The Pope, Catholicism, and a Holy War

By now everybody has heard of Pope Benedict’s comments about Islam and violence. Whether the statements were true or not, and whether or not he believed them, he really should have known better. However, Catholics were taught to live and breathe the infallibility of the Pope, whoever that person may be at any given time. If the Pope is the same as God on Earth, and, according to Catholic doctrine, can do no wrong, then what does this incident tell Catholics about the Pope and Catholic catechism in general? With the Pope’s deep regret and suedo-apology regarding the comments, is this telling Catholics that the Popes are not perfect as they were told to believe?

The Catholic Church already has suffered a huge PR problem in the past with priest pedophiles and homosexual activity, now they are riding on a slippery slope in the aftermath of Pope Benedict XVI’s case of foot-in-mouth. They now fear that this could be the start of a holy war between Christians and Muslims. Churches were burned and vandalized in the Middle East, and a missionary nun in Somalia was shot to death. In many Muslim-dominated countries, they see the Pope’s comments as an invitation to relive the Crusades.

Some strict interpreters of the Catholic faith believe that this is just one in ongoing events that will lead to a real holy war. One Catholic publication, Caritas of Birmingham, also addressed the holy war issue where it almost is treated in a positive view, which seems abhorent. One reason why Catholics, or the Catholic community in general, seem to be so indifferent about the holy war contention is because they are taught that Catholicism is the true religion, and all others, even other non-Catholic Christian denominations, are inferior. Prior to Vatican II, it was commonly taught that all non-Catholics were going to Hell. Even today, in some Catholic publications, including the popular Tan Books, still uphold these archaic beliefs. For example, Tan sells a variety of Catholic oriented books, including religious histories on Protestant Reformers such as John Wesley and Martin Luther. In the summary of the reformers, Tan Books labels them as heretics. They also sell a book on Mary Magdalene and uphold her status as prostitute and sinner.

It would be absurd to say that all Catholics are good, just like it would be to say that all Muslims are bad. Many of those who were brought up in Parochial Catholic schools also remember that the people of other faiths were also not Heaven-bound. Tolerance is not one of the selling points of Catholicism.

It was Jesus who said, “In my father’s house there are many mansions”(John 14:2). The optimist’s interpretation of this quote would be that even though you might view religious practices slightly different than ours, we still welcome you to Paradise. It is time for all the peoples and religions of the world to be more tolerant of one another, stop the fighting, and open the dialogue. Catholics and Muslims should be the first ones to start.