Replies

The Church owns real estate in cities worth enormous sums.

Those churches are not owned by the Church. They were built by locals with their own resources. Trust me on this one ... because I have just gone through the process. Our parish purchased a former Methodist/Episcopal church that was closed and shuttered. The church had been sold to a local family on condition that it never be resold for commercial use. We used our own funds to acquire the church and our own funds to restore it. The Church gave us nothing.

Insofar as the artwork, much of it was gifted to the Church. The Church acts a a guardian. Artwork is maintained through other resources, such as Vatican Patrons.

As stated, in general I agree.

Those churches are not owned by the Church. They were built by locals with their own resources. Trust me on this one ... because I have just gone through the process. Our parish purchased a former Methodist/Episcopal church that was closed and shuttered. The church had been sold to a local family on condition that it never be resold for commercial use. We used our own funds to acquire the church and our own funds to restore it. The Church gave us nothing.

The Diocese owns those churches...In my area churches are being closed left and right.. and it is the "bishop" that closes and the Diocese that places the for sale sine and collects the money IF it sells..if not they just let it become an eye sore like a slum.. the "people who built it (as you say) have no say in that churches future or the schools building when the bishop shutters them and none of THEIR money is returned to them ...like it or not ..those buildings are part of Romes net worth

PLEASE do not cry to us about the cost of "preservation..

That's how it's worked in our diocese. Our city had 11 Catholic Churches with a dropping population. Unfortunately, several had to be closed and the church across the street from us was one of them. The churches built collectively by the diocese were sold with the money going back to the diocese. One church with decreasing members was spared because the parishioners themselves raised the money to build it and then pay it off. The bishop will not touch their building.

The church across the street was bought by a lovely group of Spanish nuns. Their order purchased it to bring more young women into their fold. It's sad to see empty churches of any denomination. In fact, the synagogue down the street closed last year and I cried!

Anyway, this is probably my favorite happy ending to a closed church: http://www.churchbrew.com