“We are all the same”: The church in Barcelona opens to Ramadan diners Spanish News

As the indoor premises are closed, a Catholic church has offered open-air cloisters for people to eat and pray together.

With restrictions on COVID-19 in places where Muslims in Barcelona traditionally celebrate Ramadan, a Catholic church has offered open-air cloisters for people to eat and pray together.

Every evening, between 50 and 60 Muslims, many of them homeless, walk through centuries-old stone walkways to Santa Anna Church, where volunteers offer a rich meal of home-cooked food.

“We are all the same … If you are a Catholic or of another religion and I am a Muslim, that’s fine,” said Hafid Oubrahim, a 27-year-old Moroccan of Berber descent who attends dinners.

“We’re all like brothers and we need to help each other, too.”

During the month of Ramadan, Muslim observers do not eat between dawn and dusk, breaking the fast after sunset with a meal known as the Iftar.

Faouzia Chatik, president of the Association of Moroccan Women of Catalonia, organized Iftar meetings in the city, but the limitations of indoor dining forced her to look for good ventilation and an alternative space to put distances.

He found a receptive ear in Father Peio Sanchez, the rector of Santa Ana, who sees the encounter between the faith as emblematic of the coexistence of citizens.

“People are very happy because Muslims can do it in an Iftar Catholic church because religions serve to unite us and not divide us,” Chatik said.

Sanchez adhan a man, as the Muslims called for prayer, as he looked into the central courtyard of the church under the orange trees, lit by the flames of gas heaters.

“Despite having different cultures, different languages, different religions, we are more able to sit and talk than some politicians,” the rector said.