For Pope Francis it is crucial that the first to condemn jihadist terrorism are Muslim religious leaders. It is vital to clarify that fundamentalists manipulate Islam.
POPE FRANCIS
September 20, 2016
'Only peace is holy and not war.'
July 27, 2016
'All religions want peace. The others want war. It is understood?'.
It is a constant theme that he has repeated on his travels to Muslim countries like Turkey, Jordan and Palestine, or in meetings with the great imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb, one of the worldâ??s main Sunni leaders.
The second point is to clarify that the origin of this crisis is not religion, but instead arms trafficking. This was what Pope Francis said during the ceremony on Holy Thursday, a few days after the terrorist attack in Brussels.
POPE FRANCIS
Holy Thursday. March 24, 2016
'Behind that gesture are gun manufacturers who want blood and not peace.'
Peace is not profitable for the multinationals that sell armament, they have great power and to promote war is its specialty.
The last key to fighting fundamentalism lies in politics. During his address at the beginning of the year, before the more than 180 ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, he said that governments must do 3 things: promote religious freedom, fight poverty, and teach literacy. Poor and uneducated communities are the foundation of potential terrorists.
Fundamentalism has become one of the challenges of the 21st century and Pope Francis is following the line of his predecessors. It is a road that started from the Second Vatican Council, thanks to the document Nostra Aetate. This marked a new way of dialogue with Islam, focused much more on the points that unite Christians and Muslims.
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