Cordoba, Spain, Nov 5, 2010 / 19:58 pm
Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Cordoba, Spain has asked that the city’s historic cathedral be referred to as a Catholic church and not as a “mosque,” in reference to its past.
In an October column, Bishop Fernandez wrote, “Cathedral or mosque? Undoubtedly a cathedral. It is the main church of the Diocese of Cordoba, where the chair of the bishop is located, thus the name 'cathedral'.”
The bishop noted that the Cathedral of Cordoba has been a place of Catholic worship for eight centuries. Saint King Ferdinand III took over the city without bloodshed on June 28, 1236, and ordered the temple, which had been built as a mosque, to be consecrated, Bishop Fernandez explained.
“It was saved from destruction because of the successful negotiations between Ferdinand and the Muslim occupiers of the city, who wanted to destroy it rather than turning it over. When the Muslims invaded in 711, it was already a sacred place, as it was the location of the ancient Basilica of Saint Vincent the Martyr.”