John Lamont gives an incisive title to his analysis of the Abu Dhabi declaration, “Francis and the Joint Declaration on Human Fraternity: A Public Repudiation of the Catholic Faith.” He argues that “taken in its normal meaning, the statement that the pluralism and diversity of religions is willed by God in his wisdom is directly contrary to the Catholic faith. “God Himself in His providence, though infinitely good and powerful, permits evil to exist in the world, partly that greater good may not be impeded, and partly that greater evil may not ensue.” 4 “Repudiation of the Catholic Faith”ĭr. In his encyclical Libertas Praestantissima, Pope Leo XIII explains clearly: The reason that God allows the existence of false religions and other evils is not because He wishes them. To give just two examples of incompatibility between the one true religion and the many false ones: God cannot approve monogamy and polygamy, divorce and the indissolubility of marriage simultaneously.īoth human reason and divine Revelation reject contradiction in God: “Thou shalt not have strange gods before me” (Ex. It would be absurd if God willed a Trinitarian religion like the Catholic and at the same time an anti-Trinitarian one like Islam, modern Judaism, or, for that matter, religions like Buddhism and Animism that do not even believe in a personal God. If that were so, He would be a contradictory being, and a contradictory being cannot be God, Who is eternal Wisdom, supreme truth, and goodness. God cannot want the existence of false religions because He cannot want both truth and error, good and evil. Given its gravity, we will focus on the following proposition that formally contradicts Catholic doctrine: “The pluralism and the diversity of religions…are willed by God in His wisdom.” Eternal and Natural Law: The Foundation of Morals and Law However, it also contains numerous doctrinal errors and inaccuracies. The declaration, titled A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, 2 contains the usual rhetorical statements devoid of practical application, typical of this type of document. Pope Francis co-signed the document with the imam of the Al-Azhar Muslim University, in Cairo, Egypt, on February 4. The Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis during his Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates (February 3-5, 2019) contains statements that are “directly contrary to the Catholic faith.” 1 This has serious theological and canonical implications. “The Pluralism and the Diversity of Religions … Are Willed by God” Theological and Canonical Implications of the Declaration Signed by Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi
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