Unreal. New York Officials Refuse to Allow Christians to Rebuild Church Destroyed on 9-11
Posted by Jim Hoft on Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 10:53 AM
Unbelievable.
OK… Now this ought to make your blood boil.
New York officials have killed plans to rebuild a Greek Orthodox Church near Ground Zero.
FOX reported:
Greek Orthodox leaders trying to rebuild the only church destroyed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks expressed shock this week after learning, via Fox News, that government officials had killed a deal to relocate the church.
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, once a tiny, four-story building in the shadows of lower Manhattan, was destroyed in 2001 by one of the falling World Trade Center towers. Nobody from the church was hurt in the attack, but the congregation has, for the past eight years, been trying to rebuild its house of worship.
Though talks between the church and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey stalled last year, church leaders say they’ve been trying to kick-start discussions ever since. But amid debate over whether a proposed Islamic community center should go forward near Ground Zero, government officials threw cold water on the prospect of any deal with the church — telling Fox News the deal is off the table.
Confronted with the Port Authority’s verdict, Father Mark Arey, of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, said it’s the first he’s heard that.
“Negotiations did break off last year. We were expecting to hear from their lawyers — we never did. We’re still expecting to hear from them,” he told Fox News. “We’re disappointed. … 130 Liberty Street was promised to us.”
And, yet these same officials are bending over backwards for the Ground Zero Victory Mosque planners.
Unreal.
Hat Tip to Granny
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Published February 8, 2012 at 8:42 pm - 108 Comments
Granny commented:
Krauthammer is exactly right – no mosque should go up before the towers are rebuilt. And no mosque should win approval until the church destroyed on 911 is also rebuilt. I know – those funding the mosque can also pay to rebuilt the church. BEFORE the mosque is built.
dries commented:
Now, it’s clear why Bloomberg’s bending backwards (or is it over?) to accomodate WTC mosque. He wants to put his paws on Muslim money.
http://emergingcorruption.com/?p=726
down with dems commented:
But 63% of New Yorkers are opposed to the Ground Zero Mosque, and it’s still full speed ahead.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_ground_zero_mosque_poll
Wading Across commented:
Wow. I thought only Islamic nations disallowed the building of churches and synagogues or the rebuilding or even repairing of them in favor of mosques.
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Gini commented:
I will wager that the muslims will now say if church is allowed to be re-built then mosque must be allowed. They will use this as a bargaining chip.
Building has been a church since 1916.
Time to contact a pork butcher and have him open shop next to proposed mosque.
logprof commented:
There’s a great column about this at humanevents.org.
Albert commented:
Laughably misleading headline and post. The Fox article is cut in half and continues:
“The church continues to have the right to rebuild at their original site, and we will pay fair market value for the underground space beneath that building,” a spokesperson with the Port Authority told Fox News.
American Spirit commented:
Are we on “Candid Camera”?
texastea commented:
This would have been unbelievable a few years ago. However, with the lunatics clearly in charge, I am not suprised.
If you want some of us Texans to come up and just go ahead and build it before they can object, let me know! Dems do not follow laws any more, so I figure there is no harm in breaking building codes.
Alice L. commented:
Why hasn’t the detestable Anthony Weenie Weiner commented on this? He has an opinion on everything. I hope his marriage to a Saudi woman who was Hillary’s “friend” along with his attack on Peter King and his blessing on this Islamist cultural center put and end to his career.
Jeff commented:
Albert,
why did you leave off the next paragraph ?
“But Arey said the original site is no good. Archdiocese officials disputed the Port Authority’s claims, saying the church has complied with all conditions.”
so who is misleading again ?
StanInTexas commented:
I wonder if Gov. Patterson will step into this fray and offer St. Nicholas other government land to build on, like he did with the Muslims.
What would you think about that, Albert?
Opus #6 commented:
Thanks for nothing, Obama voters. This is the hope and change you wrought. Have fun collecting unemployment. That will run out as soon as the Chinese lose confidence in our economy.
Tim H commented:
Just shows that Bloomberg and company are godless athiests that want more muslim terrorism in the city to get sympathy from the rest of the world and encourage more tourism dollars from middle east countries.
bg commented:
++
logprof @ 11:16 am #6
is this it??
petition
==
Toaster802 commented:
That will run out as soon as the Chinese lose confidence in our economy…
Oops, they already have. The Chi-coms are dumping T-bills AND stocks in US companies at a record rate…
Obama=economic terrorism
ProLifer commented:
I guess Obama was right all along…
“The United States IS a Muslim country!”
Where the hell have I been all these years?
ProLifer commented:
Q: What about St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Mr. President?
(2 second pause)
A: “No regrets.”
CorruptSocialist commented:
if patterson offered to built it in aonther place albert would get a plane ticket fly on airplane to ny[whilst lambasting us for having a massive carbon footprint] and would punch governor patterson in the jaw for being such a islamophobe
sam commented:
Jim, you need to take this post down
The church still has the right to rebuild at the original site
bg commented:
++
we know the who, what , where, why & how
re: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church ..
here is a quite long, but must read article that provides
not so pretty answers re: The Mosque at Ground Zero..
Who Is Behind It?
by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
[The Imam behind the controversial mosque at Ground Zero dreams of Islamizing United States, as exposed in his book, which has two titles:
one in English, and one in Arabic
In the U.S., his book is called, 'What's Right
with America Is What's right with Islam."
The same book, published in Arabic, bears the title, "The Call from the WTC Rubble: Islamic Da'wah {Proseletism}from the Heart of America Post-9/11."
Here we get exactly the Imam, who is assigned
to "spread Islam right from the WTC rubble."]
