Pope Francis recently started his 45th Apostolic Journey abroad. He visited Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore. The twelve-day visit is the longest trip the Pontiff has taken to date. During his visit to Singapore, Francis again made the news with another provocative statement. Let’s take a look.
The Pope’s Statement
The Pope, while in Singapore, stated:
“all religions are a path to God. There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths (to God).”
This statement does contradict the gospels (John 14:6) where, Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
If Pope Francis is accurate in his statement, then Jesus was wrong. Jesus is not wrong, ever. Francis’ comments have been labeled a “false doctrine” by some. There is one God, and He is the God of all. The Pope’s statement is a direct contradiction to what Jesus says in the bible.
“This false teaching completely contradicts the wisdom of the Gospel and the truth of Scripture.”
What Does the Bible Say?
Jesus is clear in the gospel that all must go through Him to get to the Father. Yet, the Pope indicates that all faiths have their path to God. This can be very confusing to people who believe in the gospels and the infallibility of the Pope. Could this be an interpretation issue? I guess anything is possible, but the context seems clear. The Secretariat of State at the Vatican felt the message needed to be massaged a bit:
After a day or so of online invective and—presumably—more than a little back-and-forth within the Comms apparatus, a new translation appeared: “All religions are paths to God.”
I am not sure that clarifies much of anything, but ok. The Vatican’s communications group certainly didn’t distinguish themselves by not commenting initially and then coming out with the latest message to “clear things up.” Unfortunately, the opposite happened. Now, honestly, many people agree with the Pope’s comment. They have the benefit of not being the Pope in making that statement and avoiding the backlash.
Pope Francis and his communications
People can be quick to jump on comments made by this Pope. I have been guilty of that myself. I feel that the Pope challenges us at times to think more broadly as Jesus did, and that can be confusing as to whether he is thinking as he speaks or laying down a new or changes to policy. This Pope is a very humble and intelligent man who is committed to the gospels and following Jesus. His words have meaning, and he is human, so there will be times when we may not be fully understanding his underlying point. I just wish the Pope and his communications team would get on the same page much faster than they seem to. I think it saves everyone some aggravation and allows others to give the Pope the benefit of the doubt.
What do you think? Did you agree with the initial interpretation that all religions have their path? All comments are encouraged and welcome.
God Bless
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In