Catholics all over the world have been rejoicing the nomination of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. Renowned for working extensively for uplifting the condition of the poor in Argentina, as well as for the protection of animal rights, Jorge Bergoglio has already won over the hearts of billions of people all over the world. He takes over leadership of the Catholic Church at a time when it is riddled with controversies. Undoubtedly, one of the most crucial things on his agenda will be to improve relations with Muslim parent bodies all over the world.
The primary set of Sunni Islam learning, Al Azhar has already expressed that it is seeking closer ties to Pope Francis. This desire for new relations comes after years of acrimony between Al Azhar and the Catholic Church, which reached a new high point during the Papacy of Benedict XVI. Imam of Al Azhar said that Al-Azhar is hoping for better relations with the Vatican after the election of the new pope. Pope Benedict XVI had angered Muslims all over the world when he had quoted a 14th century text written by one of the last Christian rulers of Constantinople, before it was conquered by Muslims. It read: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”
The Organization of Islamic Conference had immediately demanded an apology from Pope Benedict for quoting the controversial text that many Muslims found extremely offensive. No such apology was received, and Muslims all in all had cut ties with the retired Pope. Pope Francis, however, enjoys a charismatic reputation – one that is expected to improve relations between the Muslim and Catholic bodies. Various Muslim leaders have already congratulated and welcomed the nomination of Pope Francis as the spiritual leader of over 1.2 billion Catholics all over the world. His role as a humanitarian has already been highlighted by the media, and many Muslims believe this will be extended to Muslims, as well.
Many questions have been raised as to whether Pope Francis will challenge the increasing levels of persecution of Christians in some parts of the world. Despite the fact that there have been a number of incidents of Christians being targeted because of their faith in Muslim countries such as North Korea, Pakistan, Nigeria and Eritrea in recent years, the Catholic Church has been largely silent about its stance towards the issue. Since the adoption of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church in 1964, the Catholic Church has adopted a largely irenic approach towards Islam since it believes that the plan of salvation includes not only Catholics, but also Muslims because they believe in one God, Abraham, and the Day of Judgement. Pope Francis is well known in Argentina for his passion to help the most vulnerable in society, so it will be interesting to see whether he will extend his support towards persecuted Christian minorities in certain parts of the world.
Vatican analysts believe that Bergoglio’s decision to choose a revolutionary name such as Francis – the first Pope ever to do so – is a sign of inevitable change. St. Francis, much like Bergoglio, was renowned for taking care of the poor and underprivileged sections of society. Perhaps what is not well-known about St. Francis, however, is his role in making peace with the Muslims at the time of the fifth crusade. In 1209, he was working tirelessly to stop the Christian forces from battling with the Muslims, with little success. He decided to go to the Muslim leadership in order to work out a peaceful solution to the conflict. The Muslim Sultan welcomed him into his court, where St. Francis told him that both Muslims and Christians were bound by the Sermon on the Mount, which preached to love one’s enemies. Despite his revolutionary efforts to bring peace between the Muslims and the Christians, St. Francis was largely unsuccessful in stopping Christian forces – something he spent the remainder of his life trying to correct.
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