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Pope Francis Criticises Proselytization "You Are Not A 'Disciple Of Jesus' If You Try To Convert Non-Believers"
Swarajya Magazine ^ | December 25 2019 | Swarajya Staff

Posted on 12/28/2019 11:42:34 PM PST by Jyotishi

Complete title: Pope Francis Criticises Proselytization "You Are Not A 'Disciple Of Jesus' If You Try To Convert Non-Believers"

Pope Francis. Photo credits: Franco Origlia/Getty Images

Advocating a new outreach strategy https://www.dailywire.com/news/pope-francis-tells-students-how-not-to-convert-unbelievers for the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has said that speech should never be used in order to convince a non-believer of the truths of the Catholic Faith.

Francis made these remarks while addressing the students of Rome's Pilo Albertelli classical secondary school last Friday (Dec 20).

"Never, never bring the gospel by proselytizing," Francis said. "If someone says they are a disciple of Jesus and comes to you with proselytism, they are not a disciple of Jesus."

"In front of an unbeliever, the last thing I have to do is try to convince him. Never. The last thing I have to do is speak," Francis said. Instead, he stressed, "I have to live consistent with my faith. And it will be my testimony to awaken the curiosity of the other who says: 'But why do you do this?' And yes, I can speak then."

Francis made a reference to the crusades and conversion by the sword, calling it "shameful" and noting that Christians too across the globe are persecuted for their faith.

Recounting the forced conversion of Muslims, "This happened in history! . . . What happened here to me is shameful because it is a story of forced conversion, of disrespect for the dignity of the person."

"We are not in the times of the crusades," he said. ". . . 'Either the baptism or the sword.' This has happened in history! They also do it with us Christians in other parts, they are also doing it but what we did was shameful because it is a story of forced conversion, of not respecting the dignity of the person."

Speaking of own personal experience from his native country of Argentina, Francis said. "In Argentina there is a small group of closed-minded Catholics who do not want Jews, do not want Muslims, but this group . . . I have never liked it, is a group that is on the fringe, they have a cultural magazine but they do not have impact in society."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: argentina; catholic; christian; conversions; crusades; francis; islam; jesus; muslim; orthodoxcatholic; pope; proselytization; religion; romancatholic
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1 posted on 12/28/2019 11:42:34 PM PST by Jyotishi
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To: Jyotishi

Pope Francis has said that speech should never be used in order to convince a non-believer of the truths of the Catholic Faith...

Then the Catholic church is gonna need a lot of ####ing mimes in the coming years :)

I have a long fuse and defended this guy from slander for a long time.

Slander away.


2 posted on 12/28/2019 11:55:55 PM PST by dp0622 (Radicals, racists Don't point fingers at me I'm a small town white boy Just tryin' to make ends meet)
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To: Jyotishi

good grief...


3 posted on 12/28/2019 11:56:43 PM PST by trailboss800
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To: Jyotishi

So we’re changing a successful business model after 2000 years?


4 posted on 12/28/2019 11:56:47 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (BLACK LIVES MAGA)
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To: Jyotishi

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirt

Matthew 28:19


5 posted on 12/28/2019 11:58:16 PM PST by nonsporting (MAGA -- Make America Godly Again)
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To: Jyotishi
Speaking of own personal experience from his native country of Argentina, Francis said. "In Argentina there is a small group of closed-minded Catholics who do not want Jews, do not want Muslims, but this group . . . I have never liked it, is a group that is on the fringe, they have a cultural magazine but they do not have impact in society."

Gossip is a sin. A big one.

6 posted on 12/28/2019 11:59:17 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (BLACK LIVES MAGA)
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To: Jyotishi
The Vicar of Christ apparently knows better than Christ. Time to get a scissors and cut Mark 16:14-16 out of Scripture:

14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

7 posted on 12/29/2019 12:02:05 AM PST by Ahithophel (Communication is an art form susceptible to sudden technical failure)
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To: Jyotishi

You know the Catholic church is going through changes when the Pope increasingly sounds like a heretic. In fact, his heresies are now verging on apostasy.


8 posted on 12/29/2019 12:07:31 AM PST by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
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To: Jyotishi

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? John 11:25-26

(Jesus proselytizing)


9 posted on 12/29/2019 12:09:00 AM PST by nonsporting (MAGA -- Make America Godly Again)
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To: Jyotishi

I’m not a big fan of this pope, but I did a search and the only other records I can find of this talk at the high school do not say anything about proselytizing. I wonder if the statements related in this article are true representations of what he said. Can you find any other place which records these thoughts from that talk?


10 posted on 12/29/2019 12:34:35 AM PST by Rocky
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To: dp0622

You have never defended Francis from slander.
You have instead behaved irrationally towards those who told you N Obvious truth which you did not want to hear.


11 posted on 12/29/2019 1:10:37 AM PST by MrEdd (Caveat Emptor)
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To: Jyotishi

This guy Francis is a bit of a goof-ball.


