AS a Catholic, I was happy to see Pope Francis resonating so well with various religious groups during his recent 11-day apostolic journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. But some Catholic critics thought he misspoke when he told an interreligious meeting of young people in Singapore that all religions, not just his own Catholic Church, are 'paths of trying to reach God.'

He did not say the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ, son of the living God, is just like and no different than any other church. But that is how his critics wanted the public to construe the pope's ecumenical message to his young audience at the interreligious dialogue at Singapore's Catholic Junior College. It is a misrepresentation of his actual message.