Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco defends stance against religious conversion

Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the Archbishop of Algiers, has defended his position that the Catholic Church should not seek to convert others. Responding to criticism from Bishop Robert Barron, Vesco stated that members of monotheistic religions, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims, have better things to do than attempt to convert one another and should instead focus on mutual respect.

Vesco argued that proselytism can be viewed as a poison in monotheistic religions because it implies that another person's faith is false, which he claims can end dialogue. He cited the interfaith efforts of recent popes, including John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis, as evidence for his approach to interreligious relations.

His comments follow previous statements where he suggested that evangelization should occur through fraternity rather than conversion, and that baptism is not strictly necessary for salvation. Critics have characterized his views as relativist and contrary to traditional Church teachings on evangelization.