Pope Francis has said missionary conquest is at the heart of the two Abrahamic religions of Islam and Christianity.
Speaking to journalists during a one-hour exclusive interview with the French Catholic newspaper La Croix, the Pope said: “It is true that the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam. However, it is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest.”
The Pope was responding to a question about the fear some people have of Islam. He said he didn’t think there was a fear of the religion, but a fear of IS “and its war of conquest”.
He said that while Church and State should be separate, people should be free to practise whichever faith they choose. Using Islam and Christianity as examples, the Holy Father said: “If a Muslim woman wishes to wear a veil, she must be able to do so. Similarly, if a Catholic wishes to wear a cross.”
He hailed the election of Sadiq Khan as London’s first Muslim mayor as a symbol of Europe’s ability to integrate people of all faiths.
During the interview he was also asked about Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the French cardinal embroiled in a high-profile inquiry into historic sex abuse cases in France.
The Pope defended the senior cleric who is accused of failing to report abusive priests to the authorities, saying: “Based on the information I have, I believe that Cardinal Barbarin in Lyon took the necessary measures and that he has matters under control.” He said Barbarin is a “courageous, creative, missionary” and that his resignation at this stage would be “an admission of guilt”.
Reports from around the country in recent weeks speak of several dozen victims contacting their dioceses to reveal previously unpublicised abuse cases, some dating back decades. The cardinal has denied all allegations of a cover-up and Pope Francis reiterated the Church’s zero-tolerance policy towards paedophile priests.
The Pope was also asked about the Church’s relationship with the breakaway traditionalist order of the Priestly Fraternity of St Pius X (SSPX), to which he replied: “Bishop Fellay is a man with whom one can dialogue. That is not the case for other elements who are a little strange, such as Bishop Williamson or others who have been radicalised. Leaving this aside, I believe, as I said in Argentina, that they are Catholics on the way to full communion.” The Pope admitted that he had reached out to SSPX because of the Year of Mercy. “We will advance slowly and patiently”, he added.
Pope Francis also expressed his views on the free market economy, which he said “does not work” because of “idolatry of money”, and on the Christian roots of Europe, which he said engendered Christians to a life of service.
Francis gave the one-hour interview to two La Croix journalists at his residence in the Vatican on 9 May. The Pope was speaking in Italian. The daily said the Vatican read the piece before it was published.
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