and together with us they adore the one, merciful God,
mankind’s judge on the last day.’’[4] But, of course, more
should not be read into this statement than it intends.
Like Christianity, Islam is a missionary faith — it
constantly seeks converts. Muslims today like to tell
Christians that they revere Jesus and His Mother, and that
Christians should likewise revere Muhammad. After the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many Catholics
spoke of our Christian duty to forge bonds of unity and
charity with Muslims. Such bonds, they argue, rule out
trying to gain converts from Islam. This view, however
prevalent it may be among Catholics, is virtually nonexistent
among Muslims.
The reverence Muslims profess to have for Jesus and
Mary has never prevented Muslims from making converts of
Catholics. Not to mention the fact that Christians face
persecution today in many Muslim countries worldwide. In
fact, it is likely that many more Catholics become Muslims
each year than Muslims become Catholics. In light of the
teaching of Vatican II and the Catechism (as well as of the
whole of Catholic tradition), this is a profound loss for a
human being: he is exchanging what is fully true for what
could be understood as only partially true. Should Catholics
not then preach the Gospel to Muslims — not in spite of the
fact that they are somehow included in the ‘‘plan of
salvation,’’ but because of it?
To be unwilling to bring the Gospel of Christ to Muslims
would be to fail to acknowledge its uniqueness and power.