Rebuilding of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Destroyed on 9/11, Stymied by Bureaucrats
According to Fox News, the Greek Orthodox Church is mired in a bureaucratic battle with the New York and New Jersey Port Authority over where and how to rebuild St. Nicholas. The original church was a modest, four-story building that predates the World Trade Center. St. Nicholas was destroyed when the World Trade Center fell on top of it.
After years of wrangling, an agreement was apparently reached two years ago to rebuild St. Nicolas Greek Orthodox Church in another location.
"The Port Authority and the church announced a deal in July 2008 under which the Port Authority would grant land and up to $20 million to help rebuild it in a new location -- in addition, the authority was willing to pay up to $40 million to construct a bomb-proof platform underneath.
"Within a year, the deal fell through and talks ended. Port Authority officials told Fox News that the deal is dead.
"The archdiocese and Port Authority offer sharply conflicting accounts of where things went wrong. The Port Authority has previously claimed the church was making additional demands -- like wanting the $20 million up front and wanting to review plans for the surrounding area. They say the church can still proceed on its own if it wishes. "
However, the Greek Orthodox Church disputes this version of the controversy.
"But Karloutsos called the Port Authority's claims 'propaganda' and said the church has complied with all conditions. He said the government should honor agreements that date back to 2004, under former New York Gov. George Pataki."
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church controversy has become a local election issue. George Demos, a Republican candidate for New York's 1st Congressional District, has pointed out the apparent dichotomy between the fast tracking of the 9/11 Mosque by local officials and the way the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church has been treated.
President Obama spoke brave words about the right of people to build houses of worship wherever they wanted. But so far, in lower Manhattan, that right seems to only apply to Muslims, and not to people whose church was destroyed by other Muslims. The rebuilding of a historic church, destroyed by the 9/11 attack, is still being stonewalled by Port Authority bureaucrats for reasons that are as yet unknown. Is there a double standard happening? Let the reader be the judge.
Sources:
What About the Ground Zero Church? Archdiocese Says Officials Abandoned Project, Judson Berger, Fox News, August 17th, 2010
Barack Obama Endorses 9/11 Mosque, Mark R. Whittington, Associated Content, August 14th, 2010
Published by Mark Whittington
Mark R. Whittington is a writer residing in Houston, Texas. He is the author of The Last Moonwalker, Children of Apollo, Dark Sanction, and Nocturne. He has written numerous articles, some for the Washington... View profile
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7 Comments
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Mark is an unpaid republican plant on this site...you get what you pay for....
Mark is a spin doctor....no matter what story he tells it end with derogatory Obama statements....He cant tell you a basketball score without it being Obamas fault that one team lost
What on earth is that last paragraph supposed to mean, Mr Whittington? The Greek Orthodox church can be rebuilt on the exact same site that the original church stood on. That's not a problem. It appears that the problem is that the Greek Orthodox organizers want the city to give them another lot and a large sum of money to do it.
This is completely different from a Muslim organization getting permission to build on land they own, using their own funds. It has absolutely nothing to do with zoning, and it's disturbing that you're even remotely implying that that's the case.
I think obama is a hypocrite. He's already stepped in it over the mosque, why not try to balance the situation with his pronouncements in favor of this church's being built?
Good question, Pauline.
Why would the Port Authority give millions to rebuild this church? Shouldn't they pay for it themselves?