American Bishop Robert Barron, head of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester (Minnesota), responded on Thursday to statements made by Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers, regarding the Church’s evangelizing mission. In a post on his X account, Barron described as “disconcerting” the claim that the Church “is not here to convert” and stated that if he shared that view, he would resign from his position and seek “an honest job.”
The response comes after Vesco defended in an interview with the Belgian outlet CathoBel that the Church in Algeria should not seek conversions, but rather become part of Algerian society through coexistence and fraternity. The cardinal stated that his community is not “a proselytizing Church” nor “a Church that exists to convert,” remarks published on Thursday that have now drawn a reply from the American bishop.
“Another cardinal has come out with a vision of evangelization that is, shall we say, disconcerting,” Barron begins, also referencing the claim attributed to Vesco that Christians should approach other religions through fraternity rather than seeking conversions. “Excuse me, but… what?” he replies.
Barron recalls Christ’s mandate to make disciples
To counter the Archbishop of Algiers’s words, Barron cites Jesus Christ’s command to the apostles recorded in the Gospel of Saint Matthew: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
“That sounds to me like conversion, plain and simple,” the prelate adds.
The bishop also draws on the example of Saint Paul, whose missionary activity, he recalls, did not consist merely of listening to his interlocutors or forming discussion groups. When the Apostle arrived in Corinth, Athens, or Thessalonica, his purpose was to proclaim that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead.
Barron cites two passages from the First Letter to the Corinthians to support his argument: “I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor 9:22) and “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16).
Vatican II and the distinction between evangelization and proselytism
The American bishop also appeals to the Second Vatican Council, noting that its missionary impulse was aimed at bringing the light of Christ to the peoples of the world. In this regard, he refers to the dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium and recalls that in the decades that followed, this impulse gave rise to the so-called new evangelization, understood as a renewed proclamation of the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Barron nevertheless distinguishes between evangelization and proselytism. He acknowledges that the proclamation of the Gospel should not be carried out through intimidating methods, authoritarian attitudes, or disrespect toward those who profess other religions.
“It is obvious that no one thinks this evangelizing work should be done in an intimidating, authoritarian, or disrespectful way,” he writes. But he warns that rejecting such methods must not lead to abandoning the purpose of proclaiming Christ. “For the love of God, let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater,” he adds.
The precedent of Aguiar’s statements on WYD Lisbon
Barron links Vesco’s words to statements made in 2023 by Américo Aguiar, then auxiliary bishop of Lisbon and now a cardinal, prior to World Youth Day.
Aguiar stated at the time that the organizers of the event had no interest in converting anyone to Christ, a stance that drew criticism regarding the evangelizing purpose of WYD. The controversy was addressed in the article “Aguiar and the Problem of ‘Proselytism’”.
The American bishop recalls that episode at the beginning of his message and considers that Vesco’s new statements raise the same question once again.
Barron concludes his response with a statement about his episcopal responsibility: “If I truly believed that the Church does not exist to bring people to Christ, then I would resign and seek an honest job.”