The archdiocese of Bucharest is strongly opposing the construction of a skyscraper that would dwarf the Catholic cathedral in the Romanian capital. The town council of Bucharest – according to a report carried by the ENI ecumenical press agency – has already issued a permit for the construction of a 19-storey building, 75 metres high, which would conceal the 19th century cathedral of St. Joseph. Catholics in the country recently promoted a collection of signatures to send to the President and to the government of Romania and to the European Commission. According to the promoters of the petition, “the municipal authorities are trying to pursue the work of the dictator Ceausescu, whose well-known programme of ‘town planning’ led to the destruction of historic monuments to make way for the construction of the monstrous House of the People in Bucharest”. The signatories of the petition also claim that in granting the permit, the town council failed to take into consideration the protest of the archdiocese of Bucharest or respect the legislation that protects historical monuments. The decision of the ousted dictator Ceausescu, last head of the Romanian Communist State, to demolish historic monuments in order to erect the House of the People and construct the boulevard of the victory of socialism, had already been condemned by the international community.
