How Would Pope John Paul II Respond to the Islamic Center near Ground Zero?

Published on September 12, 2010 in Uncategorized. 3 Comments

Many commentators have considered this question, especially given the Pope’s decision regarding the convent at Auschwitz. As a non-Catholic, I am reluctant to take a position on this question but I recommend this intriguing column by the author of “The Saint and the Sultan: The Crusades, Islam and Francis of Assisi’s Mission of Peace.”

3 Responses to “How Would Pope John Paul II Respond to the Islamic Center near Ground Zero?”

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George Conk
September 12, 2010 at 3:29 pm

I agree with Paul Moses. As I walked last night along the Hudson with my wife and friends to see the memorial lights I thought with sadness of the angry anti-mosque protesters earlier in the day. Nine years after the oceanic moat was leapt by extremist fighters Americans have difficulty separating Muslims from Muslim extremists.

Of course that is a weakness of tribal thinking of all kinds. In fact it’s definitional – to blame the race, religion, tribe, nation for the acts of members whose actions we deplore. But if we are to ever get past the sentimental myth of America as Christian nation, or in a more self-conscious form America as Judeo-Christian nation somebody is going to have to talk to Muslims and identify the common ground.

Because it is a place of worship a mosque is a perfect place for such discussions. That is why Pope Benedict last year was able to say when he visited Jordan:

“Places of worship, like this splendid Al-Hussein Bin Talal mosque named after the revered late King, stand out like jewels across the earth’s surface. From the ancient to the modern, the magnificent to the humble, they all point to the divine, to the Transcendent One, to the Almighty. And through the centuries these sanctuaries have drawn men and women into their sacred space to pause, to pray, to acknowledge the presence of the Almighty, and to recognize that we are all his creatures.”

- GWC
David Opderbeck
September 13, 2010 at 7:04 am

Great column. I love this description of what St. Francis did:

Having failed to dissuade the Crusaders from going to battle, Francis crossed enemy lines at great risk and met with the sultan in his camp on the bank of the Nile. Francis did not succeed in converting the sultan, as he had hoped, but came away impressed by his enemy’s courtesy and civility — so much so that when he went home, he re-wrote his order’s rule to urge that his friars simply live in peace among Muslims and “be subject” to them, a revolutionary idea.
J
September 20, 2010 at 2:00 pm

I am a Catholic and was in New York City on September 11th among my very good Muslim friends. To see how people responded to the religion and its followers in the aftermath was very hurtful. However, I never questioned my friends’ beliefs or devotion to their faith.

I believe that Pope John Paul II would have supported the mosque and the notion of building bridges among diverse people. While I understand some individuals’ frustration with the location, one should remember the message of peace in which our nation believes. Catholics in particular should note that in 2001 Pope John Paul II entered and prayed in a mosque in Syria, and kissed the Qur’an.

The Auschwitz convent seems to be a separate matter. To my knowledge nothing has been built on those grounds. On Ground Zero, they are building the Freedom Towers. So while I do view the land as sacred and a memorial, construction has already commenced there. Furthermore, there was already a structure where the mosque is being built.

I also agree with Mr. Conk’s comment regarding the difference between Muslims and Muslim extremists. Too often people’s arguments on this topic turn to discrimination (even when they claim it is not the basis for their position).