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PDF versionCity seeks tax on shuttered Catholic churches
Feb. 23, 2010
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The doors of St. Peter Catholic Church are chained and padlocked. The sign out front reads "for sale."
St. Peter and four other churches were recently closed by the Diocese of Syracuse to save money. Now the tax man wants his share.
City Assessor John Gamage put St. Peter and two other closed Catholic churches, St. Andrew the Apostle and St. Stephen, on the tax roll for the first time this year.
Since the churches are no longer being used as houses of worship, they are taxable, the assessor said.
Combined with two former city parochial schools also denied exempt status, the tax bill for Catholic parishioners could be $89,175 based on tentative assessment figures and current tax rates.
This is the first time Gamage has denied exemptions to closed Catholic churches, but he said the city is not trying to start a holy war. Gamage, a Catholic himself, said the recent closures forced his office to include them in a regular review to ensure that tax-exempt buildings are being used for tax-exempt activities.
Making sure property owners pay their share is especially important in Syracuse, where less than half of the city's property value is taxed, which leaves the remaining owners responsible for all of the city's tax revenue.
That puts a huge burden on city homeowners, said William Anderson, a member of the city's Board of Assessment Review, which has the final say on exemption appeals.
"We're representatives of the small property owners," Anderson said. "They're the ones paying all the taxes, and they're the ones who don't really have a voice in this."
A nonprofit or religious organization isn't automatically exempt from taxes on any property it owns, Gamage said. To be exempt, the property has to be used for a religious, educational or other tax-exempt purpose. "It's not just about ownership," Gamage said.
All Catholic churches in the Syracuse diocese are individually incorporated, but Bishop Robert J. Cunningham is the president of all of those corporations, said diocese spokeswoman Danielle Cummings.
Robert Ventre, a lawyer representing St. Peter's, which was merged into a new parish in 2008, conceded the closed church is used infrequently. But it is still a church because it has relics from saints installed in the altar, said Ventre. That means Mass can be held there, and that the church isn't officially closed yet, Ventre said.
St. Peter Church is for sale and may have an offer coming in soon from another religious organization, Ventre said. The offer is for $321,000.
NCR: February 3-16, 2012
Subscribe to NCR to get all the news and special features that aren't always available online. In this issue:
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New study by Notre Dame researcher about parish involvement in America
[Meghan Rubado writes for The Post-Standard in Syracuse, N.Y.]
Nothing wrong with that at
Nothing wrong with that at all. The doicese can sell it to a real estate developer and he or she can make condos or worse, it can become an evangelical church. if it is notbeing used for what it was meant, tax away
isn't this legal comment
isn't this legal comment typical of the RCC most vigorous defense of its monitory power.
"Robert Ventre, a lawyer representing St. Peter's, which was merged into a new parish in 2008, conceded the closed church is used infrequently. But it is still a church because it has relics from saints installed in the altar, said Ventre. That means Mass can be held there, and that the church isn't officially closed yet, Ventre said."
When my parish did not have a church we heard mass at a public school gymnasium. I don't think it was built over Catholic relics but I would not rule out Native Americans.
As Churches in general continue to manipulate the elective process, their whole organizations should be taxed. The only relic I can find is that some Churches believe that they should not be taxed no matter what they do or attempt to do. Many do not operate under the rules of valid religious deduction. This should be corrected at the state and IRS levels.
So well said; I'm with you on
So well said; I'm with you on this absurd lawyer's statement.
Uh, Catholic churches,
Uh, Catholic churches, specifically altars, can be used for worship irregardless of whether there is a relic in the altar, below it, or to the point, none at all. Quite frankly catholic white-flight, the closure of industry, and suburban sprawl (give me my three car garage please) are to blame, so if catholics left the city and their property to boot (or "faded" away) the diocese shouldn't feel obliged to keept empty plants and pay out taxes. Get out the wrecking ball! Too bad, so sad! You moved out of town. Its called demographics and the 21st century.
I think it should be taxed;
I think it should be taxed; the Diocese will make money on its sale.
The church must follow its
The church must follow its teachings on social justice. No one has directly mentioned that yet.
If, in fact the church buildings are not, de facto, regular places for liturgy or other tax exempt exempt parish or religious programs (including programs with and for the poor), then in justice taxes must be paid. That's how our system runs and other tax payers should not be burdened with extra taxes.
Robert Ventre's talk about relics in the altar is ludicrous to say the least. Our parish has no relics in it's altar. In fact, there is no requirement that relics be placed in an altar unless it is a truly permanent built into altar. But in any case it's irrelevant. A church is a church when it's used as a church.
The kind of argument Ventre makes smacks too much of the kind of behavior behind the sex scandals. Why can't the church act in a credible, ethical manner?
The National Catholic
The National Catholic Reporter certainly is very unbiased in the stories appearing on their website which I enjoy reading.
The comments are very practical and down to earth and the attitude to land taxes is valid. We never seem to have much to say in that area here in Australia.
In fact we don't seem to have much to say at all, with a very good Catholic website encouraging comments which could be utilised more by Catholics or anyone else for that matter with a point of view.
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