Pope to Afghan delegation: ‘No one can invoke God’s name to foment hate’

By Lisa Zengarini

“No one may invoke the name of God to foment contempt, hatred and violence towards others.”

Pope Francis strongly reaffirmed this position on Wednesday during his meeting at the Vatican with members of the Association of the Afghan Community of Italy.

The association is a network of Afghan men and women living in Italy committed to supporting the integration of Afghan refugees into Italian society and promoting dialogue and respect for the human rights of all ethnic communities.

The “tragic” situation in Afghanistan

In his address, the Pope recalled the tragic events that Afghanistan has endured in recent decades, marked by instability, war, internal divisions and the systematic violation of fundamental human rights that have forced many people into exile.

He denounced the fact that the ethnic diversity that characterises Afghan society is “sometimes used as a reason for discrimination and exclusion, or even outright persecution”.

The Pope also spoke of the critical situation on the borders with Pakistan, where many Afghans have found refuge, and where the Pashtun group – a minority in Pakistan, but the majority ethnic group in Afghanistan – also suffers abuse and discrimination.

Religion should help to bridge the differences

In this difficult context, the Pope stressed, religion must contribute to softening contrasts and creating a space where everyone can enjoy all the rights of citizenship without discrimination. On the contrary, it is “manipulated” and used as an instrument of hatred to fuel confrontations that lead to violence.

Pope Francis therefore encouraged the members of the Afghan network to continue their “noble effort to promote religious harmony”, striving “to overcome misunderstandings between different religions in order to build paths of trusting dialogue and peace”.

Promote human brotherhood, not hatred and violence

In this regard, Pope Francis recalled the Document on human fraternity for world peace and living together He signed in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019 with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar a historic document stipulating that “religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism, nor violence or bloodshed”, which are, according to him, “the consequence of a deviation from religious teachings” and “the result of political manipulation of religions”.

The Pope recalled that their appeal also applies to ethnic, linguistic and cultural differences that can coexist peacefully by adopting “a culture of dialogue as a path; mutual cooperation as a code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as a method and norm.”

He expressed his “fervent hope” that “these norms will become a common heritage and thus influence people’s thinking and behaviour”, stressing that if they were applied in Pakistan, they would also benefit the country’s Pashtun community.

Building a society without discrimination

Pope Francis concluded by invoking God to “help government leaders and peoples build a society where all are granted full citizenship with equal rights; where everyone can live according to their own customs and culture (…), without abuse of power or discrimination.”