VATICAN CITY— Two senior Vatican officials on Tuesday joined a growing list of European political and religious leaders expressing concern over the use of some Muslim veils by Islamic women immigrants.
Cardinal Renato Martino and Archbishop Agostino Marchetto spoke at a news conference presenting Pope Benedict's message for the Catholic Church's World Day of Migrants and Refugees, in which the Pontiff called for laws to help immigrants integrate.
Immigrants of other religions "must respect the traditions, symbols, culture and religion of the countries they move to," said Martino, head of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace, in response to a question about the use of the veil.
"It seems elementary to me and it is highly justified that authorities demand it," he said.
source.
I find this significant. I would have thought the "Justice and Peace" cardinal would have supported Muslims, because they usually do. This is interesting.
I also find it significant that the Cardinal is saying that not only should Muslims understand Western Traditions, but that the authorities are correct in requiring they stop using the veil.
Marchetto said dialogue was the key to helping Muslims integrate in Europe.
"In dialogue, we have to try to make them understand that the consequences of some of their desires deriving from their religion or traditions may not be positive in the society in which they now find themselves," he said.
I'm definitively sympathetic to this point of view. But I fear the slipperty slope.
I can see this measure coming back to bite us Catholics in the butt: what if they demand that we conform in accepting homosexual behaviour, saying that Western society has changed and we're obligated to honour that "tradition".
I'm not sure I like all this. And what will they do to a woman who insists on covering her face? Will she end up in jail? That's a good way to make a martyr.
I wonder how the Muslim community is reacting. I haven't heard much on that front.
