8.159. Didn’t Pope Francis say “There is no Catholic God”? What did he mean by that—and why is it a problem?
Yes, on June 6, 2016, during a public interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Antipope Francis said:
“There is no Catholic God.”
At first glance, some might try to defend this statement as a reminder that God is not “owned” by any one people or institution. But that is not how Catholic theology works—and not what Francis meant. He followed up with statements emphasizing humanitarian action over doctrinal belief, suggesting that doing good is more important than believing correctly.
This statement, “There is no Catholic God,” is deeply blasphemous and theologically absurd. It reflects the core heresy of religious indifferentism: the idea that God is not exclusively revealed through the Catholic Church, and that the distinctions between religions are man-made, not divinely instituted.
In truth, God is the Catholic God—because the one true God, the Most Holy Trinity, has revealed Himself fully and definitively only through Jesus Christ and His one true Church: the Catholic Church. To deny this is to deny the First Commandment, the uniqueness of divine revelation, and the necessity of the Catholic Faith for salvation.
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Francis’s Statement | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature of God | The one true God is the Most Holy Trinity, revealed by Christ and taught by the Catholic Church | “There is no Catholic God” — God is not defined by any religion | This denies divine revelation and implies all religions equally reach God |
| Religious Truth | Truth is objective, revealed, and safeguarded by the Catholic Church alone | God transcends doctrinal systems and religious labels | Undermines the necessity of the Church and sacraments |
| Salvation | Outside the Catholic Church, there is no salvation (*Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus*) | Doing good is what matters—not religious belief | This is the essence of humanism and naturalism—not Catholicism |
| View of Religion | The Catholic Church is divinely instituted and alone possesses the true Faith | All religions are valid expressions of the same universal spirituality | This is the condemned heresy of religious indifferentism |
| Fruits | Martyrdom, conversion, missionary zeal, unity in truth | Ecumenism, apostasy, doctrinal ambiguity, loss of faith | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
When Francis said “There is no Catholic God,” he wasn’t just being provocative—he was expressing the core belief of the Vatican II religion: that no religion has a monopoly on truth, and that faith is less important than fraternity.
But the Catholic Church teaches the opposite. God has revealed Himself definitively through His Son, Jesus Christ—not through Buddha, Muhammad, or Moses. And Christ established one Church, with one faith, and one baptism. God is indeed the Catholic God, because only the Catholic Church teaches what He has revealed in its fullness.
To deny this is to deny Christ, His revelation, and His Church.
“Who is a liar, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist.”
Further reading: