Pope: Christians and Muslims must work together to ‘revive humanity'
Pope Leo XIV addressed participants of an interfaith colloquium in Rome, urging Christians and Muslims to revive humanity and transform indifference into solidarity. The colloquium, organized by Jordan’s Royal Institute for Inter‑Faith Studies and the Holy See’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, focused on “Human Compassion and Empathy in Modern Times.” The Pope highlighted compassion as a core value shared by Christianity and Islam, citing the Islamic concept of _ra’fa_ and the divine name _al‑Ra’uf_. He called for increased cooperation between the two faiths to foster empathy and address contemporary challenges.
4 months ago
Pope Leo XIV addressed an interfaith colloquium in Rome, urging Christians and Muslims to unite in compassion, revive humanity where it has grown cold, and turn indifference into solidarity 1 2 3.
The Pope emphasized that compassion and empathy are essential attitudes for both faiths. He called for a shared mission to “revive humanity where it has grown cold” and to give voice to those who suffer 1 2.
The Pope praised the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for its generous reception of refugees and assistance to those in need, linking love for the poor to the social implications of compassion in both religions 1 2.
He warned that the constant flow of images of suffering can “dull our hearts rather than stir them,” creating a danger of apathy despite unprecedented connectivity 1 2 3. The Pope cited Pope Francis’s earlier homily to illustrate this risk.
Christians and Muslims are invited to draw on the richness of their traditions to combat indifference, restore dignity, and foster solidarity. The Pope framed compassion and empathy as instruments for rebuilding a humane society 1 2 3.*
Christian‑Muslim solidarity is essential for reviving humanity
The claim that Christian–Muslim solidarity is essential for “reviving humanity” can be read in Catholic terms as: restoring our shared human fraternity through compassionate, truthful cooperation—especially in times of violence, war, and social fragmentation. Catholic teaching does not present solidarity as sentiment alone, but as a daily, concrete commitment ordered to the common good and rooted in the Gospel’s demand for mercy.
In the Catholic vision, humanity is “revived” when people recover what war and hatred destroy: fraternity, peace, and the social bonds that make dignity real in daily life. Pope Leo XIV frames this directly: the “first victim of every war is the human family’s innate vocation to fraternity,” and peace is not a distant ideal but something to be pursued through daily, concrete commitment to respect, sharing, and compassion.
Here, solidarity is not merely agreeing on politics or minimizing differences. It is a Christian-permeated form of commitment to others’ good. The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue describes solidarity as part of a vocation to work with all people in mutual respect, promoting together justice, peace, and the common good—and it adds that interreligious cooperation is an essential dimension of such commitment.
A key reason the Church treats Christian–Muslim solidarity as essential is that the Gospel’s engine is compassion—not indifference, not fear, and not self-referential comfort.
Pope Francis repeatedly returns to this as the practical path to humane coexistence. In connection with Fratelli tutti, he proposes compassion as a “key disposition,” explaining through the parable of the Good Samaritan that a brother is recognized when one is moved by compassion and approaches the wounded person—even when cultures and histories are contentious.
This is not accidental emotion; Aquinas presents Christ’s compassion as a true interior mercy that responds to real human distress—those “distressed” and “like sheep that have no shepherd.” In Catholic terms, compassion is a rational-moral response to another’s need, grounded in the heart of Christ.
Pope Francis also gives a concrete image of interreligious compassion at work: in Indonesia, he describes fraternity as “the future” and highlights compassion as a path for Christians to bear witness to Christ while encountering great religious and cultural traditions, even describing fraternity as a “bridge” connecting a cathedral to a large mosque.
So, when the claim says solidarity is essential, the Catholic answer is: solidarity becomes credible and fruitful because it is compassion practiced in action, capable of crossing cultural and religious boundaries.
Catholic teaching grounds Christian–Muslim solidarity in the conviction that all people share a real dignity because they are created in the image of God, and therefore can be recognized as brothers and sisters in a universal fraternity.
Pope Leo XIV states that Christianity professes faith in “one God, the Father,” and therefore it is “not possible to invoke God as Father if we refused to recognize as brothers and sisters all other men and women, who are created in the image of God.”
That universal fraternity is not only theological; it is meant to become social and political through coordinated action for human dignity. Pope Leo XIV connects religious leaders working together to defend the vulnerable and support human dignity as a witness that “faith unites more than it divides,” describing synergy for peace as “unarmed and disarming.”
Similarly, Pope John Paul II teaches that dialogue among believers of different religious traditions aims at “better understanding” so that peace and justice may be firmly established, and he expresses hope that Christians and Muslims can work together for development “in mutual respect” for convictions and freedom of expression.
In this light, Christian–Muslim solidarity is not optional activism; it is participation in a human vocation to fraternity and peace—especially when societies are threatened by hatred, war, or the instrumentalization of religion.
A frequent misunderstanding is to assume that solidarity requires dissolving doctrinal differences. Catholic teaching explicitly frames interreligious dialogue as requiring rootedness in the Gospel while cultivating openness, listening, and dialogue.
Pope Leo XIV emphasizes that “being men and women of dialogue means remaining deeply rooted in the Gospel” while practicing openness and listening, placing the human person and human dignity at the center.
Pope Francis adds another essential nuance for dialogue with Islam: “suitable training is essential,” not only to be firmly grounded in one’s own identity, but also to acknowledge the values of others and to “avoid hateful generalisations,” since authentic Islam is “opposed to every form of violence.”
This means solidarity is compatible with firm Christian identity and moral judgment. It is solidarity in truth and with respect, not solidarity as denial of differences or as surrender of convictions.
Catholic sources make clear that solidarity must become tangible. Pope Leo XIV insists that “words are not enough” and warns that remaining “in the realm of ideas and theories” without practical acts of charity weakens even cherished hopes.
In the same message, he explains that solidarity is realized through respect, sharing, and compassion, and he praises people who choose the “demanding path of solidarity over the easy path of indifference,” showing how deep divisions can be healed through concrete action.
That practical orientation matches Pope Francis’s insistence that theology and social engagement require avoiding “self-referential” and “blinding” logics; instead, it must be marked by compassion “inwardly touched by the oppressed life many live.”
So, Christian–Muslim solidarity for “reviving humanity” typically takes forms like:
The Church also recognizes that real solidarity is difficult. It is precisely because cultures can be at odds and histories contentious that compassion becomes decisive. Pope Francis points out that in the Samaritan story, cultures and histories were different—yet compassion made one a brother.
He also warns implicitly against the habit of indifference—washing one’s hands. Compassion must be nourished by prayer and sustained by moral attention to the suffering neighbor.
Therefore, “reviving humanity” through Christian–Muslim solidarity requires more than good will: it requires conversion of attitudes (from indifference to compassion), disciplined formation (training to dialogue), and concrete charity (acts, not only ideals).
Catholic teaching supports the underlying proposition: Christian–Muslim solidarity is essential for reviving humanity insofar as it embodies the Gospel’s compassion, advances the human family’s vocation to fraternity, and serves justice and peace through interreligious cooperation in mutual respect. This solidarity is meant to be rooted in truth—deeply grounded in the Gospel and aimed at human dignity—not a vague unity that ignores differences, but a concrete, prayerful, action-oriented bridge toward peace.