Les Amis de l'église Sainte Catherine à Bruxelles asbl

Looks like today is just a day for petitions.

This afternoon, a good friend of mine in Italy made me aware of this situation, a friend who in turn was contacted by her good friend who is directly affected by this issue.

Here’s the situation:

The authorities of Bruxelles have decided to deconsecrate the beautiful church of St Catherine and transform it into a fruit and vegetable market. It is a stately and beautiful church, right in the heart of Bruxelles city.

The few Catholics remaining in Belgium have decided to petition against this decision. You can give your contribution as Catholics by signing the petition, online as well, at the website here.

It is an attempt, but numbers count. If we reach 5000 signatures or more, they will have to listen to us.

It is not only a problem of Belgium, but of all Christian Europe. We are trying to bring the situation to the attention of all Europe, beyond Belgium borders, therefore the signatures of those who live in other Countries are extremely important.

And here are my friend’s comments:

First of all, I hate petitions! That’s right, but in this case, I signed for it, because it is a matter that really touches my heart. Some people may say, what’s a church less? It happens all the time! It’s true; but in fairness, the place where this beautiful building lies is not deserted; it is bustling with life, it’s packed with bars and places where young people from all over Europe gather (it is also an area where many young people working at the Parliament choose to live). Why denying them a place that gratuitously offers comfort and solace?

Secondly, the Church is still in use, both by Catholics and by Romanian Orthodox people, who often gather to celebrate together, in a splendid example of ecumenism. We all talk about dialogue between the religions…why stopping this then?

I really hope my followers, both Catholic and Orthodox, will take the sixty seconds necessary to sign the petition and help preserve this beautiful, well-loved, and still busy church from destruction.

The petition is not in English, but it’s easy to figure out. Just fill in the asterisked blanks with your name, address, nationality, and comments. If you only have time for a cut-and-paste job, here’s some sample comments:

The destruction of a beautiful, historical, well-loved, and still-in-use church that serves such an important function in lives of both Catholic and Orthodox Christians is an outrage. It is a violation of their freedom to practice their faith without prejudice or impunity. The fruit and vegetable market needs to go elsewhere!

ETA: You’ll get an email in French needing you to confirm your signature. In case you don’t speak French or don’t have a handy translating widget: just click the second link and you’re good to go.