Pope Francis has again generated controversy, this time raising concerns that he espoused religious pluralism. Near the end of his recent tour of South Asia, the pontiff told a group of interfaith youth in Singapore that “all religions are a path to God.” In the unscripted remarks, he said, “I will use an analogy. [Religions] are like different languages that express the divine.”
The pope said: “God is for everyone, and therefore, we are all God’s children.” He added, “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.”
Pope Francis, 87, also encouraged young people to engage in interfaith dialogue, which is “built on respect for others.” That takes courage, he told the 600 attendees, and “youth is the time of courage in our lives.”
US Catholic Leaders React To Pope’s Remarks
Pushback against the pope’s “all religions” comment was swift. “Please pray for Pope Francis to clearly state that Jesus Christ is the only Way,” Bishop Joseph Strickland posted. “To deny this is to deny Him. If we deny Christ, He will deny us, He cannot deny Himself.”
Last year, the Vatican dismissed Strickland from his Texas diocese after the firebrand conservative challenged the pope on social issues.
The pope’s statement in Singapore was “counter-scriptural,” according to Catholic priest and broadcaster Calvin Robinson. He posted, “The Scriptures teach us the opposite. The gate to heaven is narrow. In Christ’s own words: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
During a “60 Minutes” interview in May, Pope Francis said the human heart and people are “fundamentally good.” That raised alarms for a variety of faith leaders, including Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Dr. Albert Mohler.
Catholic Writers: ‘Cut Him Some Slack’
In his look at the pope’s remarks, journalist Christopher Altieri explored the original Latin as well as translations. “Tutte le religioni sono un cammino per arrivare a Dio” means “All religions are path[way]s to reach God,” he wrote. A Vatican official offered this English translation: “Every religion is a way to arrive at God.”
Altieri, who worked at the Vatican Radio news desk for 12 years, described how communications officials furthered tweaked the statement. It became “All religions are seen as paths trying to reach God” and then finally “All religions are paths to God.”
The pope’s analogy wasn’t great, Altieri admitted, but he urged people to “cut him some slack.” The pontiff was “giving a talk off the cuff and in a foreign language to a diverse crowd of mostly non-Christian adolescents with presumably non-existent theological training,” said Altieri. He has learned to distinguish between the pope’s obiter dicta, or incidental remarks, and his governing statements, he said.
