www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Churches converted into Mosques

Peace in our Lord Jesus Christ,


For some strange reason, that I would LOVE someone here to explain to me, but why is the Catholic Church in Belgium, and elsewhere, converting their Churches into mosques?

Surely, if these Churches have a low-head-count attendance, it would be better to offer their usage to the Russian, Greeks, Coptic Communities instead.

As an Orthodox Christian from the Oriental denominations, we have nothing but love, respect and HUGE affection for the Catholic Church. Your Altar is sacred for us.

Why the apathy towards your own Church like this?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/belgium/2095688/Belgiums-dwindling-churches-to-be-converted-into-mosques.html

As Oriental Christians, we need Churches also, and if your Church just gives what is Holy to us to people who do not respect it, then you are insulting us in this way.

If your Churches are empty, and you are thinking about converting them into mosques, please PLEASE consider the Coptic, Romanian, Russian Churches who would be honoured to have such Holy Places of worship.

Thanks

Welcome to the forum, Thanos.

In Christ,
Alice, Moderator

Thanos888:

Christ is in our midst!!

Yes, Welcome to the forum. I would hope that your petition would reach the ears of some of our bishops in Europe.

Bob
Moderator

Oh thanks my dear Moderators.

But why are they doing this?

Despite our division, it is the Body of Jesus Christ on your Altar. (for us at least).

Its the reason we came to Europe.

This is awful.

Would you excuse me if I told you that some of your bishops are lacking in wisdom when they allow illegal muslim immigrants in a Church who, although it is a charitable act, they've displaced the altar, they've moved the crosses, and they've changed it into a mosque.

Surely this sort of charity is literally "throwing your pearls before the swine"??

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/1053

I'd like to know why?

When it comes to Church unity, my heart is open for you, but when I see stuff like this, it makes me worried.

if you do not respect what is Holy and is yours, please give it to us. Your Church is sacred in our eyes.

Hi AMM,
Thanks for this story.

Why didnt the Roman Catholics negotiate with the Orthodox?

You know, we could have shared this Church?

Don't you think it warms our hearts when we walk into a Roman Catholic Church and see icons of the Holy Theotokos!!??

Don't you think we'd care and beautify all what you have???

Don't you think??

Our congregation numbers in the Diaspora are growing. Yours are clearly dwindling. Together, we can put Christianity back in the local community.

Its important.

Why on earth didnt the RC negotiate with us on this Church? What a shame!

I think it has to do with the amount of money being offered. This link says the following:


http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/2008/12/battle-of-chicagos-st-boniface-church.html

I would guess given the location that the property could bring a good deal more on the open market. So I think it is an issue of money, and I believe the Archdiocese is seeking to find the highest bidder.

There are pictures of the interior here:

http://web.me.com/kevinski2/SaintBoniface/Interior_07.html

but you can find others on the web.

Money gained from the sale of the property can be used to build Catholic churches where they are needed. Therefore the property should not be given away or sold at a nominal price.

Latin Catholic,

Location is important. If the church IS central, it would have attracted more worshippers.

I think we need to do something between us that is joint..some sort of joint project.

We need to do something...our civilisation in Europe is in danger. What we love, what we value, what we cherish will be gradually displaced.

The CATHOLIC MAYOR of Antwerp is even suggesting giving Churches away to Muslims to be converted into mosques.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/belgium/2095688/Belgiums-dwindling-churches-to-be-converted-into-mosques.html

I think this news bulletin speaks volumes for me. The problem isn't Islam is growing.

Its that we are in disunity. The Christian Disunity , coupled with the aggressive atheist agenda is unwittingly paving the way for an Islamic State in Europe.

Not AGAIN!!

With Turkey being considered for EU membership, this will only happen sooner.

The official statistics predict that given the fertility rate of Europeans compared to the "minority" muslims, Islam will be the predominant religion in Europe in 20 years.

No war needed.
No chemical bombs...
No holy war...

Just us, the way we are, in disunity.

And what are we fighting over?? The primacy of Peter???

LOL..ohh...bless.

If your 2 sons are arguing over who gets the largest bedroom whilst their house is flooding, what would you do?

Does it make a difference which son gets the largest bedroom?

Im not trivialising the theological importances of our differences. I'm stressing that unity should be done with the spirit of "Does what unite us mean more than what divides us?"

If Europe falls under the banner of Islam, I guess we'll just move back to Egypt. What difference does it make?

Dear Thannos,

You make very good and valid points, many of which have been said by myself and others on this forum. What can we do? Lord have mercy!!!

--In Christ,
Alice

Hi Alice,

The solution is unity. Ecumenical Unity.

12 Apostles preached the Gospel, and they truely spread the Good News to all corners of the earth. No swords, No guns, nada.

12.

But, their ministry began on the day of Pentecost. Didn't it?

It says CLEARLY that they were all in the upper room, UNITED IN PRAYER, together.

They were UNITED. Praying.

That's the answer.

The catholic Church tends to focus on Power through Numbers.

No. Let's focus on Power from the Holy Spirit THROUGH the Unity of our common faith and fraternity.

Don't worry about head-counts..worry about who is United in Faith and sincerity. Your leaders need to have this spirit.

You know, in the Bible, it says: "If God is for us, then who can be against us?"

When we are in disunity, we are against each other. So, how can God bless our desire to evangelise his Gospel and revive Europe?

The rejection of one Church by another is humiliating.

Having a discussion about God and pointing out how ignorant someone is in theology is humiliating.

Saint Paul, when he himself received the Gospel, he went to the Apostles to CONFIRM with them what was revealed to him.

This is humility. He didnt go off on a tangent, start his own Church and forget about the others.

Look, at the simple commandment given to the Gentiles when they were accepted into the Body of Christ. it was SoOOO simple:

* Repent, don't fornicate, no meats offered to idols, and "if you do that, you should be OK".

Did St Paul tell them "Wait a sec there... before you go off and get baptised, tell me: 'Does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father and the Son, or just the Father?"

Did he ask this of them??

Lord have Mercy on us!

To be still more depressing, the Greek-Catholics have the same problem in the diaspora. You would think that the RCs would assist us - but you would be mistaken. It took our bishop, myself, the congregation, and several friends a solid ten years to obtain the use of a redundant RC chapel, even at a commercial rent. Meanwhile the Muslims in Ireland are proselytizing like mad.

Any comments I might make would be highly disedifying.

Fr. Serge

Maybe if Greek Catholics issued fatwas, rioted in the streets and burned a few hundred cars every night, they would also get preferential treatment?

I could also tell the story about the Falls Church Islamic Center, which somehow managed to get variances on scores of zoning ordinances and was issued a building permit in record time, while Epiphany of Our Lord in nearby Annandale was nibbled to death by ducks trying to put up a very modest church to replace the small, makeshift building they had been using for several decades.

Glory to Jesus Christ!



Father bless.

I would rather that Greek Catholics/Orthodox have their own church buildings that is thoroughly Byzantine without the stain glass windows and what seems to me as a mish mash of eastern and western styles that just clash. I've seen pictures of this and it knaws at me like seeing a painting with two colors that just do not go and clash together. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to get an unused RC church building. I'd just rather put up the money for a thoroughly Byzantine parish. I know this is the ideal, but what can I say, I'm an idealist.

Kyrie eleison,

Manuel

The choice is more usually between a formerly Western church on the one hand; and a commercial storefront, community center, gymnasium or even a private residence on the other. None is ideal, but to reuse a church which has already been sanctified to the glory of God is superior to the other options.