Sale of church to Society of St Pius 10th stopped

Published: 16 July 2009

The Church of England has decided not to sell one of its churches in Manchester to the Society of St Pius 10th. At a formal hearing, held by the Church Commissioners in London on 15 July, representatives of the Society and the Diocese of Manchester presented their views on the proposed sale.

Shortly after the hearing both parties were informed that the Church Commissioners had ruled the sale should not proceed.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Manchester said; “We welcome the decision by the Church Commissioners to prevent the sale of St George’s church to the Society of St Pius 10th. The Bishop of Manchester made it clear in his submissions that such a sale was not in the interests of community cohesion, ecumenical relations or inter-faith work. There were over 100 letters of objection from groups and individuals including members of the House of Commons, House of Lords, Manchester City Council, residents, the Council of Christians and Jews and the Roman Catholic Church. The Diocese of Manchester will now work hard with many of these partners to develop a viable future for the building.”


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