During Mass today in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis reflected on an Old Testament reading from Samuel (1:24). In the passage, David had the chance to kill King Saul, but he chooses, as the Holy Father noted, “a different path: the path of dialogue, to make peace.” Francis’ message encourages Christians to build bridges of dialogue, not walls of resentment. Ultimately, as the Pope notes, dialogue and humility defeat hatred and knock down walls which divide us.

For more reading on Pope Francis and dialogue:

Salam and Salutation to Pope Francis – “From his first foreign policy address in March 2013, Pope Francis made improving Muslim-Catholic relations one of his top priorities. Before an audience of ambassadors from 180 countries, he explained how he wanted to work for peace and bridge-building between peoples. Muslims and Catholics, he claimed, needed to intensify their dialogue. Positive shockwaves were sent into Muslim-Catholic circles, and Muslim scholars and religious institutions around the world welcomed Pope Francis’s election.”

The Pope: Christians and Muslims Must Share Their Belief in God – “Just days after I wrote about Pope Francis’ speech on ending the ‘culture of indifference’ towards Muslim refugees, the Holy Father emerged today with an equally powerful comment on how Christians and Muslims should lean on each other and share their belief in the ‘One God.'”

The Pope: End the Culture of Indifference Towards Muslims – “Vatican Radio reported today on Pope Francis’s appeal for migrants and refugees and an end to ‘the culture of indifference.’ Although he did not explicitly mention them in his address at Saint Peter’s Square, one can be certain that the Holy Father was speaking to Muslims. The Pope stated that migrants and refugees around the world, many of whom have a Muslim background, are friends of the Catholic Church. He encouraged them to ‘not lose hope for a better future’ and expressed his wish that they might be able to live in peace in their new countries.”