When I read this, it boggled my mind. When Pope JP II kissed the Quran, to me it revealed a frail old man being manipulated by powers unseen within the Vatican.
The Muslim god Allah is a moon god worshipped by the various tribes in the Middle East. Mohammed simply consolidated the various beliefs, and converted by the sword. Allah is not YHWH.
This in my mind, fits in with the Latin Rite church overriding truths for the sake of a one world church. This begs the question about the Eastern Orthodox Rites that still remain under the umbrella of Rome? One group of Ukrainian Catholics have already broken away from Rome, and have but one single Bishop. Generally speaking, the Eastern Orthodox Rites have been given a lot of latitude to preserve their culture. The whole point of Orthodox Rites consenting to stay under the "Umbrella of Rome" was based on allowing the Easter Rites to preserve everything that made them Orthodox.
However, the Latin Rite continues to chip away the Orthodox, in the name of reuniting East and West. While many Popes have tried to reunite East and West, it has always been based upon East bowing to West. It has never been the meeting of equals.
Here is the ultimate irony. Back in the 80's or early 90's, when JP II visited the Bishop of Kiev, the second largest group of Ukrainian Catholics, the Pope celebrated The Divine Liturgy (not to be confused with the Latin Sacrifice of The Mass). He celebrated the liturgy exactly as it is celebrated here in Regina. The irony is this - and I may be wrong - a Latin Rite priest can celebrate the Divine Liturgy, but an Eastern Orthodox Catholic priest is not allowed to celebrate "The Mass" on his own. An Orthodox Catholic priest can be on the alter and participate, but he cannot consecrate the offering.
If you step back and look at the bigger picture, this is the evil doctrine of divide and conquer. The Orthodox Churches will not accept this. The same goes for the other Orthodox Rites under Rome. They will at some point break away. I wonder if all that will remain Roman Catholic will be the Latin Rite?
Answering my own question, I do see a day when The Latin Rite will ultimately be the one and only "Roman Catholic Church".
Christians and Jews live with a double standard. If a police officer, nurse, or other quasi-government employee wears a small Star of David on their lapel, or in some other visible manner, they will likely be reprimanded. A Muslim however is not only free to openly display any of a number of things that represent their faith. This is all done in the spirit of "religious tolerance". Christians and Jews, do not benefit from this tolerance.
While seeing universal religious tolerance is a nice dream, it will never happen. Islam will never bend. Bring a bible in to a Islamic country, and it will be burned, and the person bringing it punished. Bring the Quran in to Canada, and not only will the person be welcomed, but will also find an ever growing tolerance for Sharia Law.
While Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians can respect their differences, that is fine, but our differences are also a strength. If we were all the same, and agreed on everything, how would we grow in faith and wisdom? If we all agreed completely and there was some sort of doctrinal error, we would all be lost. Differences in our faiths are not a stumbling block, but rather something of value. I just can't see how true faith can exist without the room, and need, to be of daily thought and consideration. That is what prayer is. We have all been taught that our prayers should be "ever ceasing".
With everything in the paragraph above, remove the word "Catholic"; if this is the new Pope's intent to show toleration to those that despise us Maybe someone more knowledgable than me can find a scriptural quote to support this? Islam is not filled with love and tolerance: it is a faith of violence and hate. How can their be toleration or harmony with a faith that clearly states its goal of world domination, killing Jews and Christians, and believes that killing people is G-d's will?
A Muslim will not kneel and pray with a Christian, unless the Christian bows down to Allah in the prayer. The next time a Jehovah's Witness or Mormon knocks on your door, as them in to pray before discussing anything. The minute you say "let's pray", the will be bidding you a quick good-by, and making a hasty exit.
I fear judging for the fear of being judged. Christ taught love above all things, but he too observed and commented on the hypocracy he saw. I feel I am on a fine line here, but I am just stating what I am seeing.
Robert