Sale of Church to Muslims Is No Big Deal, Say US Catholic Officials

US Catholic officials downplay concerns over the sale of a church to a Muslim community, emphasizing interfaith harmony and the practical aspects of repurposing religious properties.

After a social media post about the sale of a historic church to the local Muslim community stirred up numerous outraged comments, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo in New York issued a statement regarding its stance on the matter.

Built in 1886, St. Ann’s Church faced closure in 2007 due to a lack of parishioners and was eventually sold to a holding company by 2022. Recently cited as an emblem of the declining presence of Christianity within the nation.

A post that surfaced on X, under the name ‘Father R. Vierling’, showcased photos of a Gothic-style cathedral which was recently sold to the Islamic community for $250,000 – who are now in plans converting it into a mosque. The staggering number of 11 million views were drawn towards this particular post.

The original poster had to intervene as some comments were filled with rage, requesting that people refrain from directing their fury towards the Islamic community. The individual attributed the decline of the parish to “the changing demographics in the region and financial inability to sustain its facilities,” highlighting how this issue was widespread across larger, metropolitan dioceses nationwide.

According to The Tablet, a Catholic publication in New York City, the sale was motivated by financial concerns. Joe Martone, spokesperson for the Diocese of Buffalo, stated that repairing the church at that time would have entailed an expense exceeding $30 million.

“The repairs required an enormous sum of money,” Martone stated. “The necessary work was exceedingly costly and beyond the financial capacity of the diocese.”

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In 2020, burdened with approximately 900 allegations of sexual abuse involving clergy and staff members, the Diocese of Buffalo filed for bankruptcy.

The shuttered St. Ann’s, as well as its accompanying school and convent complex, were sold by the church to Buffalo Crescent Holdings in November 2022. Although local media reported that the company intended to turn the facility into a mosque, there was no confirmation from either The Islamic Center or Buffalo Diocese at this point in time.

In addition, Martone stated that the diocese had authorized the property for “profane use,” which means closed churches no longer serving as places of worship could be repurposed for any lawful reason, provided it was not considered sacrilegious, immoral or scandalous.

According to him, “In the past, we’ve sold some of our properties within the diocese to other religious groups who have utilized them for their services. Therefore, generally speaking, selling a property to another faith group is not an issue for us in the diocese.”

Located near the US-Canada border on the coast of Lake Erie, Buffalo is home to nearly 280,000 people. In recent years, it has experienced a rise in immigration from countries such as Yemen, Somalia, Bangladesh and Iraq.