Did Pope Francis say that all religions lead to God and salvation? - A Defense Thread🧵
The pope's statement in question is the following:
Before analysing the statement itself, it's relevant to remind what the pope already said before regarding the same topic. Here's what he says in a more formal situation in the same trip:
His comments on the conciliar declaration Nostra Aetate are also relevant (and they were made in an interreligious audience, by the way):
Answer: The meaning of the pope's statement refers to a aspect of any religion: the "search for God," the "search for an encounter with the divine", being "pilgrims." Every religious person seeks this. +
This does not imply that non-Christian religions are correct in their doctrines, beliefs, and attitudes, or that they are good or salvific. It is merely an acknowledgment of a fact about religions.
The pope himself said during the trip that the cultivation of bonds between individuals of different religions must assume that what different religions profess is different, and it should be based on other goals:
Regarding the comments on 'discussion': it is more about the way of acting than a condemnation of any discussion about the truth of a particular religious belief. The pope briefly says that 'it’s okay to discuss' (see 39:47 of the video):
youtube.com/live/rd_GgUYCM…
Regarding the expression 'paths to God'/'languages':
it is completely understandable that one might see this as problematic at first, especially because only Christ is the Way, no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). +
However, one can attribute the meaning of 'path' mentioned by the pope to that of 'pilgrimage' – a religious person 'seeks' God in a 'religious sensitivity' due to a 'thirst for the infinite' on the 'path' of their existence, even if they are in error.
This attribution is consistent because it takes into account the fact that only Jesus is the path to be reconciled with God and that one cannot have an abstract idea of God, but a concrete one.
In the end, I cite clear and explicit quotes from the pope about the Salvific Uniqueness of Jesus Christ:
And also the statements on the faith of the Church being the true confession of faith:
End of the thread.
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