Romanian court orders halt to construction next to Bucharest cathedral

Published: 2007-07-18

BUCHAREST, Romania (CNS) -- A county-level court ordered a halt to construction of a 19-story office tower being built about 30 feet from the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Bucharest, but a representative of the U.S. company that is investing in the project said it had not received the order. The mid-July court ruling affirmed the petition of the Archdiocese of Bucharest that construction stop until the development's legality is established. The ruling came after a year of parishioner hunger strikes, protest marches, appeals to the Romanian president and Vatican statements of support for the archdiocese. A representative from the legal department of Miller Global Properties in Denver told Catholic News Service, "We'll comply with this court order -- when we're properly served." He refused to give his name. A hearing is scheduled for early September to review the legality of construction permits issued by the Bucharest City Hall.

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