Medieval popes realistically pursued Muslim conversion only where Christian arms prevailed

Evidence

It is obvious how low in this list came communication of any sort with Muslims, and, even so, how small was the hope of their conversion, which might really be expected only where Christian arms were successful. Conversion was not despaired of; ‘preaching’ here means ‘preaching to Muslims’, and Alexander IV wished the Gospel to be preached without offence; but it was realistically relegated to a place of secondary importance. The treaty with the King of Tunis which was signed by Charles of Anjou on the death of Louis IX in 1270, and which was criticised by some Christians, allowed for churches and the cult to be maintained, and for Franciscans and Dominicans to preach and convert. Fr. Eleemosyna commented that the merchants and other Catholics resident in Tunis were able in consequence to receive the sacraments regularly, but that there was only very moderate fruit in conversion from Islam. Fifty years earlier Honorius had written to the Amir al-Mu’minin to ask for the freedom to make converts, surely a vain request, however difficulties might be glossed diplomatically over by Muslim rulers negotiating from weakness. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 678

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to how missionary conversion follows political/military power rather than theology alone — echoes the pragmatic calculations in other medieval religious negotiations.