In an interview published Tuesday with France’s La Croix, Pope Francis argued that Jesus’ call to spread the Gospel differs little from the jihad waged by radical Islamic terrorists.

The pope explained how ISIS’ “war of conquest” has bred a non-justified fear of Islam among Western countries.

“I don’t think that there is a fear of Islam as such but of ISIS and its war of conquest, which is partly drawn from Islam,” he told La Croix. “It is true that the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam.”

“However, it is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest.”

Earlier in the interview, Pope Francis had claimed that the global economy, which “has descended into the idolatry of money,” has widened a perceived gap between Christianity and Islam.

“The initial problems are the wars in the Middle East and in Africa as well as the underdevelopment of the African continent, which causes hunger,” explained Francis. “If there is so much unemployment, it is because of a lack of investment capable of providing employment, of which Africa has such a great need.”

“The great majority of humanity’s wealth has fallen into the hands of a minority of the population. … A completely free market does not work.”

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