Pope urges charity when churches are sold, reused

YORK DISPATCH
By Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press

Photo by Antonio Calanni of decommissioned church in 2017 where members now play tennis inside the former sanctuary

ROME — The Vatican and bishops from Europe and beyond have developed proposed guidelines for the sale or reuse of Catholic churches to help ensure that they retain their cultural heritage and serve the good of the community, not commerce. With some churches being turned into discos, gelaterias or demolished outright, the guidelines suggest that if the church cannot be given to another Christian community, it should be reused for cultural or societal aims. Those would include being used as a museum, a library or conference hall, a food bank for the poor or charity center. [More]