Islamic State has denounced Pope Francis for stating that the war being waged on the West by Islamic State terrorists is not a "religious war".
The terror group, also known as Daesh, says the acts of terrorism it carries out are most certainly religiously motivated and even bear the blessing of Allah as testified in the Koran.
It says Pope Francis and others who argue that Islam is a peaceful religion are delivering a "false narrative".
The chilling religious propaganda behind IS is spelled out in the latest issue of Dabiq, reproduced in a "safe" format by the Clarion counter-extremism project,
IS warns there will be no let up in the terror. It condemns Christianity as a "religion of polytheism".
The magazine is titled: "Break the Cross."
It contains a feature of the same name, and another headlined: "Why we hate you and why we fight you."
It says the recent Orlando shooting was "most definitely" an act of terror: "Muslims have been commanded to terrorise the disbelieving enemies of Allah."
The magazine says there are "exceptions among the disbelievers" who argue that jihad and "everything else deemed taboo by the Islam-is-a-peaceful-religion crowd" are in fact completely Islamic.
It continues: "They tend to be people with far less credibility who are painted as a social fringe, so their voices are dismissed and a large segment of the ignorant masses continues believing the false narrative."
The magazine comes just days after Pope Francis insisted the war on terror being waged across the world is not a religious war. Speaking to journalists on the plane to Poland for World Youth Day, after a Catholic priest in France had his throat slit by two IS followers, he said the world is at war but it is not a religious war.
"It's war, we don't have to be afraid to say this," he said. But it was a war of interests, for money, resources. "I am not speaking of a war of religions. Religions don't want war. The others want war."
IS says in its magazine that it is in fact a war of religion.
"This is a divinely-warranted war between the Muslim nation and the nations of disbelief," the magazine states. "Indeed, waging jihad – spreading the rule of Allah by the sword – is an obligation found in the Koran, the word of our Lord, just as it was an obligation sent in the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel."
The magazine adds: "The fact is, even if you were to stop bombing us, imprisoning us, torturing us, vilifying us, and usurping our lands, we would continue to hate you because our primary reason for hating you will not cease to exist until you embrace Islam."
It contains a feature on Pope Francis headlined: "In the Words of the Enemy". IS condemns the Papacy as "pagan" and refers to the last Pope as "Benedict the Disbeliever". It warns: "The religion of Islam will continue to be spread by the sword, even if Benedict despises such."
IS continues: "While Benedict and many before him emphasised the enmity between the pagan Christians and monotheistic Muslims, Francis' work is notably more subtle, steering clear of confrontational words that would offend those who falsely claim Islam."
The group accuses Pope Francis of hiding behind "a deceptive veil of good will" in order to subdue Muslims through appeasement.
"While previous popes spoke against Islam due to the actual reality they faced, based on mutual enmity between the pagan Christians and monotheistic Muslims, recent popes – and especially Pope Francis – have attempted to paint a picture of heartwarming friend- ship, seeking to steer Muslim masses away from the obligation of waging jihad against disbelief," IS continues, going on to attack him further for conciliatory statements about homosexuality.
"Completely disregarding his own Church's doctrine of judging homosexuals as immoral for engaging in the perverted act of sodomy, Francis has again sidestepped religion for the sake of public opinion," the magazine states, accusing him of following "some devilish interfaith fantasy, far removed from the truth."
IS claims the Pope's conciliatory statements are part of a plan "to demilitarise Islam" and remove the Koranic duty to wage jihad against pagans.
Among those who have also reported on the IS magazine is Breitbart, which reports other disturbing statements, such as: "The blood of the disbelievers is obligatory to spill by default. The command is clear. Kill the disbelievers, as Allah said, 'Then kill the polytheists wherever you find them.'"
