Dublin archbishop denies city's bid to tax 'vacant' church properties (The Tablet)

Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin, Ireland, has denounced a bid to tax vacant properties owned by the Church.

The archbishop says that 32 properties that have been classified as vacant by the city are vacant—24 churches and 8 parish halls—are actually use regularly for services. He said that the designation of churches as vacant buildings is “an extraordinary attack on the Catholic faith.”

The designation of some churches as vacant comes at a time when the archdiocese is weighing plans to “restructure” parishes, due to a sharp decline in the number of available priests and the number of Catholics attending Mass.