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A Catholic university in Belgium incorporates Islamic chants into the opening mass of the course

The Islamization of the KU Leuven mass has caused protests among students: they accuse the university of renouncing its religious identity rooted in 600 years of history.

La Universitat Catòlica de Lovaina (KU Leuven) ha incorporat cants islàmics a la missa d’obertura del curs acadèmic 2026-2027. Va passar dimecres 16 de setembre a l’església de Sant Pere de Lovaina, a Bèlgica. El diari belga PAL NWS ha publicat les imatges de l’acte.

No era una trobada interreligiosa

La cerimònia no estava anunciada com una trobada interreligiosa. Era oficialment la missa solemne d’obertura del curs que es celebra des de 1425. La novetat d’aquest any és que uns cants islàmics es van interpretar durant la mateixa missa catòlica. La universitat explica que començar el curs amb una eucaristia forma part de la seva tradició. Això fa que la introducció de cants islàmics tingui més pes simbòlic: no passa en qualsevol activitat, sinó en una de les cerimònies més antigues i representatives de la institució.

La KU Leuven continua conservant la paraula catòlica en la seva pròpia denominació: la K de KU correspon a Katholieke, «catòlica» en neerlandès. També manté l’església, les togues, la processó acadèmica i la missa d’obertura. Aquesta universitat conserva tots els símbols externs de la seva tradició cristiana però després de 600 anys de funcionament ha islamitzat la missa.

«KU Leuven amb la K d’Alkorà»

La principal protesta ha arribat de l’associació d’estudiants flamencs de la Universitat de Lovaina KVHV-Leuven. A Instagram el grup va resumir la seva protesta amb la frase «KU Leuven amb la K d’Alkorà» i va acusar la universitat de renunciar progressivament a la seva identitat cristiana. La seva queixa no és contra la presència de musulmans a la universitat, sinó contra el fet que una expressió religiosa islàmica s’incorpori precisament dins d’una missa catòlica.

La KU Leuven no ha ofert, fins ara, una explicació pública detallada sobre la decisió. No consta qui va proposar incorporar els cants islàmics, quin significat tenien dins de la celebració ni per què es van introduir en una missa catòlica. La universitat continua presentant l’acte simplement com la missa solemne d’obertura del curs.

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