Is it ok to allow Muslims to worship and pray in our Churches?

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Danny69

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Hi,

Here in the UK the bishops and priest have allowed Muslims to conduct acts of prayer and worship in our cathedrals and churches, I was wondering whether this was in accordance with the mind of the Church, considering that they do worship the same God as us.
 
The God that Christians worship is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–something that Moslems deny.

And how many Moslems would allow the Eucharistic Sacrifice to take place in a mosque?

I understand that from their point of view, having Moslem prayers in a Church automatically converts it into a mosque.

That’s what happened with Hagia Sophia in Constantinope and many other formerly Orthodox Churches.
 
The problem for a muslim would be the crucifix or statues of vigin Mary they are not allowed to pray with a crucifix or statue present.

I can not see why muslims would like to pray in a church as they already got a lot of mosques in the UK.
 
Danny, can you give us a source for this?

I know of individual muslims who come to church, but they are thinking about conversion. I also met a muslim family at a Marian shrine who go there regularly.

A church isn’t really set up for muslim worship - those pews would get in the way!
 
ora_pro_nobis said:
Danny, can you give us a source for this?

I know of individual muslims who come to church, but they are thinking about conversion. I also met a muslim family at a Marian shrine who go there regularly.

A church isn’t really set up for muslim worship - those pews would get in the way!
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news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/jersey/4310645.stm

blogs.telegraph.co.uk/damian_thompson/blog/2007/05/27/allahs_name_to_ring_out_in_westminster

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1091218/Muslim-prayer-rooms-opened-Catholic-schools-say-church-leaders.html?printingPage=true

catholicactionuk.blogspot.com/2007/05/allah-to-be-glorified-in-westminster.html

blogs.telegraph.co.uk/damian_thompson/blog/2009/03/12/archbishop_nichols_defends_use_of_chapel_for_event_marking_mohammeds_birthday

altmuslim.com/a/a/r/2503/
 
This may sound very uncharitable but… why can’t they find their own places to pray and NOT in Catholic churches?

This is very distressing to me.
 
GodIsGracious said:
This may sound very uncharitable but… why can’t they find their own places to pray and NOT in Catholic churches?

This is very distressing to me.
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As i said before, a muslim can NOT pray in a building where there is a statue or a crucifix without covering them up, so i dont see any reason to worry about it.

That the bishops allowed it doesnt mean that the muslims are doing it, their own learned men will not allow any muslim to pray if there is a statue or crucifix present.

I dont think you need to worry about this, i had contacts with muslims for more than 20 years and until now i never heard they where praying in a church.

If they think of converting its a different thing, but not for the sake of occupying the church.

So dont you worry.
 
GodIsGracious said:
This may sound very uncharitable but… why can’t they find their own places to pray and NOT in Catholic churches?

This is very distressing to me.
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I share your sentiments.

But I asked the question to see if my feelings were more to do with fear rather then what the Church teaches.

At the last Catholic youth project that I worked at, the staff knew more about the Islamic faith rather then Catholicism, how tragic.

God bless.
 
Anyone is welcome to come into a Catholic Church to pray. They may attend Mass also, however they may not receive communion if they are not Catholic. I really can’t see many Muslims even wanting to enter a Catholic Church, but if they do, maybe the Holy Spirit can reach out to them and provide some Truth to them about who Jesus Christ really is. They don’t get the Truth in the Koran.
I just returned from Israel and our entire group chose NOT to visit the Dome of the Rock because we would not be allowed to have a rosary, a crucifix or a bible on us if we did. This wasn’t even going into the Dome of the Rock because only Muslims can do that. This was just to be in the area where it is. They do not allow anyone other than Muslims to pray around their holy area.
There are reasons why Islamic countries will not allow their people to crack a bible or even discuss Christianity. They do not want people to actually be able to find the Truth. We have no problem with those of other faiths coming to us, we welcome it. We have nothing to hide about the true Church of God. 🙂
 
I would welcome anyone into a church to pray individually… but I definitely would not allow groups. I say this because at some point, allowing this becomes an informal endorsement of that religion.
 
My opinion on the matter is that it is completely inappropriate. Here is what I could find from canon law on the subject:

Can. 1210 Only those things which serve the exercise or promotion of worship, piety, or religion are permitted in a sacred place; anything not consonant with the holiness of the place is forbidden. In an individual case, however, the ordinary can permit other uses which are not contrary to the holiness of the place.

Can. 1211 Sacred places are violated by gravely injurious actions done in them with scandal to the faithful, actions which, in the judgment of the local ordinary, are so grave and contrary to the holiness of the place that it is not permitted to carry on worship in them until the damage is repaired by a penitential rite according to the norm of the liturgical books.

