Bishop Dumps Jesus for Allah

While the Muslims co-leading the prayer service, including hostess Dr. Sonia Alam, spoke in detail about Ramadan and what it meant for Muslims, Bp. McGee and the Catholic participants including Sr. Isabel Smyth, remained silent on what the Ascension meant for Catholics.

Sister Smyth SND, interfaith advisor for the Scottish diocese of Paisley had organized a similar Muslim-Catholic prayer service the previous Sunday with over 188 Muslims and Catholics taking part.

Faithful Catholics slammed the service on social media expressing shock that Bp. John Keenan, considered by many to be one of the few orthodox bishops in Britain, would approve of this service.

Hundreds of negative comments were deleted from the diocese's Facebook page. Church Militant obtained screenshots of the posts before they were expunged.

Addressing Bp. Keenan directly, Tracy McGee Leszczynski wrote: "Surely you are not leading your people to pray with those who do not believe in the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ or in the Most Holy Trinity? (as Bishop McGee is?) Isn't that very obviously breaking the first commandment? Pray tell us ... What is wrong in the Church hierarchy in Scotland?! Are you being blackmailed or threatened?!"

"Dare we hope there is a St. John Fisher among our Scottish bishops? Instead of 'uniting spiritually' with false gods (the exact request of Pope Francis) do you think they could be pressed upon to offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass in our churches and to 'feed my sheep' as specifically requested by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?" Aoibhinn Bradley asked.

"These prayers and gestures of goodwill always go in only one direction. The bishop of Argyll prays with Muslims on Eid, but when have Muslims ever prayed with Christians on Christmas?" questioned Spencer, author of the bestselling The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades.

"Muslim Brotherhood theorist Sayyid Qutb advised Muslims to build bridges with non-Muslims, but cautioned them that such bridges only went in one direction: to lead the non-Muslims to Islam. Not to engage in actual mutually respectful dialogue. But Catholic leaders refuse to face the possibility that some of their Muslim dialogue partners could be heeding Qutb's directives," Spencer told Church Militant.

"The chasm between Islam and Jahiliyyah [the society of unbelievers] is great, and a bridge is not to be built across it so that the people on the two sides may mix with each other, but only so that the people of Jahiliyyah may come over to Islam," writes Sayyid Qutb in Milestones.

Scottish Catholic Leo Lanahan also expressed his distress to Church Militant:

I am a 58-year-old father of five adopted children seeking to raise them in the Catholic faith in all its fullness. I am increasingly concerned that in interfaith dialogue, Catholic school education that presents the State's vision on equality and sexuality and not the Church's teaching, and the denial of access to the sacrements with church closures there is a retreat from announcing the Good News with authority.

"Our calling is to give Christ's message rather than somehow syncretize with all faiths and all beliefs," the founder of Life Issues Conferences said.

During the service, McGee said that his approach was entirely in line with Pope Francis' Abu Dhabi declaration signed between the pontiff and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mohamed Ahmed al-Tayeb. McGee was appointed by Pope Francis in 2015.

Church Militant contacted Bp. McGee asking why he expunged the Trinity and the name of Jesus from his prayers. We also asked him if the diocese was engaged in evangelizing Muslims and if he believed Muslims could be saved through Islam.

A spokesperson for Bp. McGee said: "For over half a century, since the creation of Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue the church has sought to promote mutual understanding and respect between Catholics and the followers of others religious traditions. Bp. McGee's participation in the Muslim-Christian prayer was a continuation of that mission."

"While any questions on the formulation of the prayers used by Muslim participants should more appropriately be directed to them, Bp. McGee is content that the words used respect the divinity of our Creator and acknowledge the one true God," the spokesperson noted.

"As Pope Francis commented last year, to advance interreligious dialogue 'the first thing we have to do is pray, and pray for one another: we are brothers and sisters!' Bp. McGee was pleased to have the opportunity to do exactly that, reflecting the fact, that every year, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on behalf of the Catholic Church sends a message to the Islamic community on the occasion of the month of Ramadan and 'Id al-Fitr, the feast that concludes it," he added.