Church in Porto has been exchanging properties over tenants heads
The scandal of the Diocese of Porto ‘exchanging properties over tenants’ heads’ – and leaving them at risk of eviction – has left the city’s mayor seething. Rui Moreira told a public meeting recently that he won’t be voting in favour of giving the Catholic Church ‘another penny’ while he remains in office (which will only be until the municipal elections in the autumn).
But the reality is that Porto City Council has transferred almost a million euros to the Catholic Church over the last four years – and cannot understand what possessed it to make a ‘deal’ with a private developer without talking to the council first.
As Moreira pointed out in a letter to Bishop Manuel Linda, the council could have proposed a solution that did not imply leaving vulnerable families facing eviction.
Indeed, the letter asked the bishop specifically to assure that a situation like this never happens again. Porto City Council wants to be informed of all potential ‘property deals’ affecting Porto residents so that it can ensure people’s right to their homes is not ridden roughshod over.
Bishop Lindo however, did not reply to Rui Moreira’s request, writes Jornal de Notícias today – which the mayor found to be ‘insulting’.
Thus, the latest letter to the Porto Diocese, informing it that in future the Church can find financial support “from private entities, with which it seems to prefer to do business”.
Moreira’s decision will be seen as a noble stand. But whether it helps the families whose homes are now owned not by the Church but by a private developer is not clear.
As Correio da Manhã has explained in a number of articles, these homes were left to the Church by a benefactor, on the basis that the Church would keep them in good condition for the various tenants, and their descendants. After a number of decades keeping to the arrangement, the Church suddenly decided to offload the properties in return for a TO (studio apartment) that has not yet been built, but which will eventually be worth around €230,000. The properties exchanged in this deal, however, carry a potential price tag (on the current market) of around €4 million. ND
