Interviewed by the archdiocese’s weekly magazine, card. Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, took position on the mosque that is being built in Cologne, which has been very controversial for months. In the interview, published on tomorrow’s issue of the weekly magazine, the cardinal repeated what he had already expressed in the past: "The Church in our country, as anywhere else, is committed to freedom of religion”. According to Meisner, the building of the mosque is a "lofty asset", since "it means that devotees build houses of God and can meet there to pray and celebrate services”. “How and where the mosque should be built", he explained, "must not be decided by the Church or by the archbishop of Cologne. This is the responsibility of those who plan or of the political decision-makers”. As to the so-called European congress against Islamisation, planned in Cologne tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, Meisner mentioned the example of the apostle Paul, highlighting that "The solution cannot lie in intentionally feeding or exploiting fears; instead we have to assert our faith and make our solidarity tangible, we must aim at exchange and dialogue, as shown by Paul”.
