Christians have a mission to convert all Muslims, says Vatican official

[Genesis315]

This is confusing. Cardinal Koch says Christians shouldn’t try to convert Jews and a Vatican document that came out last year said, “the Catholic Church neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews”.

bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35061357

The document in question specifically says it had no teaching or doctrinal authority and it was being proposed as a starting point for dialogue and discussion. Evangelii Gaudium comes the from the Church’s supreme authority. That being said, the other document does mention that the Gospel should be preached to the Jews like everyone else, even though the Church may not engage in a formal missionary program to them. There is the idea found in Scripture that a hardness or veil has come upon the hearts of the Jews preventing them from recognizing their Savior until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. Some have been of the opinion that because of this, our focus should be on converting the Gentiles first. St. Bernard, for example, advised Pope Bl. Eugene III this way in De Consideratione (basically a handbook on being a good Pope, which many Popes have consulted).
St. Bernard:

It is important, therefore, for you to do what you can so that unbelievers may be converted to the faith, that converts may not turn away, that those who have turned away may return; moreover, that the perverse may be directed toward righteousness, the corrupted called back to the truth, and the corruptors refuted by invincible arguments so that they either correct their error, if that be possible, or, if it is not, that they lose their authority and the means of corrupting others. And you must not completely neglect the worst kind of fools; by this I mean heretics and schismatics, for these are the corrupted and the corruptors. Like dogs they tear apart; like foxes they deceive. You should make the greatest effort either to correct such men lest they perish, or restrain them lest they destroy others. Granted, time excuses you from dealing with the Jews: they have their boundary which cannot be passed. The full number of the Gentiles must come in first.

That being said, as St. Thomas notes in his commentary on Romans, this blindness is not universal, as there are converts in every age. Of course, all agree this blindness is not permanent or irreparable. God promises otherwise.

That is why we are not to exclude anyone, including the Jews, from the joy of the Gospel. God “does not repent of the gifts He makes or of the calls He issues” and He called the Jews first to be incorporated into Christ and His Body, the Church, and receive the gift of salvation. He does not revoke this call to them because many rejected it, but still makes it through His Church, even if they do not recognize it yet.

 

[Robert_Sock]

From out of the blue, perhaps stereotypical of Muslim violence in the middle East, we must convert Islam? What about the Atheistic? The Jews? All the world’s other religion?

 

[gilliam]

From out of the blue, perhaps stereotypical of Muslim violence in the middle East, we must convert Islam? What about the Atheistic? The Jews? All the world’s other religion?

From the article in the original post, “We have a mission to convert all non-Christian religions’ people [except] Judaism,” he said, before reportedly adding that this extended to jihadis responsible for persecuting Christians in the Middle East.

 

[Tony_Micelli]

Technically, Judaism isn’t a different religion than catholicism. Christianity initially stayed in the synagouges/temple until they were driven out. Sunday was always when the eucharist was celebrated though. It was called “The Way” which was within Judaism.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

Technically, Judaism isn’t a different religion than catholicism. Christianity initially stayed in the synagouges/temple until they were driven out. Sunday was always when the eucharist was celebrated though. It was called “The Way” which was within Judaism.

I think present day Jews might disagree with your first statement. And I think that the Gentiles who began to believe in Christ might disagree also. Of course Jesus was a Jew and in those early years, those who followed ‘The Way’ were also mostly Jewish. But Gentiles joined the followers and there were great struggles to determine what was Jewish and what was Christian. The separation grew.

Our roots are one, but we are not the same.

 

[otjm]

It was a bit startling to read the heading above and then see recent pictures of the Pope embracing and kissing Sheik Ahmed Muhammad Al-Tayyib, the premiere Imam from Cairo.

I did not see the statements each of them made, but I am certain it had to do with dialogue and coming together in honor and respect for each other and each other’s faith.

My guess is that it probably didn’t include the Catholics trying to covert the Muslims. Or even the other way around. The Pope is very intent on establishing Interfaith relationships; it is one of the things he is most respected for. I have never read a word about his using these relationships for conversion purposes.

Perhaps you are conflating conversion with proselytizing? One can be working to convert without working to proselytize.

 

[otjm]

Back to the topic, which seems to be Islam: it is an executable offense for a Muslim to convert.

Good luck with those Muslims who are steeped in their faith, particularly those who are of the more conservative end of the spectrum. They won’t even entertain looking anywhere else.

 

[twf]

Back to the topic, which seems to be Islam: it is an executable offense for a Muslim to convert.

Good luck with those Muslims who are steeped in their faith, particularly those who are of the more conservative end of the spectrum. They won’t even entertain looking anywhere else.

True. And the secular authorities in many countries legally enforce the precept that a Muslim may not leave his faith. Look at Saudi Arabia, our (the West) “beloved ally”. It is absolutely impossible to be a citizen of Saudi and not a Muslim. Any converts we gained would have to worship in secret, always at risk.