“Then whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve.” (18:29) Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, says: “Whoever wishes, let him believe, and whoever wishes, let him remain in disbelief.” This is a matter of the heart. One cannot force anyone to become a Muslim. Even during the conquests, no one was forced to change their religion; no coercion was applied. Whoever wanted to become a Muslim did so. Whoever did not, remained in their faith, paid the tax, and was treated like a citizen. Why do we mention this? These days, the Pope, the head of the Catholic world, is here on a visit. The background of his visit is connected to the alteration of the religion by the priests who gathered in Nicaea 1700 years ago. For the pagan Romans called the followers of Jesus “Nasrani”. They persecuted and killed them, giving them no peace anywhere. Finally, they mixed paganism with Christianity as they saw fit. 1700 years ago, that is, 325 years after Jesus, they said, “We are now Christians too,” and came to an agreement. But they falsified the religion—Allah forbid—by claiming: “There cannot be only a single God; He must have a family, He must have a child.” When the true followers of the Scripture who followed Jesus rejected this, they were all rounded up to be silenced. At the gathering in Nicaea, it was stated: “These are the true Christians; we do not accept others.” They tolerated no one outside of their doctrine and eliminated them. Whoever could flee, fled; whoever remained either had to accept the new religion or was killed. That is the crux of the matter. That is the event that took place 1700 years ago. There were many groups that stood outside the state religion they proclaimed. One of them was the group called the “Nestorians.” Salman al-Farisi also followed this path before Islam. The monks passed on the true religion; when one died, he referred [the follower] to the next. Finally, they sent him to Medina with the words: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) will appear there.” And so he found our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Medina. He came from this group, from this chain. That means most of them professed the Oneness of Allah and worshipped Him. Then, when this Roman group appeared, they composed fake Gospels and forced the entire Christian world off the right path into polytheism through coercion and killings. This is exactly what happened. But insha’Allah, this meeting will be an occasion for people to recognize the true path. Our people are afraid and ask: “Is black magic being practiced? Will something happen?” No, there is no reason to worry. This is the home of the saints, the martyrs, and the Companions of the Prophet. Therefore, no one, no matter who comes, can achieve anything; nothing will happen. One must show hospitality to the guest. Let us treat them well. Perhaps Allah will place the light of faith in their hearts so that they recognize the truth, insha’Allah. The penultimate Pope suddenly met with Sheikh Baba and resigned from the papacy shortly thereafter. This is something that has never happened before in history. We asked Sheikh Efendi: “Why did he do that?” Sheikh Baba said: “He saw the truth.” When he saw the truth, he stopped. They gave the people a pretext; they said: “He does not want to continue for health reasons.” Actually, no Pope is replaced before he dies. There was no one who had resigned before. Even if he was ill, he remained in office until death. If Allah wills, this visit will be an occasion for the guidance of the people. And even if not: Many priests and monks in his circle have recognized the truth and have secretly become Muslims, even if they continue their duties. There are thousands, hundreds of thousands of them, and there always have been. Therefore, there is no reason for fear or worry. “And say, ‘The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished.'” (17:81) “The truth has come, the false has passed away.” When the truth comes, the false no longer has value or standing. Therefore, our people need not be afraid: “What will happen? What is going on?” Do not be afraid. Allah is with us; the truth is Allah, the Mighty and Exalted. The truth will reveal itself. Even if not now: Just as the Pope has come, Jesus will also come. With Allah’s permission, he will eliminate all this falsehood. May Allah turn it to good. Insha’Allah, may it be an occasion for guidance. We have many brothers who have returned from the wrong path to the true religion; thanks be to Allah, they are the majority. Insha’Allah, may Allah grant the Muslims vigilance through this occasion, so that they hold fast to the truth.

Pope Benedict XVI asking to be free