(Crisis magazine. Fr. Mario Alexis Portela).
Showing charity toward Muslims is best manifested by the ardent desire to see them become fully children of God, which can only be arrived at by Baptism, something interreligious dialogue misses altogether.
Last month was the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. Formerly called the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, it created the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims with the end not to covert those who profess Islam to the teachings of Christ but “to promote mutual understanding, respect and collaboration between Catholics and the followers of others religious traditions; to encourage the study of religions, and to promote the formation of persons dedicated to dialogue.”