To the editor:
Should esteem and respect for Islam now silence the Good News of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen? A number of Muslims have been offended by the Pope and their feelings have been hurt. Should Catholics, therefore, stop preaching, teaching, and baptizing?
Personally, I subscribe to the biblical notion that Catholics should urgently preach the Word of Salvation whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether the time is right or not. I still trust the Apostles’ message of the cross and resurrection, the message of God’s power to save.
It is not honest for some to suggest that Islam and Christianity are equally valid ways of salvation when Islam insists that God is not Father and has no Son. The similarities do not outweigh the differences when Islam insists that Jesus did not die on the cross and rise from the dead.
Yes, we must value what is good and true in Islam. We must respectfully listen to Muslims. Yet, we must never silence the Good News that saves those who believe. We must always proclaim Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior. We will not fear.
Dominick Anthony Zarcone, SFO
Sharon Drive
Rochester
