January 8, 2007
The Re-Reconquista
Being rather under the weather recently, I hadn't gotten around to posting on the Bishop of Córdoba's unsurprising rejection of a Muslim group's request for permission to pray in Córdoba's cathedral (originally built as a mosque, and relatively lightly altered in conversion).
The petition took a lot of chutzpah, I think, given both the unthinkability of Christian (or Jewish) worship being permitted in the leading sanctuaries of the Islamic world, and the strongly traditionalist Catholicism of Spain. On the other hand, it seems that other European countries are more open to such unilateral ecumenism -- the extreme examples also unsurprisingly provoking rather strong responses.
Posted by David on January 8, 2007 10:58 AM
"...the joint use of temples and places of worship would only generate confusion amongst the faithful." I can only deduce from this statement that Catholicism is in such a shaky state, that the mere use of the cathedral by another religious entity would threaten the Faith to its roots. Or, rather, I should say, that the Catholics of Spain are so weak-minded that the use of the cathedral on a different day for services would undermine their faith. Ergo, not a very strong faith...oh, my, historical figures are even now quivering in rage in their graves....
What a specious argument!
Posted by: Sarah
![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.cronaca.com/nav-commenters.gif)
on January 8, 2007 2:52 PM
What is in a shaky state is a Catholicism that can see no difference between itself and Islam. That would truly confuse the faithful!
This is a Catholic cathedral, not a generic place of prayer.
Posted by: Jaime on January 8, 2007 4:50 PM
I would have no problem with this if, before the Muslim request concerning Cordoba cathedral was granted, there was an agreement to re-open Hagia Sophia to Christian worship on the same basis. I am a Christian and have been an ecumenist for more than 40 years, but reciprocity should go with the territory here.
Posted by: Paul from Georgia on January 14, 2007 4:41 PM
Haghia Sophia is a special case, in that it was secularized under Ataturk. It isn't going to be opened to Christian worship, given that it isn't open to Muslim worship, either.
Your point would be better made with another, unsecularized, church-turned-mosque -- of which there are many, albeit none so prominent as Haghia Sophia.
Posted by: David on January 15, 2007 12:58 PM
cronaca.com