Pluralism's Hopes in Pope Francis Unfounded.

According to an article on yesmagazine.org, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu leaders have high hopes for Pope Francis, provided, of course, that he is willing to follow their advice.

The article claims that Francis follows "one of the most conservative and contentious popes in recent memory" but Mike Ghouse, a spokesperson for the World Muslim Congress and president of the Foundation for Pluralism thinks "Pope Francis can certainly repair the damage" done by Pope Benedict XVI.

The article goes on to say that the Hindu American Foundation hopes the new pope will "respect and privilege pluralism and interfaith relations" by his following more closely the Second Vatican Council's declaration, Nostra Aetate.

The article quotes Nostra Aetate,

"The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in [non-Catholic religions]. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men."

but goes on to say that "despite this official recognition of truth in other faiths, the Hindu American Foundation is concerned the Nostra Aetate doesn’t go far enough."

These pluralists will be in for a rude awakening.

First of all, while the Catholic Church "ardently implores the Christian faithful to 'maintain good fellowship among the nations' " the Church still maintains that salvation can only be found through Jesus Christ and Pope Francis has already stated clearly that people cannot be fully united to Jesus outside of the Catholic Church.

I realize that pluralists will not agree with the Church as I do, but those who hope that Pope Francis will turn against Church teachings are living in a fantasy world.