It has been widely reported over the past two weeks or so that ISIS, allegedly, has threatened the life of Pope Francis. The Vatican has “dismissed” such threats, whatever that may mean.
In this context the pope’s visit to Albania was remarkable. You can read about it here.
Albania was one of the last countries in Europe to throw off its Communist rule. Prior to that it had been a closed society, cut-off from the rest of the world, run by a dictator, and to the world at large a mystery. Thus, in reading of the recent papal visit many in the West might have been surprised to learn that it is mainly a Muslim society, with large minorities of both Catholic and Orthodox Christians.
During his visit enormous crowds greeted him, which is not surprising. What is notable is that the majority of the crowds were Muslim. They greeted him, in part I suppose because he is a contemporary super-star, but many in interviews expressed their deep admiration for him as a man of authentic humanity and of peace. In his turn Pope Francis praised Albania as an exemplary nation of religious harmony and a model for all nations to take note of in the vexing context of today’s violence.
In particular, in what was taken as a reference to ISIS and probably Boku Haram, he slammed anybody who used “God as a ‘shield’ with which to justify ‘acts of violence and oppression’.”
The courage in this is stunning, of course, but so too is its message.
On the American radio program, “The Savage Nation” last Thursday host Michael Savage interviewed Lord Christopher Monckton, as a Christian, regarding his view that Islam should be ruled “illegal” due to its advocacy and espousal of homicide, which is a crime. Monckton advocated the use of red ink in the Quran to mark the many passages which, in his view, proclaim this advice. More than that, he went on to urge Islam to adopt the interpretative methods espoused in the Enlightenment and widely embraced by western religions in order to civilize and contemporize them. You can listen to the entire interview here.
Leaving aside the issue of courage, Pope Francis’ and Lord Monckton’s messages can be compared. (To be fair to Lord Monckton it should be pointed out that he acknowledged biblical passages that echoed the Quran’s sentiments and incidents from church history that seem to embody those ideals also.)
Both express disapproval of murderous violence as a religiously defensible act and both seem to have had a certain brand of Islam in mind.
Where they differ, however, is more enlightening. Lord Monckton was advocating the adoption by Islam of the educational and cultural norms which have led to the post-Enlightenment flourishing of, what we can loosely brand, Western Civilization. Pope Francis has made much of his disgust with and disapproval of many of those same norms and their current results in western culture. In this the Pope is in tune with much Muslim critique of that culture.
In short, Lord Monckton rejects Muslim method and substance whereas the pope could be understood to be taking issue with methods only, “using God as a shield,” for example.
One often hears complaints about the silence of the “moderate Muslim voice,” a complaint most clearly articulated in the USA perhaps, but it strikes me that since a dialogue demands two voices and two pairs of ears, as it were, the Christian voice needs sharper honing which in turn demands some further intellectual clarity. Are Christians Monckton Christians or Francis Christians?
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