Speaking at a conference on November 29–30, 2018, at the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, Pope Francis outlined principles for managing the Church’s cultural assets and buildings. His message, read by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, stated that “cultural goods are directed toward charitable activities carried out by the ecclesial community: they do not have absolute value, but in case of necessity must serve the greater good of the human being and especially the service of the poor.”
The conference, titled “God no longer dwells here? Decommissioning places of worship and integrated management of ecclesiastical cultural assets,” was organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture, the Gregorian Pontifical University, and the Italian Episcopal Conference.
The example of Saint Lawrence
Francis invoked the tradition of Saint Lawrence, a Roman martyr, to illustrate this principle. According to the Passio account, when Lawrence was ordered to surrender the Church’s treasures to a tyrant, he instead presented the poor he had fed and clothed with alms, mocking the ruler. Sacred iconography has long depicted Lawrence selling precious liturgical vessels and distributing the proceeds to the poor. “This constitutes a constant ecclesial teaching,” the Pope wrote, “which, while emphasizing the duty to protect and preserve the Church’s goods, particularly cultural assets, declares that they do not have absolute value, but in case of necessity must serve the greater good of the human being and especially the service of the poor.”
Adapting to changing circumstances
Francis acknowledged that many churches, necessary only years earlier, were no longer required due to declining congregations, shortage of clergy, or shifts in urban and rural population distribution. He urged the Church to accept this reality “not with anxiety, but as a sign of the times that invites reflection and demands adaptation.” Citing his encyclical Evangelii gaudium, he emphasized that “the superiority of time over space” means beginning processes rather than possessing spaces: “Time organizes spaces, illuminates them, transforms them into links in a constantly growing chain, without backward steps.”
The Pope cautioned that decommissioning should never be the first or only solution considered, and must never scandal the faithful. When necessary, it should be incorporated into ordinary pastoral planning, preceded by proper information, and achieved with maximum agreement among believers.
New purposes and cultural witness
The construction or repurposing of a church building requires evaluation according to prophetic principles, not merely technical or economic considerations, Francis wrote. Such decisions carry testimony to the Church’s faith and its recognition of Christ’s presence in history.
Ecclesiastical cultural assets serve as witnesses to the faith of the communities that produced them over centuries and function as instruments of evangelization alongside preaching and catechesis. This function can endure beyond their ordinary use in the life of the Church through proper museum presentation, which treats them not simply as historical art documents but grants them “almost a new life” to continue their ecclesial mission.
Frequently asked questions
What did Pope Francis say about the absolute value of church property?
Francis stated that cultural assets do not have absolute value but in cases of necessity must serve the greater good of humanity, especially the poor, drawing on the tradition of Saint Lawrence who gave Church treasures to those in need.
How should churches address declining congregations?
The Pope advised that the need to close churches should be accepted as a sign of the times requiring reflection and adaptation, incorporated into pastoral planning with proper information, and never undertaken as a scandal to the faithful.
Can decommissioned churches retain their ecclesiastical purpose?
Yes, through proper museum presentation that recognizes them not merely as historical art documents but allows them to continue their ecclesial mission by conveying the faith of past communities and serving as instruments of evangelization.
