kissing the koran

[pacloc]

I just found out today on accident by searching for Faustina’s diary, an article from some bitter Catholics that viewed her and Pope John Paul II as apostates and one of the points was his kissing the koran. It appears that this is common knowledge now, but his reasons for doing so are not certain. So how do most of you view this? Was it a big deal? Personally, right now, I don’t think there is any excuse for such an insulting thing to Jesus, but I could be wrong.

 

[SaintPatrick333]

I saw it as a means of showing respect to our brothers and sisters in the muslim faith. I do not think it was an effort to legitimize the false religion of islam in any way. Anyone who is bitter by that is possibly bigoted in some way. Anyone who thinks Blessed Pope John Paul II was a bad guy because of kissing the koran, in light of his being a beacon of Jesus Christ in the world unlike any other Pope in recent history, shows their ignorance.

 

[exoflare]

So how do most of you view this?

Even popes can make mistakes.

 

[Auntie_A]

Read your catechism (841) and learn the special bond that Catholic Christians have with the Muslim people. Now don’t you think an educated Catholic like JPII knew the eternal importance of that image of him kissing the Koran? Catechism 843: “…Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as ‘a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life’.”

And remember that although JPII lived under the Nazis and Soviets who tried to suppress or alter Catholic worship–he did not give in to their nonsense; in fact, some think that it was the soviets who were responsible for hiring JPII’s assassin (who, as an aside, when visited in prison, told the Pope that he usually never misses…). I think of JPII as a visionary, groomed by God through a childhood of loss and strife and war, to see the world not only as it is, but also how it could be. And he never lost sight of that.

And you mentioned Sr. Faustina: isn’t this what Divine Mercy really means?

 

[pacloc]

That is how I view it right now too. So it is pretty clear from what I’ve read it was indeed a mistake. I can go for that, he was human. Maybe pushing his will to be lovable to all a bit too far there. I still think it was a bad idea, and can only imagine how many people have been stumbled by this one act, possibly causing some to lose faith in the Church, or keeping protestants away. To not want the pope to kiss the koran is not being a bigot or ignorant though brother. There are some things that we are called to stand up for as Christians if we are put in certain circumstances. We should try to avoid needless confrontation all the time to show our tact and love, but in certain situations, I think we are called to uphold truth and not dirty it with compromise. And I think that this was one of those timea where more damage was done for the Church than anything positive.

 

[Church_Militant]

I think you’d do better to see the following links from the Ask an Apologist forum before alleging “a mistake” to HH John Paul the Great. You might also take a look at the life of St, Francis of Assisi and see how he handled Islam.

• Must I believe that Muslims worship my God?
• Islamics - Hindus- Buddhists - saved without Christian Faith??
• If Allah is a name for God, what’s wrong with Catholics praying to him?
• John Paul II’s “Ecumenical Passion” A Clear-Eyed Look at Dominus Iesus by Msgr. John O. Barre

 

[pacloc]

That is how I view it right now too. So it is pretty clear from what I’ve read it was indeed a mistake. I can go for that, he was human. Maybe pushing his will to be lovable to all a bit too far there. I still think it was a bad idea, and can only imagine how many people have been stumbled by this one act, possibly causing some to lose faith in the Church, or keeping protestants away. To not want the pope to kiss the koran is not being a bigot or ignorant though brother. There are some things that we are called to stand up for as Christians if we are put in certain circumstances. We should try to avoid needless confrontation all the time to show our tact and love, but in certain situations, I think we are called to uphold truth and not dirty it with compromise. And I think that this was one of those timea where more damage was done for the Church than anything positive.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

The pope was trying to show respect for the moderate Muslims who invited him. The Vatican is constantly involved in delicate negotiations with Muslims over freedom of belief for Christians in Muslim countries. Those who would judge John Paul II over this have never done one percent as much as he did to evangelize.

 

[Michael_Francis]

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