“Catholics and Muslims believe in the same God?”

🔥The question: “The Trinity is different, belief about Jesus is different — how can anyone say it is the same God?”

🛡️The Church's answer: The Church acknowledges that Muslims, within a faith that reaches back to Abraham, seek to adore the one God, Creator of heaven and earth. But Christians confess God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and believe Jesus to be true God and true man, so there are serious differences in doctrine. Acknowledging what is shared does not erase those differences, and naming the differences is no reason to suspect or hate Muslims.

A further note — the limits of saying “we mean the same one”

Two people can both speak of “the principal of this school” and still understand quite differently what that person is like and what they intend. Pointing to the same one does not mean the two descriptions are identical or both correct. This comparison cannot hold the whole mystery of God either; it only shows that a shared intention and a real difference in doctrine can be spoken of at the same time.

🧐If they press further: “What about people who commit violence in the name of Islam?” — In any religion, the crimes of extremists must not be used to lump every believer together in judgment. Criticize the violence for what it is, but do not push the blame onto ordinary Muslim neighbors or discriminate against them.

✨In one sentence: “The Church acknowledges that Muslims seek to adore the one Creator, while saying plainly that on the Trinity and on Jesus the differences are real.”