Assisi III - Pope Benedict XVI met religious leaders and agnostics, but did he manage to distance himself from the seemingly syncretistic excesses of his predecessor?

Bl Pope John Paul II kissing the Qur'an
 during his visit to Syria.
This offended persecuted Christians, 
it also offended some Muslims, too

To mark the 25th anniversary of the first World Day of Prayer for Peace, Pope Benedict XVI met with global religious leaders in Assisi yesterday. Unlike the previous two peace meetings at Assisi, yesterday's event did not include an act of inter-faith prayer. The present Pontiff did not wish to participate in or encourage a misguided form of syncretism - much to the relief of those who, like himself, were worried that the 1986 meeting had given a "false impression of common ground that does not exist in reality." At yesterday's third day of peace at Assisi, Pope Benedict XVI simply met other religious leaders and then made a speech asking them to promote peace and work for the end of violence perpetrated in the name of God or religious conviction.

Pope Benedict XVI's speech at yesterday's "Pilgrimage of Peace" event seemed to cover three main themes, which I shall now attempt to briefly discuss.

Firstly, the Pope recognised the depressing fact that throughout history religious people have often used belief in God to justify wars and acts of terrorism. These religiously motivated acts of aggression are nearly always cited by anti-theists, who seem determined to blame religion for all the armed conflicts in the world. The Pope therefore asked all faith leaders to ensure that those who follow their creeds resist the temptation of using religion as a justification for violence. Whilst acknowledging with "shame" that in the past some so-called Christians had abused their faith's "true nature" by using it as a smoke-screen for acts of barbarism, the Holy Father also mentioned the "specifically religious character" of modern-day terrorism: -

"We know that terrorism is often religiously motivated and that the specifically religious character of the attacks is proposed as a justification for the reckless cruelty that considers itself entitled to discard the rules of morality for the sake of the intended 'good'. In this case, religion does not serve peace, but is used as justification for violence."

Whilst not directly mentioning Islam, many will have interpreted these words as a particular invitation for Muslims to publicly reject religious violence, and to also acknowledge their religion's history of aggression. Of course, other religions also either seem to support terrorism or have been hijacked by men of violence - but it is fair to say that the religion of Muhammad appears to have always been associated with conflict and war.

Before finishing this section of his speech, Pope Benedict XVI witnessed clearly to the Christian faith, reminding his listeners that: -

"The God in whom we Christians believe is the Creator and Father of all, and from him all people are brothers and sisters and form one single family. For us the Cross of Christ is the sign of the God who put 'suffering-with' (compassion) and 'loving-with' in place of force. His name is “God of love and peace” (2 Cor 13:11). It is the task of all who bear responsibility for the Christian faith to purify the religion of Christians again and again from its very heart, so that it truly serves as an instrument of God’s peace in the world, despite the fallibility of humans."

Christ was the victim of religious and secular violence and hatred. He died to save humanity, to call men to true repentance, to wash away our sins with his blood. Those who love him, therefore, are asked to put down the flagellum and nails, so that they can pick up their crosses and share in his peace.

Secondly, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the fact that atheists are also responsible for committing great acts of violence and warfare. It is true to say that atheistic regimes have been responsible for the most heinous crimes against humanity, and those who reject God are more likely to seek humanity's destruction: -

"[T]he denial of God has led to much cruelty and to a degree of violence that knows no bounds, which only becomes possible when man no longer recognizes any criterion or any judge above himself, now having only himself to take as a criterion. The horrors of the concentration camps reveal with utter clarity the consequences of God’s absence."

In the past, atheistic governments tended to view man as a political or philosophical commodity, but today's secular world often regards human beings as mere economic units - thus devaluing humanity even more than those mid-20th century anti-theistic totalitarian regimes. Pope Benedict XVI called this new and imperceptible devaluing of humanity, "the decline of man." People of faith, though, and especially Christians, have a duty to remind humanity of its true nature. It is a nature grounded in love, for all human beings have been created by and for God - not for humanity's own sake alone, or merely as tools within political or economic systems.

Thirdly, the Holy Father spoke about the fact that the modern world is full of agnostics, many of whom are thirsting for God. These men and women are aware of the deficiencies of aggressive atheism, but are also often let down by those religions and religious people who point away from God. According to the Pope, these 21st century searchers: -

"...suffer from his absence and yet are inwardly making their way towards him, inasmuch as they seek truth and goodness. They are 'pilgrims of truth, pilgrims of peace'. They ask questions of both sides. They take away from militant atheists the false certainty by which these claim to know that there is no God and they invite them to leave polemics aside and to become seekers who do not give up hope in the existence of truth and in the possibility and necessity of living by it. But they also challenge the followers of religions not to consider God as their own property, as if he belonged to them, in such a way that they feel vindicated in using force against others."

There are grave deficiencies within all those religions that do not share the fullness of revelation that Catholicism offers the world, as the then Cardinal Ratzinger pointed out in Dominus Iesus. So, when Pope Benedict XVI's said in yesterday's speech that the agnostic's "inability to find God is partly the responsibility of believers with a limited or even falsified image of God" and that "their struggling and questioning is in part an appeal to believers to purify their faith, so that God, the true God, becomes accessible", was he bordering on syncretistic universalism, or was he inviting other religions to be purified by the truth that is only found in Jesus Christ? Although God can and does reveal Himself to others, He can only be known in the fullest sense when we enter the life of Christ. In that sense, then, I believe that the Pope was diplomatically inviting people of other faiths or none to accept the limitations of their philosophies and the be purified by "the blood of the Lamb" (cf Rev 7:14).

As Christians we have a God given duty to work for peace, and to bring Christ's own peace to this fractured world - a peace won through his broken body. In that sense, it is incumbent upon us to be on good terms with all human beings, especially those who have not yet been granted the gift of faith in Jesus Christ or even a simple knowledge of God. Seeking peace and friendship amongst men and women of good-will, though, does not mean that we have to reject the fundamental belief that salvation can only be found in Christ, and that the Lord can only be fully known within the Church founded by him. In that sense, yesterday's pilgrimage to Assisi was probably inspired by Christian charity and was also a genuine opportunity to invite all men to search for the fullness of truth. By choosing not to engage in inter-faith prayer, Pope Benedict XVI also sent out a clearer message than his predecessor that Catholicism is the unique and properly valid religion of God the Father of us all. It cannot be diluted, it cannot be reduced to just one more way; it is the way!

[Image: John Paul II kissing the Qur'an during a visit to Syria; source: Pakistani Defence Forum]