National An Italian bishop has criticized one parish's decision to allow Muslim refugees to pray in a Catholic church. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty images/AFP 'Muslim refugees can't pray in church': Italian bishop The Local · 21 Mar 2016, 16:17 The bishop of Pistoia, Tuscany, has slammed two priests for allowing Muslim refugees to pray inside the parish church of Vicofaro. Fathers Massimo Biancalani and Alessandro Carmignani announced the initiative late last week, after the parish welcomed 18 refugees. Biancalani told La Repubblica the decision to leave prayer mats next to the alter was part of helping the new arrivals feel at home. "I don't see how it's a problem, we can hardly make them pray in the cellar," he said. "Besides, all they need is a prayer mat and a position facing Mecca." “Anyone wanting to pray in the church is welcome and if they want to go elsewhere, they can do that too," he added. But Archbishop Fausto Tardelli said the plan was a step too far that risked damaging attempts at integrating refugees into the local community. “Offering a respectful welcome to people doesn't mean providing them with spaces for prayer in Christian churches. There are plenty of better and more appropriate places available,” La Repubblica quoted him as saying. “They [Biancalani and Carmignani] need to act carefully to respect the resident population if they want to achieve true social integration,” Tardelli added. Story continues below…
The Bishop is right Padraig. I am certain that facing mecca means standing with your back to the Tabernacle. It has to be an abomination of desolation for anyone (muslims) to be allowed to pray formally with their backs to the Altar where Jesus is most likely residing in a Tabernacle. And normally there would be a Crucifix, meaning a Cross with an image of the Crucified Christ somewhere near the main Altar. This I believe was done in a Catholic Church in USA for some occasion last year or the year before, and I was horrified. What I find so disturbing is the thought of a group of people (muslims) with their backs to the Altar, and when they pray, they kneel, and bow heir heads to the floor in the direction of mecca. This means that when their heads are bowed, their bottoms are raised towards the Altar. And I am convinced this has to be a terrible diabolical insult to Eucharistic Jesus. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. My God, I believe, I hope, I adore and I love Thee. Please forgive those who do not believe, do not hope, do not adore and do not love Thee.
I am more amazed by the Bishops reply. It was craven, a wrong rebuke for a wrong question. The reason why they would not allow it is not that it is wrong in itself (which of course it was) but that the Italian lay folk were horrified (which of course they were right to be) . In other words a matter of public relations. Muslims would never have erred like this. I salute them for this. They at least know what they believe in . Could you blame them for utterly, utterly depising us?
