The Vicariate of Rome has announced that the Grand Mosque of Rome will host an interreligious gathering titled “Cristiani e musulmani in dialogo alla Grande Moschea” on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 5pm. The move has prompted debate over what is proper conduct in interfaith and ecumenical meetings.

The event is jointly organised by the Centro Islamico Culturale d’Italia and the Diocese of Rome. Catholic participants will include Auxiliary Bishop Marco Valenti of the Northern Sector, Mgr Marco Gnavi, responsible for the Office for Ecumenism, interreligious dialogue and new cults, and Prof Wasim Salman of the PISAI (Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies). The Islamic side will feature Dr Abdellah Redouane, secretary general of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy, and Imam Nader Akkad, who will lead a guided visit of the mosque.

During the meeting, the Italian Bishops’ Conference and PISAI will present “Cards to learn about Islam” – information sheets on Islam prepared jointly by a mixed Christian-Muslim commission. Entry to the event is free and open to the public. In the official press release dated April 30, 2026, Mgr Gnavi emphasised the Diocese of Rome’s longstanding commitment to dialogue, citing the example of Bishop Leone and referencing Pope Francis’s encyclical Fratelli Tutti. He recalled Cardinal Baldassare Reina’s visit to the same mosque on January 10, 2025 and described the forthcoming encounter as an opportunity to enlarge the “space of peace” in a world marked by conflict and violence.

Critical reaction has been swift. Traditional Catholic voices have questioned the wisdom of holding high-profile dialogue events inside a major mosque while Christians face persecution throughout the Islamic world.

Noteworthy observers have highlighted the asymmetry: Catholic leaders routinely extend gestures of fraternity inside Islamic institutions, while similar access or symbolic reciprocity for Christian worship in many Muslim-majority settings remains restricted or impossible.