Vatican hails Berlin interfaith shrine containing synagogue, church and mosque

BY ROBERT SPENCER

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/05/vatican-hails-berlin-interfaith-shrine-containing-synagogue-church-and-mosque;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

The non-Muslims involved in this project have no idea of how they’re being played, and would accuse anyone who tried to explain it to them of “Islamophobia.”

Here is the full statement I sent to Church Militant:

This is a deceptive project that will not lead to any good outcome. It is a manifestation of this Qur’an verse: “And do not argue with the People of the Book except in a way that is best, except for those who commit injustice among them, and say, ‘We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you. And our God and your God is one; and we are Muslims to Him.” (Qur’an 29:46)

This may appear to be a generous statement of interfaith understanding, but it is actually an example of Islamic proselytizing. Muslim Brotherhood theorist Sayyid Qutb explained what is behind it: “The chasm between Islam and Jahiliyyah [the society of unbelievers] is great, and a bridge is not to be built across it so that the people on the two sides may mix with each other, but only so that the people of Jahiliyyah may come over to Islam.” Dialogue, in other words, is a means of dawah, Islamic proselytizing, not a genuine discussion or exchange. The proclamation that we all believe in the same God is a prelude to the appeal to accept Muhammad as a prophet and the Qur’an as a holy book.

Meanwhile, in this building, presumably the Gospel will be proclaimed, as well as the Qur’an. In the Qur’an, the Virgin Mary gives birth to Jesus, but it is stated that he is not the Son of God (19:35), not divine (5:17), and was not crucified (4:157), and thus could not be and is not the savior and redeemer of the world. This will be a decidedly mixed message. If past experience of “interfaith dialogue” is any guide, it will be resolved by the Christians toning down proclamation of the distinctive aspects of their faith so as to avoid offending the Muslims. This will make their proclamation closer to Islam in its character, as all will be left will be a declaration of monotheism and little else, and this will be viewed by the Muslim party as a victory of their proselytizing and sign of the submission of the Christians required in Qur’an 9:29.

Nothing will be said of Muslim persecution of Christians. Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester, Massachusetts even said explicitly a few years ago that he didn’t want to have a public discussion of Muslim persecution of Christians for fear that it would harm Muslim-Christian dialogue. That epitomizes the futility and self-defeating nature of this dialogue. It won’t save a single Christian from persecution or a single church from being destroyed. This interfaith “temple” will make the Jews and Christians feel good about their openness and generosity, and the Muslims think they’re making progress in proselytizing. It will fuel all the worst impulses in Islam for supremacism and the superseding of Judaism and Christianity.

“Berlin Builds Rome-Backed Interfaith Shrine,” by Jules Gomes, ChurchMilitant.com, May 27, 2021:

BERLIN (ChurchMilitant.com) – In a historic first Thursday, a coalition of Jews, Christians and Muslims laid the foundation stone of a 47-million-euro interfaith shrine on the ruins of the 12th century St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Berlin.

Hailed by the Vatican as a “house of prayer bringing the three world religions together under one roof,” but slammed by faithful Catholics as “gnostic” and “syncretistic,” the House of One anticipates Pope Francis’ own pet project of an Abrahamic House.

The federal and state governments are pouring 30 million euro of taxpayer cash into the edifice, besides financing several staff positions including a social media team. Private donors are supplementing the remaining costs.

However, none of the revenue from Germany’s church tax will go into building the House of One, the organizers clarified.

The Berlin archdiocese is involved in the project. “The archbishop of Berlin is not a sponsor but is linked to the project. Archbishop Heiner Koch is a member of the foundation’s board of trustees,” the Catholic Saint Hedwig Centre announced.

Singing Praise

“We consider ourselves very lucky to have our Catholic brothers and sisters from Berlin archdiocese and Archbishop Heiner Koch on our side,” House of One organizers tweeted during the inauguration.

L’Osservatore Romano, the pope’s official newspaper, praised the project as an “innovative project that creates a common space for the three great, monotheistic religions.”

Former German president (2010–2012) Christian Wulff urged critics of the House of One to read Pope Francis’ recent encyclical Fratelli Tutti.

“I think it is very helpful for the concept of the ‘House of One’ — especially the pope’s advice that God loves all people regardless of their religious affiliation,” Wulff said.

Archbishop Koch, known for his support of homosexual relationships, told Catholic critics the interfaith project would “enable a dialogue process that does not exclude the intellectually critical” and would also include nonreligious people.

Reality: Islamic Proselytizing

In comments to Church Militant, renowned Islamic historian Robert Spencer warned that the “deceptive project is actually an example of Islamic proselytizing,” and “will not lead to any good outcome.”

Spencer cited Muslim Brotherhood theorist Sayyid Qutb as saying: “The chasm between Islam and jahiliyyah [society of unbelievers] is great, and a bridge is not to be built across it so that the people on the two sides may mix with each other, but only so that the people of jahiliyyah may come over to Islam.”

“Dialogue, in other words, is a means of dawah, Islamic proselytizing, not a genuine discussion or exchange. The proclamation that we all believe in the same God is a prelude to the appeal to accept Muhammad as a prophet and the Qur’an as a holy book,” Spencer warned.

Spencer, author of over 21 books on Islam and the Middle East, elaborated:

If experience of “interfaith dialogue” is any guide, it will be resolved by the Christians toning down proclamation of the distinctive aspects of their faith to avoid offending the Muslims. This will make their proclamation closer to Islam, as all will be left will be a declaration of monotheism and little else, and this will be viewed by the Muslims as a victory of their proselytizing and sign of the submission of the Christians required in Qur’an 9:29.

Nothing will be said of Muslim persecution of Christians. It won’t save a single Christian from persecution or a single church from being destroyed. This interfaith “temple” will make the Jews and Christians feel good about their openness and generosity, and the Muslims think they’re making progress in proselytizing. It will fuel all the worst impulses in Islam for supremacism and the superseding of Judaism and Christianity.

A wooden model of the piazza has already been erected on the site and “multifaith meditations” are already being held in this provisional edifice as a marketing tool for donations.

The shrine is being built on the Petriplatz in Berlin’s oldest district of Cölln on the Spree Island on the site of the bombed-out St. Peter’s Church, which was torn down in 1964 after it suffered severe damage during World War II.

The ancient Catholic Church is mentioned in a document dating back to 1285 and was converted into a Protestant church after the Reformation….