Pope Francis: Harmonizing our Differences is the Way to Fraternity and Peace

On February 4, 2023, Pope Francis called on all people, regardless of religion, to promote a “culture of peace” that welcomes all while encouraging unity and solidarity. The Pope’s words were published by the Vatican to commemorate the International Day of Human Fraternity. In his statement, the Pope outlined his belief that the only way to achieve world peace is to harmonize our differences. Unfortunately, this is precisely what the ecumenical movement is all about. He also outlined other principles for religious fraternity. The Pope stated:

“In sharing sentiments of fraternity with each other, we are required to become promoters of a culture of peace that encourages dialogue, mutual understanding, solidarity, sustainable development and inclusion. We all bear in our heart the desire to live as brothers and sisters, in mutual assistance and harmony. The fact that this often does not occur – and, unfortunately, we have dramatic signs of this – should further stimulate the search for fraternity.” [1]

“Religions, in order to be at the service of fraternity, need to engage in dialogue with each other, to get to know each other, to enrich each other, and above all to develop that which unites and to collaborate for the good of all.” [1]

“Cultivating diversity and harmonizing differences is not a simple process, but it is the only way to guarantee a solid and lasting peace; it is a commitment that requires us to strengthen our capacity for dialogue with others.” [1]

“Men and women of different religious walk towards God along roads that increasingly intertwine. Every encounter can be an opportunity to oppose one another or, with God’s help, to encourage each other to go forward as brothers and sisters. Indeed, we share not only a common origin and descent, but also a common destiny, that of fragile and vulnerable creatures, as the historical period we are living shows us so clearly.” [1]

“We are aware that the path of fraternity is a long and difficult one. We counter the many conflicts, in the shadows of a closed world, with the sign of fraternity! It urges us to accept others and to respect their identity; it inspires us to work in the conviction that it is possible to live in harmony and in peace.” [1]

The Pope’s message contradicts the prophetic messages of the Three Angels’ Messages of Revelation 14:6–12. Rome’s message is diametrically opposed to what God is right now trying to accomplish in the world. We are supposed to be evangelizing and spreading the Three Angels’ message through outreach and missionary work. Through public evangelism, literature distribution, and other means, we should be calling people to embrace the everlasting gospel, receive the seal of the living God, observe the true Sabbath, come out of Babylon, and reject the mark of the beast. This is our mission, but Pope Francis would have us abandon it by simply accepting people for who they are, learning from them, finding common ground, and harmonizing our differences.

“God still has a people in Babylon; and before the visitation of his judgments, these faithful ones must be called out, that they partake not of her sins, and receive not of her plagues” (Great Controversy, p. 604).

“By these solemn warnings the people will be stirred. Thousands upon thousands will listen who have never heard words like these. In amazement they hear the testimony that Babylon is the church, fallen because of her errors and sins, because of her rejection of the truth sent to her from Heaven” (Great Controversy, p. 606).

“The honest children of God sever the bands which have held them. Family connections, church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth is more precious than all besides. Notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large number take their stand upon the Lord’s side” (Great Controversy, p. 612).

The proclamation of the Three Angels’ Messages is one of the fundamental principles of the Seventh-day Adventist movement. It is only by giving these messages that we can fulfill the biblical mandate to take the everlasting gospel to all the nations. You can’t tell people what the mark of the beast is until they know who the beast is. That is why, according to Pope Francis, true evangelism is proselytism, and he has publicly condemned attempts to convert someone from one religious belief to another.

The Three Angels’ Messages stand in the way of Pope Francis’ new universal fraternity, in which he combines all of the distinct faiths into a watered-down religious order. He is bringing all religious beliefs together, including paganism, in order to “enrich” us all by exposing us to different religious traditions. This is essentially changing and diluting the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we accept the Pope’s theories, our message loses its power by becoming less demanding. We soon forget the call for all people to reject the worship of the beast and its image in favor of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Regardless of what anyone says, God has defined the central mission for His people today. This mission will be seen both in the life of the church and in its relationship with society in the wider world. We must be actively involved in promoting God’s message of truth and unity, which means separating from the Pope’s universal fraternity:

“The world knows very little of the truths that we believe, and in clear, straight lines the message for this time must be given to all the world. The message comes to me, ‘Wake up the watchmen.’ Let every one now come into working order … We have a testing message to give, and I am instructed to say to our people, Unify, unify. But we are not to unify with those who are departing from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. With our hearts sweet and kind and true, we are to go forth to proclaim the message, giving no heed to those who lead away from the truth” (Review and Herald, April 19, 1906).

Sources

[1] https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/02/04/230204d.html