Pope Francis and interreligious encounter

• Autor(a) principal: Phan, Peter C.
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Santos Neto, José Martins dos
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Horizonte - Revista de Estudos de Teologia e Ciências da Religião
• Texto Completo: http://periodicos.pucminas.br/index.php/horizonte/article/view/27760
• topic: Pope Francis; Interreligious encounter; Social friendship; Non-Christian religions as “ways of salvation”; Four metaphysical principles; Pope Francis; Interreligious dialogue; Papa Francisco; Encontro inter-religioso; Amizade social; Religiões não cristãs como “vias de salvação”; Quatro princípios metafísicos; Papa Francisco; Diálogo inter religioso

From its very beginning, Pope Francis’s Petrine ministry has been full of surprises and he has been a man of contradictions. He has given hope to many, Christians, other believers, and secular humanists, especially with his pastoral approach of mercy, but he has also met with fierce opposition, even among the upper echelon of the hierarchy, some of whom have publicly attacked his orthodoxy and called for his resignation.  In his teachings on evangelization, marriage and sexuality, ecology, and social friendship, Francis has opened new paths and challenged the church to make visible the merciful face of God to the world.On interreligious dialogue, the pope, as to be expected, has largely reiterated the teachings of Vatican II and so far has not issued an apostolic exhortation or encyclical on the subject. Consistent with his pastoral outlook he has emphasized the socio-political and cultural aspects of interreligious dialogue and has largely avoided still controverted doctrinal issues. On the other hand, his friendship with many non-Christian leaders and his several obiter dicta have enlarged the interreligious horizon and opened the door for further explorations in the theology of religion and the scope of the interreligious encounter. His explicit acknowledgment of non-Christian religions as “channels” of the Holy Spirit hints at their role as ways of salvation not only for their adherents but also in certain ways for Christians. Furthermore, the four principles of Francisian metaphysics suggest novel and effective ways of conducting interreligious dialogue.