CAIR-Minnesota Calls on Catholic Officials to Repudiate Priest’s Anti-Muslim Statements
(MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 1/29/20)
– The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Minnesota) today called on the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) to repudiate anti-Muslim comments by a Catholic priest in Rice, Minn.
Earlier this month, Father Nick VanDenBroeke told worshipers at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Rice County that there is an exception to the Christian concept of “welcoming the stranger.”
He said: “Both as Americans and as Christians, we do not need to pretend that everyone who seeks to enter America should be treated the same. I believe it is essential to consider the religion and worldview of the immigrants or refugees. More specifically, we should not be allowing large numbers of Muslims asylum or immigration into our country.”
VanDenBroeke said Islam is “the greatest threat in the world” to Christianity and the United States, and it was the duty of the Catholic church to “[keep] bad ideas out of the country.” He told congregants that they “must oppose their [Muslims] religion and worldview.”
Catholic priest: Don't let 'large numbers of Muslims' into America (AUDIO)
“We urge leaders of the Catholic Church in Minnesota to repudiate these hate-filled and un-Christian remarks as unrepresentative of the faith they hold dear,” said CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein.
“Silence on this issue would send the troubling message that the church holds a negative view of Minnesota’s Muslim community.”
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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