Rome, Italy, Dec 3, 2009 / 13:02 pm
The referendum outlawing new minarets from being built in Switzerland has received few votes in favor from the international community since it was passed into law in a vote on Sunday. The Swiss Conference of Catholic Bishops is among those who oppose the result as an infringement on freedom of religion.
Nearly 58% of Swiss voters, including the majority in all but four of the 26 counties in Switzerland, passed the measure to block new minaret construction within the country with a 'yes' vote.
"This is a blow to religious freedom and integration" Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reported the Swiss Conference of Catholic Bishops (SCCB) as saying, and it's "a tendency that complicates things for Christians who live in nations where this liberty is already limited."
SCCB spokesman, Walter Muller said that the referendum will only serve "to add to the problems of cohabitation between religion and culture" in the country. He added that it wouldn't help abroad either, in countries where Muslims outnumber Christians.