The ever-trenchant Mundabor has a post about Cardinal Tauran on the New Evangelization. Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran is the president of the Pontifical Council of Inter-religious Dialogue. The Cardinal has made statements such as these: “In this pluralistic situation, we have no other option than consciously cultivating friendly relationships with all of them based on mutual respect and understanding that eventually could lead to mutual collaboration for the common good, for peace and harmony towards the development of the society.

Pope Francis says at a daily Mass that evangelizing is not proselytizing. Since they are two separate words, I am inclined to agree. But why does the pope need to make this distinction? Evangelization is the act of proclaiming Jesus Christ. Proselytizing is the attempt to win converts to your cause. Emphasizing their differences masks just how complementary they are. Why proclaim the good news that is Jesus if you did not wish to convert people to His religion?