A Second Look at the Call to Dialogue with Muslims

A Second Look at the Call to Dialogue with Muslims

By Fr. Eliseo 'Jun' Mercado, OMI

Graduate School - Notre Dame University

With the accession to the Papacy of the first non-European, first from the ‘new world’ or the Americas, and first Jesuit in the person of Most Rev. Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, new and interesting era begins.  The very first choice of name (Pope Francis) tells, in a way, the direction by which the present pontificate would take.  The name Francis is after St. Francis of Assisi (founder of the Franciscan movement) and not St. Francis Xavier, SJ.

I am personally excited by the choice of name.  St. Francis of Assisi is not only known for his humility and reform within the ‘corrupt’ medieval church but also as an ICON of the interreligious relations, particularly with the Muslims.  

It was NO accident that when Pope John Paul II began the Church’s new look at the relationships between believers and communities in 1986, he chose Assisi as the locus of this new initiative.  He invited prominent religious leaders to Assisi to reflect and pray on the Message entrusted to them vis-à-vis the imperative of peacemaking.  Echoing the Beatitude: ‘blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called sons and daughters of God’ (Mt. 5:9), Pope John Paul II told all people of goodwill that ‘peace is NOT an option but a duty’ for all believers.

The better-known discourse about St. Francis in the relationship with the Muslims was the ‘Crusade of Peace’ as against the Crusade of the Official Church and the Christian Kingdoms of Europe.  St. Francis’ ‘crusade of peace’ was mainly composed of the poor not to vanquish the Muslims but to journey to the Holy Land as Pilgrims.  This journey was depicted in the famous panting by Giotto at the Basilica of St, Francis in Assisi.  The poor and unarmed Francis was recognized by the Sultan and welcomed him to the throne room in the now famous dialogue with the Sultan at Damietta.  While the rest of the world treated the Muslims as enemies, Francis called the Sultan as ‘BROTHER’. 

Beginning with Francis, the Franciscan Mission in the Holy Land and in the rest of Middle East has always been known as ‘Legatio Pacis’ or Legation of Peace.  This tells us of the original ‘intent’ of Francis to treat everyone as brother or a sister and each one should find a peaceful abode in any Franciscan mission. Every time Francis began his preaching, he invoked Peace… saying: “the Lord gives you peace.”  It is Peace and all good. 

One of the lessons I give for the Badaliyya Movement is about St. Francis as a Badal (Ransom or Substitute) in the path of interreligious relations.  St. Francis remains the Model of Christian Witness in the world of Islam. The offer of St. Francis before the Sultan at Damietta – the “Test of Fire” (Mubahalla) and his “crucifixion” (stigmata) at Mt. Al-Verna are, today, read in the spirit of Badal (Ransom).

Frs. Charles de Foucault and Louis Massignon traveled “mystically” the path of Badaliyya as inspired by St. Francis of Assisi.  St. Francis was a man of God.  And because he was a man of God, he always lived what was essential.  So he was a simple, courteous and gentle to everyone, like God in his mercy.

Today, Phenomenological Manifestations of St. Francis to our epoch consist of the following:

• Emptiness.  It is born of a feeling of impotence.  There is very little we can do to change our life, our community and society. Finally there is really nothing important…

• Loneliness. It is an experience of lack of contact with nature and others in terms of friendship and gentleness. There is the lack of courage to commit oneself.

• Fear.  It is the fruit of objective threats to life, to employment, to collective survival of humanity in general.

• Anxiety. It has its origin in imagined fear, ignorance as to what one ought to do, in whom to trust, and what to expect.  When anxiety grips an entire society it means that the whole society feels threatened and senses its approaching end.

• Aggressiveness without objectives.  It reveals a rupture with the norms of relationship without which a society cannot be built or defended.  What results is anonymity and the loss of the meaning of the self, that is, the worth and sacredness of human person.

From the above, Two consequences ensue… first is Emptiness and second is Loss. It is the loss of language of everyday communication, the loss of meaningful relationship and the lack of vital relationship with nature and habitat.

St. Francis stands for a new way of life with many and varied relationship to nature, to others, to religions and to God.  In St. Francis, it has always been through Pathos, Sympathy and Eros – fraternal communication and tenderness. 

The manifestations are:

• His Innocence
• His enthusiasm for nature
• His gentleness to all beings
• His capacity for compassion with the poor and “confraternization” with all elements and even death itself.

To Be Saint in the case of Francis, it is necessary to be human.  And to be human, it is necessary to be sensitive and gentle.

“Man knows as much as he does.” Francis’s gentleness was demonstrated, especially in his human relationship.  He broke the rigidity of the feudal hierarchy and called all persons as brothers and sisters.  He himself was called “little brother” (fratello). He wanted to unite great and small, to treat the wise and simple with brotherly affection, to bind with tie of love those who were held at a distance.  He treated everyone with outmost courtesy, even Saracens, Infidels and thieves.

I hope and pray, that the new Pope Francis would turn a new page not only in the ways the Church relates to the poor but also in the way she looks at people with peoples of living faiths outside of Christianity.  The name itself is refreshing to inject new blood and elan to Christian and Muslim relations, in particular. 

Post the famous Muslim letter also known as the Common Word, there are only two things that bind all peoples of God – the Love of God and the love of neighbor.  Pope Francis, both in word and deeds, invites all to take that second look at the call to dialogue and fellowship between and among peoples of living faith amid the World that is known as the “regio dissimilitudinis” and behind these dissimilarities are camouflaged injustices and violence.

The peace that we ought to proclaim in word and deed should always be present in our hearts.  Let no one be provoked by us to anger or scandal, but rather let all through humility and gentleness be led to peace, tranquility and fellowship.  “BE KINDER WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS.”