"We pray to one God," RCC cleric hosts space in church for Muslims

Muslims performing namaz. Photo: iStock

On June 8, 2026, Father Giovanni Salatino, parish priest of San Giovanni Bosco in the Baggio district of Milan, Italy, officially allocated a special area within the community for performing Islamic prayers. The cleric justified the initiative with documents from the Second Vatican Council and principles of inclusivity, reports the Life Site News.

"We pray to one God, albeit within different religious traditions," said priest Salatino. "Recognizing the other’s identity is in the spirit of the Gospel." The pastor emphasized that he sees no contradiction in supporting people of other faiths within the Catholic community.

"I am fortunate to have some older youth leaders who are Muslim; they will therefore be the ones to lead the prayer with the boys," the cleric shared. "It is always better to help young people to pray."

Salatino also expressed hope for the use of Islamic terminology within the walls of the parish. "I imagine the prayer could conclude with the Islamic formula Bismillah, which invokes the name of God, the compassionate and merciful," the pastor stated. In his view, the Muslims at the camp will follow general reflections on the values of the life of Saint Francis alongside the other participants.

The Archdiocese of Milan supported the priest's actions and published a document on the reform of the oratory system. The Roman Catholic Church authorities defined the parish as a "laboratory of interreligious encounters," open to moments of non-Christian prayer.

According to the document, “welcoming everyone, driven by humanitarian and social reasons” is not a dilution of Christian identity, but “to live out the dynamic of the Incarnation, in which God does not suppress diversity, but assumes it.” The San Giovanni Bosco parish initiative is a self-declared practical application of that diocesan document.

As the UOJ reported, the Pope called on Christians and Muslims to jointly "regenerate humanity."

Read also