Spanish Muslim prays that Church will be a mosque

A number of Catholic lay organizations of Cordoba and southern Spain expressed their unreserved support for the decision on the part of Bishop Juan José Asenjo to refuse to bow to pressures from the Islamic Council of Spain to turn a church into a mosque. Part of the cathedral in Cordoba was a mosque many centuries ago, but for some 600 years it has been a place consecrated to Catholic worship and the Mass.

Mansur Escudero, president of the Islamic Council, demanded in December 2006 that the cathedral be converted into a “multi-faith” centre where Muslims would conduct formal prayer and worship. Hearing of the Bishop’s decision, Escudero spoke at a press conference on January 1st in front of the cathedral where he prayed on a carpet to “soften the heart of the bishop.”

Felipa María Bautista, the president of the Forum for Christian Presence, said in response that “it makes no sense to take a share in Catholic worship in a cathedral” while criticizing Escudero for an “antagonizing” stance.

Victoria Briceño told the ABC newspaper of Spain said as president of Catholic Action of Cordoba that her organization utterly supports Bishop Asenjo. Referring to Escudero’s request for a multi-faith center, Briceño said that “he should have done the same with the imams who bar Christians from entering mosques” while reminding him that “he doesn’t to call on journalists in order to pray.”

Francisco Alcalde of the Confraternities and Brotherhoods of Cordoba also expressed his support for the bishop’s stance, saying that Escudero’s “prayer” merely “contributes to disunion, indeed it is inadequate.”

Juan José Jurado, president of the Spanish Society for Nocturnal Adoration in Cordoba said that “the first step towards living together is mutual respect. The freedom and ease with which Muslims practice their