Ukrainian church protests plans to open a casino next to a cathedral

Published: 2006-06-16

KIEV, Ukraine (CNS) -- The Ukrainian Catholic Church has protested plans to open a casino next to its new cathedral in Kiev. Kiev City Council officials had allowed an investment company, Terra Capital, to buy the land adjoining the cathedral for the casino, said the church's press office. However, the transaction had been "against legal procedure," after a church request to build a secondary school on the same site had been ignored, it added. Cardinal Lubomyr Husar of Kiev-Halych, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, said in a June 9 statement that the casino plan was "an offense against the religious feelings of believers," adding that the church school would better serve "the needs of the district." The cardinal added, "I don't think people did this on purpose. The thing is that people for whom money is a god now habitually act disregarding other people's opinions -- they are blinded by avarice."

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