The terrorist massacre at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France, has sent Europe and the U.S. reeling. The response has been varied, but I believe the Catholic-Christian perspective can offer an additional dimension of love and respect for all human persons.
Along with other voices, we decry the violence. The murder of any human person is always wrong. All human beings are created in the image of God and therefore carry the stamp of the divine. They carry a worth and value that only God can give and that only God is Lord over. This was a heinous attack. We mourn the lost and grieve with their families.
The Pope said the horrific attack “sowed death”, and was “deeply disturbing to all peace-loving people, far beyond the borders of France.” He continued, “Whatever may be the motivation, homicidal violence is abominable. It is never justifiable. The life and dignity of all are to be guaranteed and protected with decision. Every incitement to hatred should be refuted. Respect must be cultivated”, he said.
Pope Francis also called on us to “pray for the perpetrators of such cruelty, that the Lord might change their hearts.”
We can also be sensitive to the safety needs of the citizens of France. The murder of the editor, cartoonists, police officers and the hostages in the kosher grocery store is deeply disturbing to the security of Paris. A main function of the state is to protect its citizens, so additional measures to guard the people are reasonable.
But two things need to be distinguished in the cultural fall-out: first, we can celebrate freedom of expression and simultaneously aim to cultivate a more respectful dialogue. Second, we can decry the attacks and still appreciate the peaceful and sincere lives of most Muslims, who are inspired by their faith.
The popular slogan has sprung up, that in English is “I am Charlie.” Its speakers mean it as a message of solidarity for freedom of the press. Freedom of expression is central to a free society. Nevertheless, we need not endorse all the content of Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons that have included the Prophet Muhammad being sodomized a well as images of the Trinity sodomizing one another
Pope Francis himself made this distinction in a statement on Thursday. He extolled religious liberty and freedom of expression as two fundamental human rights, and also added that “To kill in the name of God is an aberration.” He further nuanced his comments by advocating against insulting the faith of others. He called for mutual respect. Here it is worth pointing out that respect is not censorship. Censorship is banning discussion of certain topics or viewpoints. It is possible both to celebrate free speech and advocate for respectful dialogue, especially on difficult topics.
A self-described progressive blogger, Josh Healy, makes the point well: why is “printing anti-Muslim cartoons ‘freedom of speech,’ while Holocaust jokes are ‘unacceptable’ to a civilized society.”
He continues “the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo didn’t deserve to be killed for their drawings. Not in a million years. But that doesn’t mean that what they drew or published was worth defending in its own right. I love free speech as much as anyone, but I can separate the right of people to have free speech with my support for their actual speech.”
This is distinction matters. We can show solidarity for free speech without endorsing the all material of Charlie Hebdo. Instead, we ought to cultivate more genuine, Christ-inspired love for all persons.
There are also some triumphalist Catholic blogs that have used the attack to “prove” that Christianity is superior to Islam because our religion doesn’t sanction violence. This misses the mark. As Christians, we are called to love our neighbor. We believe that all human beings are created in the image of God. In the spirit of our beliefs, we must always aim to see the humanity and value in others.
The charitable observer can note that while Islam has a war-studded history, it has also nourished traditions of peace and mysticism. One can note with gratitude how the Islamic societies of the Middle Ages preserved Aristotle’s work while such learning was lost in the West. We can also note the development of the Islamic Sufi tradition. This is not to ignore radicals or ISIS, but rather to recognize and affirm the living example of countless Muslims who live next door to us and are peaceful and find in their faith a source of meaning, morality and transcendence. [To illustrate, I offer the mindful commentary of Omid Safi, Director of Duke University’s Islamic Studies Center on the “The Disease of Being too Busy,” in which he draws on his faith to urge readers to live a calmer life where we connect with others instead of rushing from appointment to appointment.]
Respect for earnest practitioners of Islam does not equate to relativism or a new age “all faiths are equal.” I certainly believe that Catholicism is true. That is why I am Catholic. And while being Catholic and affirming all the truths of the Faith, I can also affirm the things that are good and true in other religious traditions. The Vatican II document Nostra Aetate dealt specifically with interreligious dialogue. It describes the value humans find in religion in general: “Men expect from the various religions answers to the unsolved riddles of the human condition, that today, even as in former times, deeply stir the hearts of men (NA 1).”
And further, the Catholic Church “rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions.” (NA 2)
Now, following the Church, I of course affirm that the Catholic Church alone contains the whole of truth and grace necessary for salvation. But here, we need not condemn all others. We can recognize their goodness and especially the lives of those men and women who strive to live in a way pleasing to God.
There is a time and a place to discuss the differences between religions and even advance Catholic claims to subsistence in requirements of salvation. That is the purpose of interreligious dialogue. It is a work of charity and even of evangelization.
We gain little by demeaning all of Islam because of the radicals. Such a tactic may very soon work against Christians, whom the secular culture is starting to view as radicals in ourselves. I hope that by distinguishing between hateful, violent terrorists and the ordinary lives of the Muslim faithful, we will also teach others to distinguish between the true message of love and salvation offered by Jesus Christ and some of the more twisted versions out there.
We do not want the angry secularist to say, “See, all you religious people are violent and hateful.” We want to live in a culture where the earnest atheist can speak with respect to the earnest Christian and the earnest Christian can speak with respect to the earnest Muslim. This is an application of the Christian truth that all men are created in the Image of God.
So in regards to Charlie Hebdo, we can mourn. We can protect our citizens. But we should not fall to the level of the attackers and let them turn us into people as hate-driven as they are. A sincere and respectful environment is the only way to witness to the truth of Christ and proclaim His message as we are called to do.