An independent initiative, not supported by the Churches themselves, was launched on Wednesday 22 March. Its purpose is to convince the political authorities, and arouse a movement of public opinion, to prevent the further demolition of so-called “surplus” churches in Holland. Too many churches have been destroyed in Holland in recent decades, according to the statement put out by the group last Wednesday. Of the some 7,000 churches and convents of the Netherlands only 4,000, according to the project’s data, are under the tutelage of the national protection of monuments agency. The parishes alone cannot be shouldered with the growing obligations relating to their maintenance, because it is a matter of national importance to save the country’s ecclesiastical buildings. Supporters of the initiative include a mayor and a leading conservationist. The ecclesiastical buildings represent the physical expression of the faith, says the statement: they reflect the norms and values of Western society. In many cases they represent, as masterpieces of great architectural value, the very heart of towns and cities. This remains true even when they are no longer being used for their original purpose. Holland, like many other Western nations, has been affected in recent decades by rapid development that in some cases had reached dramatic proportions; parish communities are combined; executive committees both in the Catholic and Protestant spheres withdraw from the management of properties: they sell off surplus church buildings. One has the impression that for many church administrators balance sheets are more important than the tradition of the faith.
