In USA, Catholic bishop supports mosque construction
A bishop from New Mexico cited declarations of the Second Vatican Council, stating that supporting people of other faiths is an integral part of Church teaching.
Catholic bishop John Wester has called on believers to support the construction of a Muslim center in Albuquerque. The Archbishop from the state of New Mexico stood in defense of the mosque project, calling it a moral obligation of the faithful, reports Life Site News.
The head of the Catholic diocese emphasized that the right to freely profess one's faith is universal and is not limited to Christian communities alone. "Our Muslim neighbors have the same God-given and constitutionally protected right to worship freely as every other faith community, including our own," said John Wester. According to him, defending this right is not only a civic duty but a core element of Catholic teaching."
He cited the documents of the Second Vatican Council, in particular the declaration Dignitatis Humanae. John Wester noted that in this document the Catholic Church affirmed religious freedom as "an integral part of human dignity." He quoted the provision that every person "must be free from coercion" in matters of faith.
The Archbishop expressed his conviction that this principle must be applied universally. "It is not limited to Catholics or Christians; it extends fully to Muslims, Jews, and all people who seek to worship according to their conscience. Supporting the construction of a mosque is therefore entirely consistent with our own tradition and moral commitments."
As the UOJ reported, a Catholic seminary in New York will be converted into an Islamic school.
