Pope Claims Marxists and Christians Have Common Mission

Pope Francis encouraged the Marxist-Christian dialogue group Dialop to work together for the disadvantaged and against corruption and abuse of power. Christians as well as socialists, Marxists and communists should build a “better, fraternal future” for a world divided by wars and polarisation, said Francis at a reception in the Vatican on Wednesday. He said it was important to overcome rigid, divisive approaches, conduct disputes with an open heart and listen to one another without excluding anyone on political, social or religious grounds.

“Do not allow finance and the market to dictate the law,” the Pope urged his guests. They should “not stop dreaming of a better world”, in which ideals such as freedom, equality, dignity and fraternity are upheld; these ideals are a “mirror of God’s dream” for humanity.

The Pope wished for “the courage to step outside the box”, as well as an openness in dialogue for “new paths”. Full attention must be paid to the weak: the poor, the unemployed, the homeless, migrants, the exploited and all those who are marginalised by a throwaway culture. Dealing with them is the measure of a civilisation. The great dictatorships such as National Socialism had discarded and even killed precisely these groups, Francis recalled.

Continue reading at Katholisch