Addressing Catholic believers, the Bishop of Rome stressed the dire importance of exhibiting religious tolerance. During his hour-long speech, a smiling Pope Francis was quoted telling the Vatican’s guests that the Koran, and the spiritual teachings contained therein, are just as valid as the Holy Bible.
“ ‘Jesus Christ, Jehovah, Allah. These are all names employed to describe an entity that is distinctly the same across the world. For centuries, blood has been needlessly shed because of the desire to segregate our faiths. This, however, should be the very concept which unites us as people, as nations, and as a world bound by faith. Together, we can bring about an unprecedented age of peace, all we need to achieve such a state is respect each others beliefs, for we are all children of God regardless of the name we choose to address him by. We can accomplish miraculous things in the world by merging our faiths, and the time for such a movement is now. No longer shall we slaughter our neighbors over differences in reference to their God.’ ” http://nationalreport.net/pope-francis-followers-koran-holy-bible/#sthash.SnyeX4IX.dpuf
“The pontiff drew harsh criticisms in December after photos of the 78-year-old Catholic leader was released depicting Pope Francis kissing a Koran. The Muslim Holy Book was given to Francis during a meeting with Muslim leaders after a lengthy Muslim prayer held at the Vatican.”
http://nationalreport.net/pope-francis-followers-koran-holy-bible/
“Islam and Christianity share the ‘same idea of conquest’, and for that reason, Islam should not be viewed as a threat, said Pope Francis in a newspaper interview this week.
“ ‘It is true that the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam,’ he conceded to the French Catholic newspaper La Croix. ‘However, it is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest.’
“Ostensibly, the Pope was drawing a parallel between the Islamic ‘conquest’ known as jihad, a holy war or struggle waged against infidels, and Christian missionizing.
“The comparison was part of a larger conversation about the increasingly desperate refugee crisis currently facing Europe. Pope Francis has been an outspoken voice on the issue of Arab refugees who seek asylum, encouraging governments to take in migrants and “integrate” them into western societies despite widespread concerns that the largely Muslim populations might harbor extremist or terrorist elements.
“Francis has repeatedly argued in favor of coexistence, peace, and tolerance in all areas of life but especially towards Muslims. He set his own powerful example last month when he brought a dozen refugees from the Greek island of Lesbos back to Rome with him after a diplomatic visit.
“The Pontiff said that the Western attempt to ‘export’ democracy to Arab countries is partly to blame for the collapse of central control and rise in Islamic extremism in Middle Eastern states.”