12 posted on 12/29/2019 1:12:12 AM PST by Henry Cavendish
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To: Jyotishi

Anti-Pope. /spit


13 posted on 12/29/2019 1:13:19 AM PST by piytar (If it was not for double standards, the Democrats and the left would have NO standards.)
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To: MrEdd

So ####ing sue me.

WTF do you want me to do now?

Apologize?

You’ll be bones before that happens :)


14 posted on 12/29/2019 1:13:50 AM PST by dp0622 (Radicals, racists Don't point fingers at me I'm a small town white boy Just tryin' to make ends meet)
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To: nonsporting

Well you are just citing the Bible. The anti-Pope knows better than the Word of God. /sarcasm Or at least he apparently believes. The global warming scam and socialism are his gods. /no sarc

I am ashamed of my anti-Pope.


15 posted on 12/29/2019 1:17:06 AM PST by piytar (If it was not for double standards, the Democrats and the left would have NO standards.)
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To: Jyotishi; dp0622

There is no need for slander. By his words and actions this Pope is opposed to Catholic teaching.


16 posted on 12/29/2019 1:17:43 AM PST by Widget Jr
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To: Jyotishi

Who is this man ?


17 posted on 12/29/2019 1:18:58 AM PST by HollyB
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To: Rocky

Good idea. I’ll look for other sources.


18 posted on 12/29/2019 1:21:04 AM PST by Jyotishi (Seeking the truth, a fact at a time.)
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To: Rocky

The links come from the link below. Here is what he said in full:

“ Let’s go to your first. When I taught what a look and what words I had towards believing children or of other religions. But in Argentina there is a social phenomenon, which is the migratory phenomenon. After the two great wars there were waves of migration from Europe, also from Asia Minor and the Italians. He thinks that 40% of Argentines have an Italian surname, almost the other 40 Spanish. Then Poles, Russians, all ... even Arabs, whom we called “Turks” because they came with the passport of the great Ottoman Empire. There is a mixture of blood, a strong mixed race in Argentina — I am the son of a migrant, and this has made a culture of coexistence. I went to public school and we always had companions from other religions. We were educated to coexist: “There is a Jew, Russian, ah — come, come! I am a friend of Russian!” They said Russian because the majority of the Jews came from Odessa, some from Poland but the majority from Odessa. Then there were some Arabs, Lebanese, Syrians — “Ah, Turkish! Come, come!” This was Muslim, this was Jewish. But we all played football together, we were all friends.

This has taught me so much, that we are all the same, all children of God — and this purifies your gaze, it makes you human. In Argentina there is a small group of closed-minded Catholics who do not want Jews, do not want Muslims, but this group ... I have never liked it, is a group that is on the fringe, they have a cultural magazine but they do not have impact in society ... This is the secret: You must be consistent with your faith. It didn’t occur to me and it doesn’t have to be like saying to a boy or a girl: “You are Jewish, you are Muslim: come, be converted!” You be consistent with your faith and that consistency is what will make you mature. We are not in the times of the crusades. It is a bad thing but it made me suffer so much, a step of the “Chanson de Roland,” when the Christians, the crusaders had conquered the Muslims and then a line of all the Muslims was queued and the priest was in front of it and a soldier. The priest in front of the baptismal font and everyone came — read that passage — he asked: “Either the baptism or the sword.” This has happened in history! They also do it with us Christians in other parts, they are also doing it but what we did was shameful because it is a story of forced conversion, of not respecting the dignity of the person. This is why my experience was natural with people of other religions because my dad my dad’s job was an accountant and he had so many Jewish business clients and they came home, it was normal and I didn’t have this as a problem. But it must be normal. Nothing to leave them aside because they have another faith ...

The first is all. In front of an unbeliever the last thing I have to do is try to convince him. Never. The last thing I have to do is speak. I have to live consistent with my faith. And it will be my testimony to awaken the curiosity of the other who says: “But why do you do this?” And yes, I can speak then. But listen: Never, never bring the gospel by proselytizing. If someone says they are a disciple of Jesus and comes to you with proselytism, they are not a disciple of Jesus. Proselytism is not done, the church does not grow by proselytism. Pope Benedict had said it, it grows by attraction, by testimony. Football teams proselytize, this can be done. Political parties, can be done there. But with faith there is no proselytism. And if someone says to me: “But why?” Read, read, read the Gospel, this is my faith. But without pressure.

https://disrn.com/news/pope-says-christians-should-never-try-to-convert-unbelievers-anyone-who-proselytizes-is-not-a-disciple-of-jesus


19 posted on 12/29/2019 1:25:34 AM PST by HollyB
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To: Rocky

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/throughcatholiclenses/2019/12/francis-evangelize-by-example-not-pushing-your-faith-on-others/


20 posted on 12/29/2019 1:43:52 AM PST by HollyB
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