“And what is Rome doing about all of this? Not very much. One almost gets the impression that religious persecution is too messy for today’s modern, ecumenical church. Consider how it has sanitized sainthood. Formerly, the path to sainthood was martyrdom—you became a saint by enduring agonizing trials and torments before being killed in horrific ways, all the while holding firm to your faith. Today you can live out your life in comfort, die a natural death, then heal an ailing person from beyond the grave, and be declared a saint. That’s much more civilized, but it obscures the harsh fact that Christians are still being hunted, tormented and killed in horrific ways, yet are heroically holding steadfast to the faith. Instead of being an inspiration, one feels that they are seen as a sort of embarrassing blemish on the pretty contemporary face of interfaith dialogue.”
Of course, the Vatican’s silence on all these atrocities committed against Christians is perfectly well understood. Since the Second Vatican Council the Vatican has been trying hard to befriend the Islamic world. This, of course, has led Vatican II popes and cardinals into series of lies and distortions of the words of God as recorded in the Bible. All Vatican II popes—that is, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis I—have taught that Islam is a sure way to heaven and that the Muslims worship the same God worshipped by Christians, a teaching simply quite the opposite of the teachings of the previous 260 Roman Catholic popes whose teachings are simply rooted in the Bible itself. Several conciliatory statements towards Islam were made since the Second Vatican Council. Here are two examples:
“But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place among whom are the Muslims: these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.” (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium 16, November 21, 1964).
“The Church has also a high regard for the Muslims. They worship God, who is one, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men. They strive to submit themselves without reserve to the hidden decrees of God, just as Abraham submitted himself to God’s plan, to whose faith Muslims eagerly link their own. Although not acknowledging him as God, they venerate Jesus as a prophet…” (Ibid. Nostra Aetate (3), October 28, 1965; see also John Paul II’s abominable Catechism of the Catholic Church, 841).
I need not make much comments on these statements, which are simply alien to the Holy Bible known to both Christians and Muslims. But it may suffice to quickly remind us of what we already know, namely that both Christians and Muslims have no doubt that their religions are not the same. For example Christians believe in the Blessed Trinity but the Muslims do not, because they know that the Quran makes it clear that this belief is false, as we read: (Sura4:17): “Say not: “Three (trinity)!” Cease! It is better for you. For Allah is (the only) One Ilah (God).”
The Vatican says that the Muslims, together with Catholics, “adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.” But the Bible makes it clear that Jesus Christ, a Trinitarian God, is the God who will judge all mankind on the last day. Do Muslims believe this? No, they do not. Again the Vatican says that the Muslims profess to hold the faith of Abraham. This is funny! Of course we find this in the Quran. But the claim to hold the faith of Abraham is similar to the claim made by some of the Jews—who claimed to be the children of Abraham but did not believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus corrected them, as we read in the Gospel according to St. John:
“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad. The Jews then said to Him: “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am’” (John 8:39; 56-58).
Then how do we reconcile Vatican II teaching that the Church has a high regard for the Muslims—who do not believe in Christ—and that “the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place among whom are the Muslims” with the Biblical teaching that “…whoever refuses to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son”? (John 3:18).
In his online article (posted on June 7 2014) entitled ‘The Vatican Makes itself the Seat of the Antichrist,’ Theodoe Shoebat writes:
“For the first time in history, Islamic prayers and readings from the Quran will be heard at the Vatican on Sunday, in a move by Pope Francis to usher in peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Francis issued the invitation to Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit last week to Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority.
“I do not write this to attack Catholics, but to warn them of the Antichrist spirit that has entered the Vatican. What is happening in the Vatican is actually a fulfilment of what Pope Leo XIII actually warned about, in 1846, that the Vatican will one day become the seat of Antichrist:
‘Rome will lose the faith and become the Seat of the Antichrist… the Church will be in eclipse.’(Our Lady of La Sallette). Pope Leo XIII also wrote: “In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter… they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety…”
For the sake of Islam, Vatican II popes have falsified the Bible, messed up Catholic doctrines, kissed the Quran, embraced the Muslims, and prayed with them facing Mecca. But have all these gestures really stopped the killings? No, they have not and will never! In fact, ISIS leader Abut Bakr Al-Husayni al-Qurashi al-Baghdadi, days after announcing the formation of an Islamic caliphate in Syria-Iraq, announced that Rome must be conquered. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed leader of the Islamic State stretching across Iraq and Syria, has vowed to lead the conquest of Rome as he called on Muslims to immigrate to his new land to fight under its banner around the globe. Baghdadi, who holds a PhD in Islamic studies, said to his brethren: “Rush O Muslims to your state. It is your state. Syria is not for Syrians and Iraq is not for Iraqis. The land is for the Muslims, all Muslims. This is my advice to you. If you hold to it you will conquer Rome and own the world, if Allah wills.”
Jesus said it is only the truth that makes men free (John 8: 32)
JONATHAN EKENE IFEANYI
