by Tom Gallagher
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Last week I noted that the City of Springfield, Mass., unanimously voted to create an historic district thereby preventing the demolition of a beautiful church. The diocese then sued the city.
Now we have the same dynamic playing out in Cleveland, according to a story in today's Columbus Dispatch:
"The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland says it doesn't want the city to grant landmark status to its churches.
Cleveland's Landmarks Commission is recommending that six Catholic churches be designated as historical city landmarks, which would give them some protection against demolition or structural changes."
The diocese is considering closing four of the six churches because of a priest shortage. If they're declared historic they could be difficult to sell.
