OPINION:
In an era when many faithful lament theological confusion and fear the watering down of Christianity, Pope Francis did little in recent days to assuage any consternation.
In fact, the pontiff tossed petrol on the proverbial flames of concern when he appeared at an interfaith youth gathering in Singapore on Sept. 13 and went off-script, delivering a head-scratching monologue seen by some as undermining the Christian Gospel.
“One of the things that has impressed me most about the young people here is your capacity for interfaith dialogue,” Pope Francis told the youthful assemblage. “This is very important, because, if you start arguing, ’My religion is more important than yours,’ or ’Mine is the true one, yours is not true,’ where does this lead?”
When the pope, who was speaking about the importance of interfaith dialogue, implored people to answer, someone said, “Destruction,” and the pontiff agreed. He then proceeded to deliver the specific lines that have created so much alarm in recent days.
“All religions are paths to God,” Pope Francis said. “I will use an analogy: they are like different languages that express the divine. But God is for everyone, and therefore, we are all God’s children. ’But my God is more important than yours!’ Is this true? There is only one God, and religions are like languages, paths to reach God. Some Sikh, some Muslim, some Hindu, some Christian.”
These remarks wouldn’t be shocking if coming from Universalists or even academics in the bowels of our secular institutions — people who patently deny the historic and theologically unique nature of Christianity.
But the proclamation is a head-turning, show-stopping moment considering it slipped from the lips of the man who heads the world’s largest Christian denomination. Critics were quick to appropriately react in sheer horror, frustration and with corrective rebuke.
Among the most vocal was Bishop Joseph Strickland, a Catholic leader from Texas who was dismissed from his duties last year over a public disagreement with Pope Francis on abortion and LGBTQ issues.
“Please pray for Pope Francis to clearly state that Jesus Christ is the only Way,” Mr. Strickland wrote on X. “To deny this is to deny Him. If we deny Christ, He will deny us, He cannot deny Himself.”
Others such as Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, also took to social media to take aim at the pontiff’s message.
Mr. Laurie quoted Pope Francis’ comment about all religions being “pathways to reach God” and responded with Jesus’ own words: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6).
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.
Pope Francis’ claim, as shared by the Vatican and without any further context or clarification from the pontiff, overtly contradicts the heart of the Gospel message, which explicitly and indubitably states that the only way to God and eternal life is through Jesus.
People are free to disagree with the Bible’s message, though even atheists and agnostics understand what the New Testament proclaims: that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
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,” a concept that profoundly confuses Nicodemus.
“How can someone be born when they are old?” the religious leader asks Christ. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” (verse 3).
Jesus, of course, responds by noting he’s addressing spiritual matters, not a physical return to and rebirth from the womb. From there, Christ explains in verses 14-15 that the “Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” and proceeds in subsequent verses to illustrate that he came to save the world.
And there’s even a warning for those who reject Jesus.
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son,” Christ says in verse 18.
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.
This is why, via the so-called Great Commission, he implores his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing 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 is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is the author of four books.
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