Bishop Joseph Strickland criticizes Vatican interreligious dialogue document

Bishop Joseph Strickland has criticized a new Vatican document titled ‘A Journey of Hope: Sixty Years of Interreligious Dialogue and Fraternity in the Light of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate.’ The text, published by the Dicasteries for the Doctrine of the Faith, Promoting Christian Unity, and Interreligious Dialogue, marks the 60th anniversary of the Nostra Aetate declaration.

Strickland, the former bishop of Tyler, Texas, argued that the document uses ambiguous language that may prioritize interreligious dialogue over the Church’s mandate for evangelization. He expressed concern that the text suggests adherents of non-Christian religions might be on authentic paths to God, potentially undermining the necessity of conversion through the Catholic Church.

Specifically, Strickland rejected the document’s framing of the modern ‘global village’ as a reason to move away from traditional missionary efforts. He stated that the document must be ‘rejected and repudiated’ by those who believe the Church is the sole vehicle for salvation, asserting that religious systems denying Christ cannot be viewed as parallel paths of revealed truth.