Success for campaign to save hospital chapel

CATHOLICS IN Manchester have won a battle to keep the chapel at North Manchester General Hospital, pictured right, from being turned into a Muslim prayer room.

More than 6,000 people signed a petition protesting against the spiritual care chaplaincy team’s proposal to convert St Raphael’s chapel.

The Catholic chaplain, Fr Ray Matus, welcomed the decision, pointing out that the 15-year-old chapel was popular with patients and staff.

“The chapel is right on the main corridor. People love it – it’s very small, but much appreciated,” he said.

North Manchester General Hospital, which is in the north of the city, currently has two chapels and two Muslim prayer rooms, as well as a Jewish Shabbat room.

The priest who started the online petition against the proposals, Fr Ged Murphy, parish priest of St Patrick’s and St Malachy’s in Collyhurst, said that under the hospital’s original proposals, Catholics and Anglicans would have shared a chapel.

Welcoming the hospital’s response on Tuesday, he said: “Thanks to all for their support, including members of the Muslim community who signed the petition. We succeeded in persuading the chaplaincy to change its mind. Hopefully, it can now make progress with providing a space for the Muslim community which suits everyone.”

A spokesman for the hospital, the Rev. John Hall from The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, confirmed that the trust had no plans to close the ­“important and well-used” chapel.

He added that the trust was trying to improve “faith and spiritual care services” across all its ­hospitals.