Pope Francis’ Legacy of Dialogue with Muslims
Twelve years of building bridges between the world's two largest faiths
[In this post you’ll find links to all my writing and speaking on the topic of Pope Francis and Islam]
With the passing of Pope Francis, there is so much I want to say. But most of all, it is thank you. I am deeply grateful for who Francis was and for the kind of Church he called us to be. And, as a Catholic who has dedicated much of my time and energy to building bridges with Muslims, I have felt deeply affirmed by the fact that Pope Francis also prioritized this during his papacy.
Over the past twelve years, I have been following Francis’ engagement with Muslims closely. Even before he passed, I was working on a new book on the topic. The book won’t be done for some time, but below I have compiled a list of some of my written work and speaking engagements which discuss Francis’ legacy of strengthening Catholic-Muslim dialogue. I will add more to this list in the coming weeks—I have a few other pieces in the works.
I hope these articles and videos can be helpful to fellow scholars, students, journalists, and anyone who is interested in Francis and his legacy. If you just read one piece, I’d recommend the first one. I published it before Francis’ ten-year anniversary as pope, and it lays out what I think are the key facets of his legacy of dialogue with Muslims.
“Five lessons from Pope Francis’ commitment to Muslim-Catholic dialogue”
America Media
Article (March 2023—ten year anniversary of Francis’ pontificate)
“What Pope Leo XIV can learn from Francis' legacy of dialogue with Islam”
National Catholic Reporter
Article (May 2025)
Interview: “Pope Francis and the Muslim World”
Middle East Eye’s ‘The Big Picture’ podcast
Video | Podcast | Short clip/reel (April 2025)
“Muslims around the world pray for Pope Francis’ health”
National Catholic Reporter
Article (April 2025)
Live interview on Pope Francis’ legacy in Catholic-Muslim relations
Al Jazeera English
Video (April 2025)
“Why Francis opened doors between religions”
U.S. CatholicArticle (July 2025)
Podcast interview on Pope Francis and Islam
Window Light, a Substack publication by Matthew Shadle
Podcast (October 2024)
“Understanding Pope Francis’ outreach to Muslims”
Our Sunday Visitor
Article (February 2019)
“Catholic encounters with Muslims frame ‘Fratelli tutti’”
National Catholic Reporter
Article (October 2020)
Interview: “Deep Dive: Why is Pope Francis visiting Iraq?”
America Media’s ‘Inside the Vatican’ podcast
Podcast (March 2021)
The Spirit on the Ground: Pope Francis’ Mass in Amman
Commonweal
Article (May 2014)
Mercy-ing: A Starting Place for Vatican-Azhar Dialogue
Commonweal
Article (September 2013)
Hope for the Pope: Catholic-Muslim relations in the new pontificate
JordanDenari.com
Blog post (March 2013)
Join me in ‘digging our well’ in the comments section below. What were your observations and reactions to Pope Francis’ pontificate? What did you learn? What inspired you? What, perhaps, did you bristle against or disagree with?
Looking forward to digging in. It doesn't surprise me that Pope Francis hit these notes in his final Easter address: "On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas! For all of us are children of God!"