Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):

The New Partnership Between the Papacy and Islam

by HOIM Staff

In the years just prior to his death, Pope John Paul II worked hard to woo Mecca to Rome. In May, 2001, the pope made history by becoming the first Catholic leader to set foot in a mosque and participate in an organized prayer service. The symbolic meeting took place when the Pope entered the Umayyad Mosque in the Syrian capital of Damascus. This mosque has significance for both Muslims and Christians. For Muslims it is the oldest stone mosque in the world, while for Christians it is the alleged place where John the Baptist was buried.

The Pope led in Christian prayers, while his Muslim counterpart, Sheikh Ahmed Kataro, led in Muslim prayers. By this dramatic act of worshipping in a mosque, the Pope underlined his commitment to work toward a rapprochement with the Muslims.

Twelve days after the horrors of September 11, 2001, the Pope renewed his commitment to work toward a new partnership with Muslims in his message to the predominantly Muslim nation of Kazakhstan. The Pope declared: “There is one God. The Apostle proclaims before all else the absolute oneness of God. This is a truth which Christians inherited from the children of Israel and which they share with Muslims: it is faith in the one God, Lord of heaven and earth (Luke 10:21), almighty and merciful. In the name of this one God, I turn to the people of deep and ancient religious traditions, the people of Kazakhstan.”

The Pope then appealed to both Muslims and Christians to work together to build a “civilization of love”: “This logic of love is what He [the Messiah] holds out to us, asking us to live it above all through generosity to those in need. It is a logic which can bring together Christians and Muslims, and commit them to work together for the civilization of love. It is a logic which overcomes all the cunning of this world and allows us to make true friends who will welcome us into the eternal dwelling-places (Luke 16:9), into the home­land of heaven.”

In his final prayer, the Pope again appealed for Christians and Muslims to work together side by side in fulfilling YEHOVAH’s will: “And in this celebration we want to pray for Kazakhstan and its inhabitants, so that this vast nation, with all its ethnic, cultural, and religious variety, will grow stronger in justice, solidarity, and peace. May it progress on the basis in particular of cooperation between Christians and Muslims, committed day by day, side by side, in the effort to fulfill God’s will.”

In spite of the catastrophic events of September 11th, the new Pope is also committed to work toward a partnership with the Muslims. The basis of this partnership is the misguided belief that Catholics and Muslims worship the same God of Abraham.

This belief is clearly expressed in the new official Catechism of the Catholic Church, which speaks of the new Catholic relationship with the Muslims in these terms: “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”

The Catechism continues affirming that

“The Church has also a high regard for the Muslims. They worship God, who is one, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has also spoken to men. They strive to submit themselves without reserve to the hidden decrees of God, just as Abraham submitted himself to God’s plan, whose faith Muslims eagerly link to their own. Although not acknowledging him as God, they venerate Jesus as a prophet, his virgin Mother they also honor, and even at times devotedly invoke. Further, they await the day of judgment and the reward of God following the resurrection of the dead. For this reason they highly esteem an upright life and worship God, especially by way of prayer, alms-deeds, and fasting.”

It is evident that the Catholic estimation of Islam has undergone a fundamental change from the religion of “infidels” to that of believers who worship the same God of Abraham. While in the past the Catholic Church denounced Islam as an evil religion to be suppressed by crusades (Holy War), today, she welcomes and affirms Muslims as having the same faith of Abraham as herself.

The driving force behind this tactical reappraisal of Islam is the determination of the Vatican to bring about a New World Order under the moral and religious leadership of the Pope. This goal was expressed at Vatican II, which declares: “The encouragement of unity is in harmony with the deepest nature of the [Roman Catholic] Church’s missions.”

The profound danger facing nominal Christians today is to naively accept the Pope’s claim to be the official spokesman for the Messiah on earth -- a deception that is deeply embedded in the new thrust to create a global coalition of nations on the basis of a politically constructed god which can be adapted to different religious systems.

The determination of the Pope to develop a partnership with Muslims stems from the simple fact that their 1.3 billion members outnumber the one billion Catholic members. By acknowledging the legitimacy of the Islamic faith, the Pope is facilitating the Muslims’ acceptance of his role as the leader of a future New World Order.

What About the Present Pope?

