The Archbishop of Santa Fe has condemned anti-Muslim rhetoric and expressed support for plans to build a mosque and community centre in Albuquerque, citing the Catholic Church's teaching on religious freedom.
"As Archbishop of Santa Fe and a resident of Albuquerque, I feel compelled to speak clearly and pastorally: our Muslim neighbors have the same God-given and constitutionally protected right to worship freely as every other faith community, including our own. Defending that right is not only a civic duty but a core element of Catholic teaching," Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe said in a July 27 statement published on the archdiocesan website.
The Church, Wester said, "has long affirmed religious liberty as essential to human dignity".
Quoting Dignitatis humanae, the Second Vatican Council's declaration on religious freedom, the archbishop said: "Every person 'must be free from coercion' in matters of faith. This principle applies universally. It is not limited to Catholics or Christians; it extends fully to Muslims, Jews, and all people who seek to worship according to their conscience."
Supporting the construction of a mosque, Wester said, "is therefore entirely consistent with our own tradition and moral commitments".
The archbishop urged Catholics in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe to "choose respect, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence", adding: "We do not need to share the same beliefs to share the same neighborhood."
Instead, he said, "what we do need is a willingness to listen, to learn, and to recognize the face of a neighbor rather than a stranger. Interfaith relationships enrich our civic life and strengthen the social fabric we all depend on."
The proposed mosque and community centre would be built in Albuquerque's North Valley. In June, the leader of the Albuquerque Islamic Center said the existing mosque in the area was too small to accommodate the city's growing Muslim community.
The site required a zoning change in April, according to local media. The Maria/Diers Neighborhood Association appealed the decision, citing concerns about the height of the proposed building and increased traffic in the area.
On July 1, the Bernalillo County Planning Commission rejected the appeal, allowing the project to proceed.
While the neighbourhood association denied that its objections were based on religion, other opponents of the project explicitly objected to an Islamic organisation building in the area. Such attitudes, Wester said, "have no place in the heart of a Christian".
"Any hostility toward Muslims—whether expressed through rhetoric, suspicion, or opposition to their places of worship—is incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who commands us to love our neighbor without exception," he said. "Fear of the other is not a Christian virtue. Hospitality is."
Catholics, Wester said, are called to "stand beside" their "Muslim brothers and sisters" in the face of discrimination and hostility.
"Supporting their right to build a mosque is one concrete way to affirm their dignity and to reject the forces that seek to marginalize them," he said. "I encourage us all to welcome this project with goodwill. A neighborhood that makes room for the prayers of many is stronger, more compassionate, and more reflective of the values we claim to uphold."
The Catholic Herald contacted the Archdiocese of Santa Fe for additional comment but did not receive a response before publication.
