Archbishop Wester defends proposed mosque in New Mexico, criticizes ‘anti-Muslim sentiment’

Archbishop John Charles Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, voiced support for a Muslim group’s effort to construct a mosque in the suburbs of Albuquerque after the plan faced some community pushback.

The Albuquerque Islamic Center received approval for the new mosque in North Valley in a 5-1 vote by the Bernalillo County Planning Commission on July 1. The hearing was about five hours long with comments from the community, and the commission ultimately approved the mosque but not the proposed school, to keep the project smaller and the expected traffic lighter.

Wester issued a six-paragraph statement on July 27 in support of the project, saying Muslims have a right to access worship services and religious freedom extends beyond Christians.

In his statement, the archbishop said he has heard “concerns from residents” about the planned mosque and felt “compelled to speak clearly and pastorally” about the tension.

“Our Muslim neighbors have the same God-given and constitutionally protected right to worship freely as every other faith community, including our own,” he said and cited the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae.

Our Muslim neighbors have the same God-given and constitutionally protected right to worship freely as every other faith community, including our own.”

Archbishop John Charles Wester

Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico

“[The document] taught that every person ‘must be free from coercion’ in matters of faith,” he said. “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 is therefore entirely consistent with our own tradition and moral commitments.”

Wester encouraged “respect, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence” among people of different religious beliefs. He added: “We do not need to share the same beliefs to share the same neighborhood. What we do need is a willingness to listen, to learn, and to recognize the face of a neighbor rather than a stranger.”

The archbishop said interfaith relationships “enrich our civic life and strengthen the social fabric we all depend on” and criticized “anti-Muslim sentiment.”

“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,” Wester said.

“Fear of the other is not a Christian virtue,” he added. “Hospitality is. Our Muslim brothers and sisters have faced discrimination and hostility in many parts of the country. When such prejudice arises, Catholics are called to stand beside them, not apart from them. 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.”

Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, welcomed the archbishop’s support in a statement.

“We welcome Archbishop Wester’s principled statement defending religious freedom and thank him for speaking out,” Hooper said. “The freedom to worship is a fundamental and inalienable right of every American and every human being. As anti-Muslim bigotry rises throughout our nation, people of conscience and faith must stand together to encourage mutual respect.”