Eastern, Oriental and Coptic Orthodox views of the Muslim God

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Constantinople) – 2009–2010 |

Interview aired November 2, 2009, though the meeting took place in April 2010 – “We have the same heavenly Father, whatever we call him. God is but one, independently of the name we give him, Allah or Yahweh, and so on.”

Resource: 2009 Charlie Rose Interview

Source: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6DC2F34573CF9FAE&si=ykldOMWNdX68-Gfv

Patriarch Theodore II (Alexandria) – Muslims and Christians could each worship their God in a different language, but they always met in the same place, that is, the true God, the Creator of all people.

Resource: https://orthodoxtimes.com/patriarch-of-alexandria-revealed-unknown-aspects-of-his-life-to-students-of-tositsaio-school/

Patriarch John X (Antioch) – “”We built the civilization of this East as Muslims and Christians. We will always remain together on a covenant of brotherhood that we have written with the ink of our union and our love to please the Highest.”

Resource: https://www.pravmir.com/patriarch-john-x-helping-everyone-muslims-christians-materially-humanitarianly-without-asking-nam/

Patriarch John X (Antioch): We call on Muslims and Christians to see Jerusalem as path leading to our Lord

“We call on the Muslims and Christians to see Jerusalem as the path leading to our Lord. We beg our Lord to send His divine justice and mercy.”

Resource: https://orthodoxtimes.com/patriach-of-antioch-we-call-on-muslims-and-christians-to-see-jerusalem-as-path-leading-to-our-lord/

Patriarch Theophilos III (Jerusalem) – 2005 onwards, Elected the 141st primate on August 22, 2005, and enthroned November 22, 2005. “The three religions coexist with each other on the basis of the message of the prophets that is based on justice, mutual respect and brotherly love among the sons of Abraham”

Resource 1: https://www.oikoumene.org/news/bishop-sandor-zan-fabian-churches-in-ukraine-are-united-in-commitment-to-peace

Source 2 not found, removed: https://www.oikoumene.org/news/patriarch-of-lerusalem-condemns-violence-practiced-against-civilians-in-east-/erusalem

Patriarch Kirill (Moscow) – 2013 onwards (statement mentioned; various public addresses in subsequent years) – Statements about living together with Muslims for one thousand years in Russia, describing contacts as “very natural”

“Muslims and Christians are inquiring to the same God creator and an answer to that we are getting God’s real help.”

Source: 2019 Video Address

Patriarch Porfirije (Serbia) : Those were virtuous Albanians, regardless of the fact that they were Muslims, or precisely because they were Muslims, sincerely believing people, who knew the power of prayer, who knew that in the Orthodox shrines prayers were being offered for them and their children as well, and that God does not choose sides.”

Resource: https://www.telegraf.rs/english/3570375-patriarch-porfirijes-historic-speech-it-is-reconciliatory-in-tone-and-he-stressed-one-thing-in-particular

Patriarch Daniel (Romania) – Speaking to an interfaith council that included Muslims he said, “The primary purposes of this Council are to promote faith in God and its importance in the lives of individuals and society, as well as to express common opinions, attitudes, and positions on important societal issues

Resource: https://orthodoxtimes.com/patriarch-daniel-reaffirmed-importance-of-religious-collaboration-for-romanian-society/

Patriarch Daniil (Bulgaria) – Met with Muslim leader discussing “physical and spiritual well-being of children and youth. They addressed the importance of combating addictions and the role that traditional religious communities can play in prevention efforts.”

Resource: https://orthodoxtimes.com/bulgarian-patriarch-daniel-meets-with-grand-mufti-mustafa-hadzhi/

Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Georgia) – 2013 In 2013, the King of Jordan Abdullah Bin-Al Hussein II offered His Beatitude the honorary distinction of the State of Jordan:

Referring the Muslims as “brothers” he said, “Let us pray for peace among all our brothers, regardless of their religion.”

Resource: Holily at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in 2013.

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A Critical Catholic Perspective ⚠️

These statements from Orthodox patriarchs reflect an ecumenical approach that treats Muslims as worshipping “the same God” as Christians. This is fundamentally problematic from a Catholic standpoint. While the Church affirms the dignity of Muslims and rejects anti-Semitism and Islamophobia (as stated in Nostra Aetate), it does not teach that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.

Muslims explicitly reject the Trinity, the heart of Christian revelation. They deny that Jesus is the Son of God, and they deny His divinity. These are not minor differences; they concern the nature of God Himself.

To say both faiths worship “the same God” while holding contradictory doctrines about who God is represents a dangerous confusion that obscures what separates authentic Christianity from Islam.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church acknowledges that Muslims “profess to hold the faith of Abraham” and “together with us adore the one, merciful God” (CCC 841), but this does not mean Muslims and Christians share the identical understanding of God’s nature—which is impossible given the radical disagreement over the Trinity and the Incarnation.