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In an interview on Tuesday with the French magazine La Croix, Francis minimized the difference between Islam and Christianity, arguing that the religions share a concept of subjugation.Today, I don't think that there is a fear of Islam as such but of ISIS and its war of conquest, which is partly drawn from Islam. It is true that the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam. However, it is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew's Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest.

Pontiff's show of solidarity during visit to Mexico Pope Francis, who has spent the past several months pressing nations, including America, to embrace those fleeing the unrest in the Middle East, Africa and Asia with open arms - and open borders - is now taking that stance to a new political level and planning a solidarity stand with migrants along the U.S.-Mexico boundary. Market Watch reported Francis is due to arrive in Mexico on Friday for a six-day visit. And as part of that visit, he is planning to stand on the U.S. border, in Ciudad Juarez, and deliver a...

Some interesting tidbits from Pope Francis' statement on migrants and refugees. Via Andrew Stuttaford at the National Review. "Migration movements are now a structural reality, and our primary issue must be to deal with the present emergency phase by providing programmes which address the causes of migration and the changes it entails, including its effect on the makeup of societies and peoples." "At this moment in human history, marked by great movements of migration, identity is not a secondary issue. Those who migrate are forced to change some of their most distinctive characteristics and, whether they like or not, even...

Pope Francis says God opens heaven's doors to non-believers who "obey their conscience," shattering a widely-held assumption about Christian beliefs and reinforcing his image as the most progressive pontiff in history. "You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don't believe and who don't seek the faith," Francis wrote Friday in an open letter published in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Francis was responding to questions from the paper's 91-year-old founder Eugenio Scalfari, reports Britain's The Independent.

The Vatican’s Secretary of State made a dramatic revelation ahead of Pope Francis’s visit to Israel next Sunday and Monday, declaring that the pope will talk about the “Palestinian people’s right to have a homeland, sovereign and independent.” Cardinal Pietro Parolin holds a role in the Vatican City State, located in the Italian capital of Rome, equivalent to that of a prime minister. … When asked what the pope particularly intends to talk about during the visit, Parolin revealed he would talk about “on the one hand, Israel’s right to exist in peace and security within internationally recognized boundaries.” On...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: So we have Il Papa hosting the president. Still not convinced that the president thought he was going on vacation. When they rolled up to the Vatican he said to the Secret Service (impersonation), "Where are we?" They said: "We're at the Vatican, sir." "Oh, I thought it said 'vacation.' Oh. All right. Well, let's go in." And there are two versions of what happened in the meeting between Il Papa and Obama. Of course now we're forced to have to make a choice as to who we believe. Obama says that he and the pope talked...

(Reuters) - Pope Francis has played down the notion that he is a "superman" who will bring sweeping reforms to the Roman Catholic Church, stressing that its ban on contraception and opposition to gay marriage will remain in place.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI said Monday that pharmacists have a right to use conscientious objection to avoid dispensing emergency contraception or euthanasia drugs — and told them they should also inform patients of the ethical implications of using such drugs.Benedict told a gathering of Catholic pharmacists that conscientious objection was a right that must be recognized by the pharmaceutical profession."Pharmacists must seek to raise people's awareness so that all human beings are protected from conception to natural death, and so that medicines truly play a therapeutic role," Benedict said.Benedict said conscientious objector status would "enable them not...

John Paul II was beloved by Protestants, too, because he was the world's greatest defender of orthodox, Bible-based Christianity.EVANGELICAL PROTESTANTS loved Pope John Paul II. Many felt more in harmony with him than with the leaders of their own denomination. I attend an Episcopal church and I certainly preferred the Pope. He was the world's greatest defender of orthodox, Bible-based Christianity. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and possibly a majority of its bishops are among the great diluters of classical Christianity.The truth is evangelicals could admire the Pope without wanting to convert to Catholicism. Sure, important differences remained...