Muslim worship does not seem consonant with the holiness of the place to me.
 
anjoh66 said:
The problem for a muslim would be the crucifix or statues of vigin Mary they are not allowed to pray with a crucifix or statue present.

I can not see why muslims would like to pray in a church as they already got a lot of mosques in the UK.
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I’m certainly not a supporter of our churches being used to host other religions, but it is (to me at least) interesting to note that, in the Middle East, some people (generally women) of the particular religion in question often frequent Christian (read: Catholic) churches for the express purpose of asking the intervention of the Holy Virgin Mary (even though they don’t use that term). There’s an article about some of it in the current National Geographic. Other accounts abound: there was one from the Gulf War where non-Christian women prayed regularly in front of a statue of the Holy Virgin in the courtyard of a Chaldean church in Baghdad. Another are the accounts of the apparition of Our Lady of Zeitoun in Cairo (at the Coptic Cathedral) some years ago.
 
Harrison said:
My opinion on the matter is that it is completely inappropriate. Here is what I could find from canon law on the subject:

Can. 1210 Only those things which serve the exercise or promotion of worship, piety, or religion are permitted in a sacred place; anything not consonant with the holiness of the place is forbidden. In an individual case, however, the ordinary can permit other uses which are not contrary to the holiness of the place.

Can. 1211 Sacred places are violated by gravely injurious actions done in them with scandal to the faithful, actions which, in the judgment of the local ordinary, are so grave and contrary to the holiness of the place that it is not permitted to carry on worship in them until the damage is repaired by a penitential rite according to the norm of the liturgical books.

Muslim worship does not seem consonant with the holiness of the place to me.
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I agree.
 
Harrison said:
My opinion on the matter is that it is completely inappropriate. Here is what I could find from canon law on the subject:

Can. 1210 Only those things which serve the exercise or promotion of worship, piety, or religion are permitted in a sacred place; anything not consonant with the holiness of the place is forbidden. In an individual case, however, the ordinary can permit other uses which are not contrary to the holiness of the place.

Can. 1211 Sacred places are violated by gravely injurious actions done in them with scandal to the faithful, actions which, in the judgment of the local ordinary, are so grave and contrary to the holiness of the place that it is not permitted to carry on worship in them until the damage is repaired by a penitential rite according to the norm of the liturgical books.

Muslim worship does not seem consonant with the holiness of the place to me.
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The problem being that Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor doesn’t agree with you. I do, however.
 
I’ve just had a look at the sources Danny kindly supplied.

Er…none of them has anything to do with muslim worship in a Catholic Church. The first story is about a community centre being offered as a prayer room, there’s a story about facilities for muslim pupils in a Catholic school, some debates and workshops in a chaplaincy, and the rest are about a piece of music in Westminster Cathedral.

It’s quite clear that organised muslim worship cannot be carried out in a church -wrong layout, statues, no ablution rooms etc

Surely we must welcome individuals, of all faiths and none, into our churches. How else are they going to see and appreciate our Faith? Besides, you can’t tell from looking at someone what religion they are. When I first stepped inside a Catholic church I was an atheist, and I’m very glad no one told me to get lost.
 
I don’t agree with it but if my bishop were to allow it, I would not protest it.
 
ora_pro_nobis said:
I’ve just had a look at the sources Danny kindly supplied.

Er…none of them has anything to do with muslim worship in a Catholic Church.
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True to a certain extent, but I would think the 99 names of Allah in the Cathedral is more or less tantamount to false worship being allowed in the Cathedral?

Also I gave the sources not because they all backed up my claim explicitly but simply because they show at least how Islamic practices seem to be encroaching in Catholic domains.

The reason I asked the original question, was because I have seen with my own eyes priests allowing Muslims to worship in their manner in Catholic churches and because this is a personal experience I have no sources for it! For example at Trinity and All Saints in Leeds, the Chaplain priest there always allowed Muslims to pray in their manner in the Catholic Chapel.

Judging from one of the canon law quotes on this thread it would seem my initial suspicions that the false worship of the Islamic kind in a Catholic place has no place, were correct.

But I am open to learn and stand corrected if need be!
 
Danny69 said:
The reason I asked the original question, was because I have seen with my own eyes priests allowing Muslims to worship in their manner in Catholic churches and because this is a personal experience I have no sources for it! For example at Trinity and All Saints in Leeds, the Chaplain priest there always allowed Muslims to pray in their manner in the Catholic Chapel.
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This is awful. Absolutely awful.

Seriously. Why can’t they get their own place?
 
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