-Caveat Lector-
THE NEW PARTNERSHIP
BETWEEN THE PAPACY AND ISLAMIn recent years Pope John Paul II
has worked hard to woo Mecca to Rome. In May 2001 the pope made history by
becoming the first Catholic leader to set foot into a mosque and participate in
an organized prayer service. The symbolic meeting took place when
the Pope entered the Umayyad Mosque in the Syrian capital of
Damascus.
This mosque has significance for
both Muslims and Christians. For Muslims it is the oldest stone mosque in the
world, while for Christians it is the alleged place where John the Baptist was
buried. The Pope led in Christian prayers, while his Moslem
counterpart, Sheikh Ahmed Kataro, led in Moslem prayers. By this dramatic act of
worshipping in a mosque, the Pope underlined his commitment to work toward a
rapprochement with the Muslims.Twelve days after the horrors of
September 11, 2001, the Pope renewed his commitment to work toward a new
partnership with Moslems in his message to the predominantly Muslim nation
of Kazakhstan. The Pope declared: "'There is one God'. The Apostle proclaims
before all else the absolute oneness of God. This is a truth which Christians inherited from the children of Israel
and which they share with Muslims: it is faith in the one God, 'Lord of heaven
and earth' (Lk.10:21), almighty and merciful. In the name of this one God, I
turn to the people of deep and ancient religious traditions, the people of
Kazakhstan."1The Pope then appealed to both Muslims and Christians to
work together to build a "civilization of love": "This 'logic of
love' is what he [Jesus] holds out to us, asking us to live it above all through
generosity to those in need. It is a logic which can bring together Christians
and Muslims, and commit them to work together for the 'civilization of love'. It
is a logic which overcomes all the cunning of this world and allows us to make
true friends who will welcome us 'into the eternal dwelling-places' (Lk.16:9),
into the 'homeland' of heaven."2In his final prayer, the Pope again
appealed for Christians and Muslims to work together side by side in fulfilling
God's will: "And in this celebration we want to pray for Kazakhstan and its
inhabitants, so that this vast nation, with all its ethnic, cultural and
religious variety, will grow stronger in justice, solidarity and peace. May
it progress on the basis in particular of cooperation between Christians and
Muslims, committed day by day, side by side, in the effort to fulfil God's
will."3 In spite of the catastrophic events of September 11th, the Pope is
still committed to work toward a partnership with the Muslims.The basis of
this partnership is the belief that Catholics and Muslims worship the same God
of Abraham.
This belief is
clearly expressed in the new official Catechism of the Catholic Church, which
speaks of the new Catholic relationship with the Muslims in these terms:
"The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in
the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of
Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge
on the last day."4The Catechism continues affirming that
"The Church has also a high regard for the Muslims. They worship God, who is
one, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, the Creator of heaven and
earth, who has also spoken to men. They strive to submit themselves without
reserve to the hidden decrees of God, just as Abraham submitted himself to God's
plan, whose faith Muslims eagerly link to their own. Although not acknowledging
him as God, they venerate Jesus as a prophet, his virgin Mother they also honor,
and even at times devotedly invoke. Further, they await the day of judgment and
the reward of God following the resurrection of the dead. For this reason they
highly esteem an upright life and worship God, especially by way of prayer,
alms-deeds and fasting."5It is evident that the Catholic estimation
of Islam has undergone a fundamental change from the religion of "infidels"
to that of believers who worship the same God of Abraham. While in
the past the Catholic Church denounced Islam as an evil religion to be
suppressed by crusades (Holy War), today she welcomes and affirms Muslims
as having the same faith of Abraham as herself.The driving force behind
this tactical reappraisal of Islam is the determination of the Vatican to bring
about a New World Order under the "moral and religious" leadership of the Pope.
This goal was expressed at Vatican II which declares: "The encouragement
of unity is in harmony with the deepest nature of the [Roman Catholic] Church's
mission."6The profound danger facing the professed Christian world today
is to naively accept the Pope's claim to be the official spokesman for Christ on
earth -- a deception that is deeply embedded in the new thrust to create a
global coalition of nations on the basis of a politically
