Italian bishop backs imam’s presentation of Islam inside Catholic parish church

BRINDISI, Italy (LifeSiteNews) — An imam delivered a presentation of the Islamic faith inside a Catholic parish church in Brindisi, Italy, with the participation of the local bishop.

On April 15, the parish of San Lorenzo in Brindisi, southern Italy, hosted an event titled “Do You Know Islam? Let us explore together the pillars, the meaning of life, and the celebrations of the Islamic faith,” in which Imam Khaled Bouchelaghem of the local Islamic community spoke from within the parish premises, with the presence of Archbishop Giovanni Intini of the Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni, who delivered the concluding remarks. The initiative has been actively promoted by the diocesan office for ecumenism and interreligious dialogue with the stated aim of fostering mutual understanding.

Italian journalist Andrea Zambrano reported this news in the outlet La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana.

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According to the diocesan communication, the initiative is guided by the principle: “If you truly know the other, you truly love them.” The title itself, framed as a question, indicates that the meeting is intended to introduce or deepen knowledge of Islamic beliefs among participants. Zambrano described the event as an “Islamic catechism.”

The stated objective of the event aligns with broader interreligious dialogue efforts, emphasizing knowledge as a basis for peaceful coexistence. The slogan associated with the initiative – attributed to Marco Impagliazzo of the Community of Sant’Egidio – has been used in similar contexts to promote engagement between different religious traditions.

The imam Bouchelaghem had previously taken part in other initiatives involving Catholic settings in Brindisi. Indeed, this event follows a previous initiative held in 2025 in another parish in Brindisi, San Carlo, where members of the local Muslim community organized an iftar meal marking the end of Ramadan. That gathering, also open to both Muslims and non-Muslims, took place within church premises and was presented as an occasion of encounter and hospitality.

Zambrano also points out that, ironically, the event was hosted in a parish dedicated to St. Lawrence of Brindisi (not to be confused with the early Christian martyr of the same name), a Capuchin friar, canonized in 1881 and proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope John XXIII in 1959. Historical records indicate that in 1601 he served as a chaplain to Catholic forces during military campaigns in Central Europe, offering spiritual assistance to troops engaged in conflict with the Ottoman Muslim army.