“The lives of 19 religious men and women martyred during the Algerian civil war are a testament to God’s plan of love and peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims, Pope Francis said.”

A more serious analyst would note that they were, after all, murdered, so they might not be that great a testimony to peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims. But this is the Pope who has said that “Muslim terrorism does not exist.” So he affirms that “by beatifying our 19 brothers and sisters, the church wishes to bear witness to her desire to continue to work for dialogue, harmony and friendship,” ignoring the fact that the murder of these people drowned their desire for “dialogue, harmony and friendship” in their own blood. There may be some room for dialogue, but only if it is informed and realistic, not based on wishful thinking and willful ignorance.

“Leave them; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)

“Algerian martyrs bear witness to Christian-Muslim peace, Pope Francis says,” by Catholic News Service, December 10, 2018: