Posted on 05/09/2007 6:35:16 AM PDT by NYer
Milan - Milan's leading obstetric hospital was replacing its crucifixes with images of the Virgin Mary to avoid offending a growing number of Muslim patients, reports said Wednesday.
'Our wards have become multiethnic. We want to respect all religions and avoid any form of discrimination. That is why we have decided to replace the crucifix with the image of the Madonna, which is also appreciated by Muslim women,' daily La Repubblica quoted Mangiagalli's medical director, Basilio Tiso, as saying Wednesday.
Some 7,000 women give birth at the Mangiagalli each year. Of these, about 30 per cent are foreign immigrants, many of whom are not Catholic.
The head of Milan's Viale Jenner Islamic centre, Abdelhamid Shaari, welcomed the move, saying Mary was a figure that was also revered by Muslims.
'This is certainly a sign of respect for our religion that we greatly appreciate. But a white wall would have been even better. Italy is a secular state and children are angels in any religion,' Shaari told La Repubblica.
The representation of the cross on which Jesus died has become the subject of a heated debate in Italy in recent years as Muslim groups and non-Christians seek its removal from the walls of public buildings.
Although church and state are officially separated in Italy, a 1923 regulation issued during Benito Mussolini's Fascist rule and never repealed states that a symbol of the crucifix should hang in every classroom and courtroom in the country.
Officials at the Mangiagalli hospital plan to replace all crucifixes within the next few months. However, patients will still be able to have a crucifix hanging in their room if they ask for one.
Right. The woman in Rev. 12 is Israel. I agree with you.
Who/what is the woman depicted in Revelation 17?
No, it's a sign they are bending over for Islam!!!
There's coming a day when they are going to regret it. Islam never stops after one victory. Not until their whole country is an Islamic nation, governed by Sharia Law.
I’ll have to check that out. Mxx
I think this happened in a secular hospital, not a Catholic one.
Muslims believe that Christians are polytheists because of the Trinity.
But isn’t the Trinity really just three different manifestations of the same being, similar to how Pallas and Nike were both really Athena?
You must understand that Italy is a Catholic country.
The move is akin to a Catholic in Saudi Arabia asking that the Quran be removed from the hospital bedside because it was offensive.
I assure you, the result would not be the same.
Yes, something like that. But I’ve spoken with Muslims who just think “You Christians believe in three gods”. My limited experience with their theology is that it is pretty limited — they do not want to believe in anything that is not completely obvious on the face of it, so “different manifestations of the same being” wouldn’t even make any sense to them.
I had to change planes in Milan two years ago about this time. The people were rude and I think deliberately gave us wrong info about changing planes. I find it hard to imagine them giving any non-Italian any consideration, but they may prefer Asian Muslims to Americans. I’m sure that they’re not all like this, but I had a hard time there. And I’m very polite.
Please forgive me for being a jerk, but ... as an English major, I have to correct your use of “hung.” The past-tense of “to hang” (as in the form of execution) is “hanged.”
OK, I’m done. ;-)
Thank you.
Yes, I know that and regularly scream at the talking heads on TV when they screw up that — and countless OTHER elements of speech — but wanted to keep my response parallel to the item to which I was responding. Took a little literary license.
My current favorite pet peeve is the stupid filler “going forward.” How one “goes back” without a time machine really befuddles me.
As one of our better educated citizens, you might be interested in the video found at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0lR1KQq2-U
A hole in the wall? Hmm. I don’t think the hospital would be happy with that but your other suggestions could work (smile).
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