World Youth Day Promotes Interfaith Dialogue, Not Conversion

“We don’t want to convert these young people to Jesus Christ.” Whatever happened to the Great Commission? 'Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' (St Matthew 28:19)

From One Peter Five

By Timothy Flanders

“We don’t want to convert these young people to Jesus Christ.”

You remember these insane words uttered by the newly-named-Cardinal Américo Aguiar a few weeks back ahead of the World Youth Day in Lisbon, which he is leading, going on now. These words of Antichrist made such waves that Bishop Barron felt compelled to respond, to his great credit:

I’m scheduled to give five presentations at World Youth Day in Lisbon, and I would like to assure Bishop Aguiar that every single one of them is designed to evangelize.

But the World Youth Day website on interfaith dialogue doesn’t seem to be getting with the Word on Fire program, as it says: “Take advantage of WYD Lisbon 2023 to visit the places we suggest”: three churches, a synagogue, two mosques and a Hindu temple. At least there are more suggested churches than temples of Antichrist, amiright?

Or, I guess if you count up all the temples of Antichrist, they number four, and there’s only three churches.

Never mind.

The web page highlights the crimes of Christians in massacring Jews, expelling them from Portugal and holding the inquisition. But apparently even the old Jesuits, even in the 1700s, were NOT evangelising, but went out to “dialogue with peoples, cultures, and religions throughout the Portuguese Padroado.”

WYD: Hey young people! You know what’s really COOL?! Dialogue. 

Young person: what’s dialogue?

WYD: it’s when you encounter the religious experience of the other in a transcendent circle of divine understanding and energizing commitment to the rainforest of love which the stars have given from the bottom of compassionate contemplation of the synergy of commonplace for the common man. 

Young person: I’m sorry I was just texting my friend a selfie from Lisbon. What did you say?

WYD: Um…. PROSELYTISM BAD!

Young person: Uh… OK. Oh sweet it looks like Juventutem has a schedule at World Youth Day! Great. 

WYD: Wait, who authorised the Latin Mass here?! Wait! Where are you going? Is that a Latin Mass? No! The Latin Mass is not for young people!

Young person: but I want the Latin Mass.

WYD: No you don’t! Come to the Sunni Mosque! “It is the only mosque in Europe that has, in the prayer room, tiles with verses from the Koran in the language of the country where it is located, which reflects the local integration of the community.” Or wait, you don’t like the Sunni? What about a Shia Mosque! “It incorporates spaces for cultural encounters, reflection, contemplation, and spiritual deepening!”

Young people: Uh… OK thanks for that. Sorry I’ve gotta go Juventutem has Adoration at 4pm. 

WYD: Adoration?! WHAT!