Pope Francis says, “If I Speak of Islamic Violence, I Must Speak of Catholic Violence.”

In light of  the recent slaying of Fr. Jacques Hamel, Pope Francis was asked about the appropriate response to “Islamic Violence”. (Apparently established narratives, either about Islam being violent or about the acts of few extremists among Muslims have led to many not noticing the dubious connection of this murder with Islam.) The Pope’s reaction was deeply insightful:

“I don’t like to speak of Islamic violence, because every day, when I browse the newspapers, I see violence, here in Italy… this one who has murdered his girlfriend, another who has murdered the mother-in-law… and these are baptized Catholics! There are violent Catholics! If I speak of Islamic violence, I must speak of Catholic violence . . . and no, not all Muslims are violent, not all Catholics are violent. It is like a fruit salad; there’s everything.”

The Pope also had some wise words about the nature and extent of terrorism:

“Terrorism is everywhere. You think of the tribal terrorism of some African countries. It is terrorism and also . . . But I don’t know if I say it because it is a little dangerous… Terrorism grows when there are no other options, and when the center of the global economy is the god of money and not the person — men and women — this is already the first terrorism! You have cast out the wonder of creation — man and woman — and you have put money in its place. This is a basic terrorism against all of humanity!”

You can read the whole interview here.

(Image via Pixabay)