Pope Francis recently completed a 12-day tour of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. Except for East Timor, which is 96 percent Catholic, these South Asian countries have small Catholic populations. His tour is part of an ongoing effort to connect with Catholics, call for unity among religions, and promote world peace. The 87-year-old pontiff met over 40 appointments during the tour despite concerns for his health, including ongoing back and knee pain.
His tour included a visit to a town of 12,000 on the edge of the Papua New Guinean jungle. The Vatican also delivered humanitarian aid, medicines, and toys to the local population. The pope encouraged the people to eschew tribal warfare and seek peace, saying that this would help “drive out fear, superstition and magic from people’s hearts, [and] put an end to destructive behaviors such as violence, infidelity, exploitation, alcohol and drug abuse, evils which imprison and take away the happiness of so many of our brothers and sisters, even in this country.”
Pope Promotes Interfaith Dialogue
Pope Francis received a grand welcome in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation. He addressed the country’s leaders on the importance of religious liberty. His remarks highlighted the need for cultural and ideological diversity while still maintaining the nation’s unifying ideals. The pope also participated in an interfaith dialogue with the six officially recognized religions in Indonesia—Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
The pope joined Indonesia’s Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar in signing a joint declaration that pointed out “two serious crises” facing the world: dehumanization and climate change. The statement pointed out the dehumanizing effect of “widespread violence and conflict [which] frequently leads to an alarming number of victims” and the role of religion in causing division. The statement declared that religion should include “promoting and safeguarding the dignity of every human life.” The declaration also stated that “human exploitation of creation” had led to “various destructive consequences such as natural disasters, global warming and unpredictable weather patterns” and is an “obstacle to the harmonious coexistence of peoples.”
600,000 Attend Mass in East Timor
Over half the population of East Timor (also known as Timor-Leste) attended a mass conducted by Pope Francis in a seaside park where Pope John Paul II had once prayed for the country 35 years ago during its fight for independence from Indonesia.
“For us, the pope is a reflection of the Lord Jesus, as a shepherd who wants to see his sheep, so we come to him with all our hearts as our worship,” said Alfonso de Jesus, who attended the Mass.
The pope applauded East Timor, one of the world’s youngest countries, on its recovery from the devastation of war while pointing out the growing challenges from poverty, alcohol abuse, and martial arts gangs. He also generically referenced an abuse scandal involving Timorese Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, a hero in East Timor’s independence struggle and Nobel Prize winner, who the Vatican secretly sanctioned for sexually abusing young boys.
“Let us also not forget that these children and adolescents have their dignity violated,” Francis said. “In response, we are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people.”
Comments in Singapore Draw Criticism
The pope’s final stop was in the religiously diverse city of Singapore. While there, he met with about 600 young people of different faiths. He delivered his written speech and then added some impromptu remarks. “If you start to fight, ‘my religion is more important than yours, mine is true, and yours isn’t,’ where will that lead us?” he asked. “There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God].”
His comments drew the ire of some Catholics. Father Calvin Robinson, who leads a church in Michigan, rebuked the pope on X: “This is a counter-scriptural statement from Pope Francis. The Scriptures teach us the opposite. The gate to [H]eaven is narrow… in Christ’s own words: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
Bishop James Strickland also posted on X: “Please pray for Pope Francis to clearly state that Jesus Christ is the only Way. To deny this is to deny Him. If we deny Christ, He will deny us, and He cannot deny Himself.”
One Path? Or Many?
Of course, Robinson and Strickland are right. We should be concerned about the pope’s willingness to broaden the path to heaven to include all religious faiths.
Jesus is clear: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The apostle Peter added, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
All religions do not lead to heaven, even if it could be said that all religions contain elements of truth. The archdeceiver is the master of mixing in just enough truth to make error plausible or stirring in just enough error to poison the truth. Our only safety from the devil’s deceptions lies in carefully studying the Bible.
This does not mean that God will bar people from other religions from heaven. Jesus is equally clear on that: “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16). Our Savior will bring everyone who is willing to learn the truth and follow Him into a saving relationship with Himself.
The pope’s desire to care for the marginalized and bring healing to our hurting world is commendable. As followers of Christ, we should absolutely seek the peace and welfare of the countries in which we live. (See Jeremiah 29:7.) Whenever possible, we should find common ground with those we seek to help. But we cannot compromise on the clear teachings of the Bible.
Jesus is still the only way to heaven.
The Bible is still the trustworthy guide to every aspect of life.
Truth still matters.
To learn more about the Catholic church’s mixing of true and false religion, see our Bible study entitled “The Other Woman.”