” cannot be used, which bind people to believe, imposing on them a determined belief system and depriving them of the freedom to choose; nor is there a need for the external “nails” of worldly concerns, of the yearning for power and money.”
Indeed, “God cannot be used for personal interests and selfish ends; he cannot be used to justify any form of fundamentalism, imperialism or colonialism. From this highly symbolic place, a heartfelt cry rises up once again: no more violence in the name of God! May his most holy Name be adored, not profaned or bartered as a commodity through forms of hatred and human opposition.”
The kind of dialogue the Pope advocates “is not an accommodating ‘facile syncretism’, nor a ‘diplomatic openness which says yes to everything in order to avoid problems’, but rather a path of dialogue with others and a path of prayer for all: these are our means ‘of turning spears into pruning hooks’, to give rise to love where there is hatred, and forgiveness where there is offence”.
“In this night of conflict that we are currently enduring,” Francis appealed, “may religions be a dawn of peace, seeds of rebirth amid the devastation of death, echoes of dialogue resounding unceasingly, paths to encounter and reconciliation reaching even those places where official mediation efforts seem not to have borne fruit. Particularly in this beloved Caucasus region, which I have very much wished to visit and to which I have come as a pilgrim of peace, may religions be active agents working to overcome the tragedies of the past and the tensions of the present.”
Fr. Kramer "Apostate Antipope Francis & One World Religion"