8.155. Pope Francis said, “Proselytism is solemn nonsense.” Isn’t that just a way of showing respect to other religions?
This statement—“Proselytism is solemn nonsense”—was made by Antipope Francis in multiple interviews and speeches, most notably in October 2013 during a conversation with Italian atheist Eugenio Scalfari. While it’s often defended as a criticism of “coercive” conversion, it has become a slogan of the Vatican II religion, expressing its rejection of the Church’s traditional missionary zeal.
Let’s be clear: the term proselytism has never meant coercion in Catholic usage. It refers to the active effort to convert non-Catholics to the one true Church of Christ, which is a divine command, not a human option.
Christ did not say, “Dialogue with all nations.” He said:
“Go ye therefore and teach all nations… teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
To call this mission “solemn nonsense” is a direct blasphemy against the words of Christ and the martyrs who died proclaiming Him. Francis’ statement represents a new religion: one that respects error, fears offending unbelievers, and believes that truth is discovered in dialogue, not proclaimed with authority.
In contrast, the pre-Vatican II Church held that conversion was an act of supreme charity, since outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation (Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus). The saints and missionaries—St. Francis Xavier, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Peter Claver—did not consider evangelization nonsense. They saw it as their sacred duty. Francis mocks their legacy and insults the Savior who said,
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be condemned.”
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Francis / Vatican II View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missionary Mandate | Preach the Gospel to all nations for conversion | Dialogue and accompaniment without conversion | Francis contradicts Christ’s Great Commission |
| Proselytism | A work of charity to bring souls into the one true Church | “Solemn nonsense” to try converting others | This is heretical, relativistic, and anti-Catholic |
| Truth and Error | Only Catholicism is true; other religions are false | Other religions are paths to God and deserve respect | Contradicts *Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus* |
| Role of the Church | Ark of Salvation, calling all souls to the Faith | One religion among many with shared values | False ecclesiology; undermines Catholic identity |
| Fruits | Conversions, martyrdom, Catholic civilization | Indifference, syncretism, interfaith confusion | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
Francis’ claim that “proselytism is solemn nonsense” is not Catholic. It is the creed of modernism, the slogan of religious indifferentism, and a blasphemous rejection of Christ’s final command. No true pope could mock the missionary mandate of the Church or discourage the salvation of souls.
The Church exists to convert, not to coexist. She is the only Ark of Salvation, and to call efforts to bring souls aboard “nonsense” is to mock the Gospel, the saints, and the Redeemer Himself.
“Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel.”
“He that shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father.”
The Vatican II religion no longer seeks conversions—because it no longer believes in its own exclusive truth. Let the faithful reject this betrayal and return to the true Catholic Faith that proclaims Christ with holy zeal, not diplomatic silence.
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