The following was written by a freelance author from California and appeared in The Jerusalem Post, dated 9-19-2014:

"Two weeks after Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis I, a prominent Italian commentator who converted from Islam to Catholicism in 2008 announced he would leave the Church.

"Magdi Allam -- an emigrant from Egypt who fights Islamism in Europe and who was baptized by Pope Benedict XVI -- wrote in his March 25 column for Milan’s Il Giornale that he was leaving 'because this Church is too weak with Islam.'

"Allam is right.

"Since Pope John Paul II’s tenure, the Catholic Church has refused to hold Muslim theologians and clergy accountable for the hatred and violence many of them preach. Instead, the Vatican promotes dialogue and mutual understanding at all costs -- even at the cost of moral credibility.

"John Paul II condemned what he called a 'culture of death,' referring to the West’s tolerance for abortion and birth control. Yet when faced with a more virulent culture of death -- a Palestinian Authority that promotes genocide by teaching children to become suicide bombers -- the late pope fell silent. Given Pope Francis’ history and recent actions, Israelis and Palestinians can expect more tired, limp rhetoric about peace that hides Catholicism’s sentimental complacency.

"When Pope Benedict attempted to challenge Islam in his famous address at Regensburg in 2006, the future pope Francis publicly distanced himself from Benedict’s remarks. As the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio said Benedict’s comments 'don’t reflect my own opinions,' and 'these statements will serve to destroy in 20 seconds the careful construction of a relationship with Islam that Pope John Paul II built over the last 20 years.'

"As London’s Telegraph reported March 15, the Vatican responded by removing another Argentine archbishop from his post after he expressed a similar opinion.

"Bergoglio reacted by boycotting a synod that Pope Benedict called.

“'The only thing that didn’t happen to Bergoglio was being removed from his post,' Argentine columnist Horacio Verbitsky wrote in 2008.

"On March 22, one day after his installation Mass, Francis urged the Catholic Church to 'intensify' its dialogue with Islam and Muslim leaders to influence 'all people in such a way that everyone can see in the other not an enemy...but a brother or sister.'

"On March 29, Good Friday in the Western Christian calendar, Francis’s sermon included remarks about Benedict’s trip to Lebanon last year: 'We saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together...and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters....'

"ON APRIL 22, two archbishops from the Syrian Orthodox Church were abducted at gunpoint near Aleppo. The next day, a release from the Vatican’s press office stated that the pope was following the situation 'with intense prayer for the health and release of the two kidnapped bishops.'

"On April 30, President Shimon Peres told the pope the Middle East was 'disintegrating' and faced 'real existential danger.' A statement from Israel’s embassy to the Holy See added that the pope condemned anti-Semitism and suggested a 'global meeting of hope' for religious leaders to oppose 'violence and terror.'

"The Vatican’s release, however, called for a 'speedy resumption' of peace talks between Israel and the PA, and added that Peres and Francis had cordial discussions.

"On May 11, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported the desecration of the nearly 2,000-year-old Mar Elias Monastery. The vandals also decapitated a statue of the saint. The Vatican issued no formal reaction.

"On May 12, Francis canonized some 800 Catholics beheaded in 1480 by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II’s invasion force in Otranto, Italy, for refusing to convert.

“'As we venerate the martyrs of Otranto,' Francis said, 'let us ask God to sustain many Christians who...now suffer from violence and to give them the courage of fidelity and to answer evil with good.'

"Such remarks, intended to encourage persecuted Christians, actually do the opposite. They tell innocent men, women and children that, while they might be honored in death, they will receive no meaningful support while they live.

"The Vatican is in a unique position to provide meaningful material support.

"It owns billions in stocks, bonds, securities and shares in corporations and holding companies. Surely, it can sell some of those assets to help beleaguered charities provide food and clothing for persecuted Christians.

"In any event, sanctimonious rhetoric and diplomatic nuance will not appease fanatical barbarians of any persuasion.

"Fanatical barbarians have only one goal: to kill anyone who blocks the imposition of their agenda.

"Will exposing the barbarians for what they are, decrying genocide as such and demanding accountability work? Perhaps not. But unless Francis and his bishops -- indeed, all Christian leaders -- take a more forceful stance, even at the expense of their cherished ecumenical dialogue, their churches will continue their slide into moral irrelevance."

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