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Posted on 10/30/2026 6:19:06 PM PDT by ebb tide
Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the archbishop of Algiers, Algeria, responded to Bishop Robert Barron’s correction of his erroneous statement that the Catholic Church is “not there to convert” by doubling down and saying that Catholics and members of other monotheistic religions have “better things to do” than trying to convert one another.
In an October 30 social media post responding to Bishop Barron, Vesco highlighted the actions of recent popes, including John Paul II’s Assisi meetings, Pope Benedict XVI’s building closer ties with Muslims, Pope Francis’ Abu Dhabi declaration, and Pope Leo XIV’s prayers inside a mosque.
Citing these recent interfaith examples, Vesco declared that believers from the three monotheistic religions (Christians, Jews, Muslims) have “better things to do than try to convert one another” and should instead “respect one another.”
“(T)he Church that gives life to me is the Church of Saint John Paul II and the interreligious declaration of Assisi, whose 40th anniversary was celebrated in recent days and which Pope Leo had planned to attend; the Church of Pope Benedict, who, together with Cardinal Tauran, developed more ties with the Muslim world than any pope before him; the Church of Pope Francis, with the Abu Dhabi Declaration on Human Fraternity, signed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar on February 4, 2019; and the Church of Pope Leo, with his visit to Algeria and his silent prayer at the Great Mosque of Algiers, shoulder to shoulder with the rector,” Vesco wrote.
The French Algerian prelate, who has also repeatedly contradicted the Church’s teaching on same-sex “marriage” and gender ideology, continued:
Yes, I believe that the believers of the three monotheistic religions have better things to do than to seek to convert one another. Rather, they should accept that there is a measure of what they cannot know about the faith of the other, and respect one another in their respective faiths. Our world needs believers who are deeply rooted in their own faith and who recognize one another as brothers and sisters in our one sacred humanity.
In a viral X post on Thursday, Bishop Barron publicly corrected Vesco’s “puzzling take” that the Church should not convert non-Catholics, reminding the prelate that Our Lord Himself instructed the apostles to convert the world, that St. Paul and others traveled abroad to specifically convert them to Christ, not solely to “listen or to form a discussion group.”
In a recent interview with Belgian Catholic news site CathoBel, and reported by AdVaticanum, Vesco caused a global scandal by stating: “We are the Church of this people. Not a proselytizing Church, not a Church that is there to convert, but a Church that aspires to be one of the components of this people.”
He further asserted that “in monotheistic religions, proselytism is poison, because it implies considering the other person’s religion false.”
“Do we see ourselves as a besieged fortress? Or do we choose fraternity?” Vesco asked. “For me, it is the only worthwhile option.”
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No mention of the Church of Popes Urban II, Innocent III, Pius II, St. Pius V, and Pope Innocent XI, all of whom physically resisted the scourge of Islam.
Waiting for the lobos come rushing to the defense of this apostate.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ". Someone said that once.
Matthew 28:19–20, where Jesus commands His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” — the Great Commission.
—Catholic Online
This is not limited to the apostles; the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 905) teaches that lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, both by word and by the witness of their lives.
CCC 1816 explicitly states: “The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it”
Catholic-Link
Catholic-Link
. The Church affirms that witness to the faith is necessary for salvation
Catechism in CCC 1816 explicitly states: “The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it”
The Church affirms that witness to the faith is necessary for salvation
—Catholic-Link
I guess he’s never heard of The Great Commission from Christ Himself.
When do you Catholics quit following the Vatican white robed clown show and pick up the Bible and free yourself from the bondage of traditions and ceremonies?
Everything you post is like an episode of “Seinfeld at the Vatican”.
All that stuff is just so... so... "1st Century."
With that much dripping irony how do you manage the walk?
“Seinfeld at the Vatican”
LOL!
How could he? They hide that knowledge in a Book . . . somewhere.
I think the Law of Moses expired on the Cross. No more sacrifices. They hid that knowledge in a Book . . . somewhere.
I do not know if you are posting that to be a Troll, or because you lack the understanding that Jesus Lived and Died under the Old Covenant those are from. Same Covenant that ended probably .0001 MS after Jesus died.
Oh, I don't think that way, but the current Vatican clown car full o' cardinals appear to think that way. I was brought up in a Lutheran setting that eventually became part of the ELCA, so I recognize a denomination's progressive diminution of Christ's importance to the point of absurdity when I see it.
When people were saying that "the next pope will be better than Bergoglio," they weren't paying attention to the fine collection of cardinals that have been assembled to make the Whore of Babylon reality.
Ok…2 out of 10.
See, you’re not trying hard enough. Your trolling attempt just lacks feeling. Your same, tired old anti-Catholic bigotry is manifesting in flaccid bromides.
The Seinfeld zinger was cute. ChatGPT can come up with some good things every now and then. If it wasn’t for that, it’d be 0.
What comes through loud and clear is that something has clearly triggered you. Nine anti-Catholic comments since Oct 13, give or take. That’s not just weighing in on the issues of the day. Methinks the FReeper doth protest too much.
What’s not clear is your religious affiliation. You may be an atheist or agnostic. Or maybe you’re an individual contributor. I dunno….
What IS clear is that your heart is pretty heavy with something, and it’s causing a pre-Damascus St Paul-like reaction to Catholicism.
I am certain this post will get your hackles up. You’ll be inclined to ridicule, prolly retell stories of some bad things done, maybe make fun of a Pope or priest (or me), or some other attack. It’ll make you feel superior, maybe even make you happy. Maybe it’ll be better than 2 out of 10. I doubt it.
Your forthcoming response reminds me of this story: Mother Theresa was asking for donations for the poor in a subway system. A man spit in Mother Teresa’s face. She wiped it off and said: “That was for me. What will you give the poor?” He broke down weeping. She hugged him. He ended up founding many of her houses around the world.
So, I will head this all off at the pass, and just let you know I am sorry for what is causing your grief, and I’ll pray for you. Heaven hangs in the balance, and that’s way more important than politics or midterms.
Have a blessed evening.
“When do you Catholics quit following the Vatican white robed clown show and pick up the Bible and free yourself from the bondage of traditions and ceremonies?”
When we realize that the Vatican is spiritually VACANT.
That is when you quit, go straight to the Bible and listen to the Holy Spirit speak to you.
Same with the Lutheran church……left that too!
“I think the Law of Moses expired on the Cross. No more sacrifices.”
Exactly.
sorry to all for repeating what I tried to delete.
If you have Muslim friends, here's an interesting thing to do.
Be alone with one, in a friendly, relaxed situation. Disarm him or her with friendly banter.
Then this or similar:... "[their name], I know you are a Muslim, and I would never think of trying to convert you to anything else. But do you, as a Muslim, believe that other people should be free to believe in their religions too, whatever they may be, Catholic, Jew, Hindu, Presbyterian, Baptist, and so forth? Watch their eyes. Listen to their response.
The first Muslim I asked the question regarding other religions had been a friend for around six months. He was about as "moderate" and a friendly Muslim as you'll ever meet.
He was well educated, a Colonel in the Egyptian army, his wife a surgeon.
When I asked him the question, you should have seen the look of pure chilling hatred that came across his face. He looked me right in the eye. His response: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his messenger".
Then he went right back to normal.
Every non Muslim (infidel) needs to read a true translation of the Holy Quran or Koran. Then they might understand why this is happening and why it will never stop happening.
IMHO these are probably the most accurate translations, and they are FREE.
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