Australian Muslim school to host hundreds of Catholic youth

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 13:45:00 07/02/2008
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20080702-146014/Australian-...

SYDNEY -- An Australian Muslim school said Wednesday it will house hundreds of young Catholic pilgrims when Pope Benedict XVI travels to Sydney this month on a visit organizers hope encourages interfaith dialogue.

Hundreds of thousands of young Australian and foreign Catholics are expected to arrive in Sydney for World Youth Day celebrations from July 15-20, with many to be billeted in Catholic and non-religious schools for their stay.

Malek Fahd Islamic School, in the southwestern suburb of Greenacre, said it would also be hosting about 350 pilgrims from July 14 until the Pope concludes his visit with a mass expected to attract up to 500,000 people on July 20.

"We've been regularly involved in interfaith dialogue with other schools and we thought it was our duty really," the school's welfare and discipline coordinator Enas Darwich told Agence France-Presse.

"We didn't think twice about it."

Darwich said there had been no complaints from parents or students at the school, which will not be paid for hosting the students, about the decision to use classrooms as pilgrim accommodation during the midyear break.

"I haven't received any negative feed back at all from anyone," he said.

"The students are obviously interested in what's going on. It's not every day that someone comes and sleeps at their school."

"It's a good opportunity for them to see that there are many, many different types of religions that are around."

The organizers of World Youth Day, a six-day celebration of the Catholic faith aimed at young people, have stressed that they hope the event will be inclusive and not just for Catholics.

"Like so much the church does... it seeks to serve all comers," coordinator Bishop Anthony Fisher said in May.

During his Sydney stay, Pope Benedict XVI will meet with 40 representatives of other faiths including Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu leaders. He will also meet with the Australian leaders of other Christian rites.

Malik - good on them,  I COULD not give any "negative feedback" either.

Very well done.