by | Sat, Sep 21 2024During his recent visit to Singapore, Pope Francis declared that “all religions are a path to God,” sparking a backlash among Christian leaders and believers around the world. Departing from his prepared remarks, Francis, who’ll turn 88 in December, spoke off the cuff, stating that different religions are like “different languages” to reach God.
“If you start to fight: My religion is more important than yours, mine is true and yours isn’t. Where will that lead us?” he asked, according to Catholic news outlet Crux. “There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God],” he added.
US Christian commentator Billy Hallowell wrote in The Washington Times: “The pontiff tossed petrol on the proverbial flames of concern when he went off-script, delivering a head-scratching monologue seen by some as undermining the Christian Gospel.”
Reacting to the Pope’s comments, Bishop Joseph Strickland, who oversaw the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas, until his dismissal by the Vatican last year, said in a social media post: “Please pray for Pope Francis to clearly state that Jesus Christ is the only Way. To deny this is to deny Him. If we deny Christ, He will deny us, He cannot deny Himself.”
Bishop Strickland was ousted for disagreeing with Francis on the issue of banning pro-abortion Catholic politicians from receiving communion and over the degree to which outreach to the LGBT community is acceptable in the Catholic Church. A petition created in defence of the bishop last year said he was ousted because he “publicly corrected several heterodox statements from Pope Francis.”
Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, also took take aim at the Pontiff’s message by quoting: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by Me” (John 14:6).
Outspoken former Anglican and current Old Catholic priest Father Calvin Robinson who has just moved from the UK to the US to take over an Episcopal parish in Michigan, also quoted that verse, adding: “This is a counter-scriptural statement from Pope Francis. The Scriptures teach us the opposite. The gate [to Heaven] is narrow.”
Billy Hallowell wrote: “These concerns from Mr. Strickland, Mr. Laurie and many others aren’t simply minor, dismissable complaints. They’re essential calls to correct a grave spiritual malfeasance and inaccuracy perpetuated by one of the world’s most well-known religious leaders.”
“One of the strongest presentations of this reality is seen in John 3 when Jesus speaks with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. During the exchange, Christ explains that: No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. From there, Christ explains that the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.”
“Thus, it’s impossible to act as though different religions are merely divergent “languages” that all lead to the same God. The entirety of the Biblical message is one of transformation — the need to accept Jesus and allow God to transform our hearts and lives. Christ makes it painstakingly clear that a person can truly access the Lord only through Him,” the Christian commentator continued.
“This is why, via the so-called Great Commission, He implores his disciples to: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV).
“Jesus didn’t say: Go out and point people toward any random religion or philosophy, nor did he offer any prompt that affirms: All religions are paths to God. The Pope’s claims simply do not stand up to the Bible’s historical and theological narrative — and even an atheist understands this reality.”
“It’s possible Pope Francis misspoke, is being taken out of context due to translation, or wishes to further clarify his remarks. Considering the gravity of what he’s saying — and especially in light of his position in global Christendom — he owes believers everywhere an immediate and expansive explanation,” Billy Hallowell concluded.
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