VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis says the most effective antidote to violence among Christians and Muslims is learning about each other and then accepting differences.
Francis also told participants Saturday of a meeting promoted by the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamist Studies that only by carefully listening can interreligious dialogue make progress.
He said “patience and humility” are essential for deepened Islamic-Christian dialogue while merely superficial dialogue will only yield “stereotypes and preconceptions.”
Francis added: “The most effective antidote to every form of violence is education about discovering and accepting difference as richness and fertileness.”
He did not mention of the deadly jihadi attacks in supposed defense of Islam this month in France, but said “more than ever one feels the need” for such education.
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If the Pope keeps this up, he will destroy News Corporation’s business model.
People growing wiser and NOT following-in behind those judas goats to begin with – would with accomplish that.
I don’t understand this. Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin have always told me that a true christianist should want to kill anyone who is an enemy of American plutocrats, consumerism and the policies of the Likud Party of Israel.
What is this “peace”, “love” and “understanding” nonsense this Pope Francis guy keeps spouting?
What beautiful, sunny, completely doomed optimism.
The Pope is doing his best to discuss and demonstrate some of the very positive ways in which the concept of religion can interact with human traits, History strongly suggests that, at best, he can hold some territory against the negative uses of religion, and he will never create a permanent shift toward the positive.
Religion, especially monotheistic religion, is just too convenient a way to justify one’s own actions, to provide authority for telling others what they ought to do, and for devaluing or demonizing those with other beliefs.
May he prove me wrong.