“SINGAPORE – In a line that may once again stir reaction in more traditional Catholic quarters, Pope Francis on Friday wrapped up a three-day visit to Singapore, a country with large pockets of at least five different faiths, that “all religions are a path to God.”
“They are like different languages to arrive at God, but God is God for all,” the pope said, who had set aside his prepared text and spoke largely off the cuff. “Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God.”
“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 aloud. “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].”
“For interreligious dialogue among young people, it takes courage because youth is the time of courage in our lives,” he said. “You can also have this courage and use it for things that don’t help you, or you can use it to move forward and engage in dialogue. One thing that helps a lot is to respect dialogue.”
“I want to tell you something historical: every dictatorship in history, the first thing they do is take away dialogue,” said Pope Francis.
“Young people must have the courage to build, go forward, and leave their comfort zones,” he said. “A young person who chooses to be comfortable in their lives gets fat. But the stomach doesn’t get fat; the mind does!”
“This is why I say take risks, go out!” he told the youth. “Don’t be afraid. Fear is a dictatorial attitude, and it paralyzes you.”
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