The former doctrinal chief of the U.S. bishops’ conference has published an article criticizing the Abu Dhabi statement signed by Pope Francis in February, alleging that the statement undervalues the person of Jesus and undermines the Gospel itself.
In a joint statement with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Pope Francis asserted in February that God wills a plurality of religions just as He wills a plurality of colors, sexes, races, and languages.
“The pluralism and the diversity of religions, color, sex, race and language are willed by God in his wisdom, through which he created human beings,” the statement said.
In his article this week, Father Thomas Weinandy took issue with the statement, insisting that the existence of a variety of colors, races, and languages in humanity is very different from a variety of contradictory truth claims about God’s identity and way of acting.
Pope Francis later walked back the statement, saying that rather than “willing” a plurality of religions, God really only permits the existence of many religions.
In a series of unscripted remarks, the pope attempted to clarify that what God really wills is fraternity among all peoples, while he only allows a plurality of religions.
“But someone may wonder: why does the Pope go visit the Muslims and not just Catholics? Why are there so many religions? How is it that there are so many religions?” Francis said.
“With the Muslims we are descendants of the same Father, Abraham. Why does God allow there to be so many religions? God wanted to allow this. Scholastic theologians referred to God’s voluntas permissiva [permissive will]. He wanted to allow this reality: that there are so many religions,” he said.
“Some are born from culture, but they always look at heaven, they look at God,” he said. “But what God wills is brotherhood among us and in a special way – and this is the reason for this journey – with the Muslims, our brothers and sisters, children of Abraham.”
“We must not be frightened by the difference: God allowed this,” the pope continued. “We should be frightened if we do not work in brotherhood, to walk together in life.” READ MORE
