Fusano Church welcomes you. This is the sign that on Thursday welcomed the Muslim community in the town of Cuneo within the walls of the Santo Spirito Church, to celebrate the end of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, one of the most heartfelt celebrations for the Muslim faithful. The community did not have a spacious enough place to stay, according to the anti-Covid rules: it required the municipality, run by the center-right junta led by the League, to use the municipal gymnasium or any other suitable place as in previous years, but received no Reply.
Thus, the parish priest Don Flavio Luciano provided an inner room for 200 believers, while the Mass was celebrated next to it. “A simple choice, the fruit of basic respect and friendship. It was automatic. I don’t know why some simple things in Italy today make the news,” explains the priest.
His choice was to accept the Muslims’s request: the community applied to the municipality’s administration to obtain a larger space and thus celebrate Eid in safety due to the fear that the mosque is where Muslims celebrate Eid elsewhere. Years, it wasn’t wide enough to warrant spacing. But there was no response from the center-right Military Council. Thus, two days before the celebration, the Muslim community sought to find an alternative by knocking on the church doors.
The choice of Don Flavio Luciano was informed through the social media of the parish: “Our society today welcomed the Muslim brothers who ended Ramadan, and pray for the universal brotherhood. Jameel” The inner room was left for them, which also contains an outdoor space. “In the past, there were moments of meeting between the two sects – he adds – so if dialogue and mutual respect were established, which found a simple answer in this decision.”
However, the story sparked controversy at the political level, with the Democratic Party requesting explanations for Northern League mayor Dario Talon. The justification is as follows: “They informed us that they can hold the party, on May 12 or 13, to close the month of Ramadan. In the document they sent us, the place where they wanted to hold this party was not written, and they did not ask us for anything, neither a room nor a square. The administration has the right to authorize a religious holiday. “
The Democratic Party’s response was not long: “Once the news began to circulate, Mayor Talon rooted himself behind bureaucratic reasons, citing the fact that, according to him, a general and weak communication was provided about the contents. Don Flavio’s gesture about availability towards the Muslim community makes all the more absurd. Rejection by the administration.Our mayor often forgets that he should be the mayor of all Fusano citizens. Like this, who, for no reason, exclude and punish an entire community by obstructing the free expression of faith, really leave us with bitterness and silence. The municipality, make a good impression: I apologize and repent. You have a year to prepare for Eid Al Fitr 2022. “
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