==
StanInTexas commented:
sam #22
Jim, you need to take this post down
The church still has the right to rebuild at the original site
Sam, you need to read the article and not just post out of ignorance…
From the article linked above:
But Arey said the original site is no good. And archdiocese officials disputed the Port Authority’s claims, saying the church has complied with all conditions.
bg commented:
++
re: bg #25
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
[standard disclaimer: source Wikipedia]
Barack Obama Would Let Shoaib Choudhury Die
==
bg commented:
++
St. Nicholas Church
Our History
[Located in what is today New York City’s financial district, Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church traces its roots back to 1916, when it was founded by Greek immigrants. Serving the spiritual needs of the early immigrant community, the church also achieved prominence as a religious and cultural center for Greek shipping magnates passing through New York. Services began at the current site in 1922, though the building was constructed in the early nineteenth century. Measuring 22ft. wide, 56ft. long and 35ft. tall, the church was bound on three sides by a parking lot.]
==
bg commented:
++
re: bg #28
History via Wikipedia
[The building that came to house the church was built around 1832. In 1916, Greek American immigrants started the congregation of St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and in 1922 started to hold worship services at the Liberty Street location. The church building was only 22 feet (6.7 m) wide, 56 feet (17 m) long, and 35 feet (11 m) tall and was easily dwarfed by the 110 story Twin Towers, which were completed in 1972 and 1973. Despite its small size and unusual location, the church had before the attacks a dedicated congregation of about 70 families led by Father John Romas. On Wednesdays, the building was opened to the public and many people, including office workers from the towers and non-Greek Orthodox, would enter the quiet worship space for contemplation and prayer.
Among the church's most valuable physical possessions were some of the relics (remains) of St Nicholas, St Catherine, and St Sava, which had been donated to the church by Nicholas II, the last czar of Russia. These relics were removed from their safe on holy days for veneration; they were never recovered after the attack.
[..]
Future Plans
The plans for rebuilding the World Trade Center complex include building
a new St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church quite close to the original location. The church will again house a worshipping congregation. A museum will also be built for the projected large influx of visitors that will come to the site.
On July 23, 2008, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reached
a deal with the leaders of the church for the Port Authority to acquire the 1,200-square-foot (110 m2) lot that the church had occupied for $20 million. $10 million is coming from the Port Authority and $10 million is coming from JPMorgan Chase & Co.
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.
“We have people that are saying, why isn’t our church being rebuilt and why is there … such concern for people of the mosque?” Father Alex Karloutsos, assistant to the archbishop, told FoxNews.com. He said “religious freedom” would allow a place of worship for any denomination to be built, but accused officials with the Port Authority of making no effort to help move the congregation’s project along.
“Unfortunately, they have just been silent – dead silent, actually,” said Karloutsos, whose father was ordained at St. Nicholas. “They just simply forgot about the church.”
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.
“The church continues to have the right to rebuild at their original site,
and we will pay fair market value for the underground space beneath
that building,” a spokesperson with the Port Authority told Fox News.
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.]
[standard disclaimer: source Wikipedia]
==
Bob commented:
You are misrepresenting the truth:
The port authority says that the church always has and still has the right to rebuild. They say that the church was unreasonably demanding more money, on top of tens of millions already agreed to.
The church disagrees, but that does not mean they are not allowed to build wherever they want.
It’s in the linked Fox article.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/18/leaders-disappointed-government-declares-deal-rebuild-ground-zero-church-dead/
Not Likely commented:
I’m beginning to wonder if Jim Hoft finds being wrong exciting.
sam commented:
StanInTexas #26
Stan, who’s being ignorant?
The church says the “original site is no good”
This does not mean they don’t have the right to build at the original site
The church is refusing to build at the original site and wants the gov’t to pay for its relocation
Chisum commented:
Hmmm, who to believe? A priest or some troll?
http://video.foxnews.com/#/v/4315374/port-authority-vs-greek-orthodox-church/?playlist_id=87937
bg commented:
++
Chisum @ 9:38 am #34
great find..
however trolls spout whatever they are fed, no need for intellectual honesty, independent thinking, or validating research.. it’s so old world.. /word sarc/
“one can lead a troll to knowledge;
but one cannot make a troll think.”
-bg
==
bg commented:
++
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
[George Demos, a Republican candidate for New York's 1st Congressional District, also has drawn attention to the negotiations. He released an open letter to President Obama Tuesday urging him to, as he did with the mosque debate, weigh in on the church discussions.]
AllahuhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaAkbar!!
==
sam commented:
To those complaining about “trolls”
The video found by Chisum explains more than the article
The article did not mention that the site was inaccessible or that the church never rejected a deal
These two facts are key to making the point that the headline of this post suggests
I have been a reader of Gateway Pundit for years, and only want to make sure there are enough facts before accusations are made
The liberals are notorious for running on inaccuracies
I’m glad that this post has been found to be more correct as additional information is learned
WEC commented:
So a church wants a government handout to relocate when it still owns and has the right to build on its original site, a site that it has been offered a substantial amount of money for a lease on the underground rights. And everyone here is all up in arms because the church (more correctly the Archdiocese) is claiming that the original site is not good. I can give you millions of reasons why the church is claiming the original site is not good, and those reasons are dollars. So yeah, the NYC government is *refusing* to allow the church to rebuild. The church has the location, the means, and the right to build. Where, exactly, is the refusal? Think long and hard about this….
ice9 commented:
That’s silly, of course. Replacing a person’s brain with pureed meat would not improve his IQ.
Muslims tried that with Barack Obama and look what happened!
HAHA! See what I did there? I took any old random comment that was an insult, and turned it into an insult predicated on the idea that Obama is a stupid muslim.
That’s how we would govern, too. Suck it, librads!
ice9
TimWB commented:
From what I saw, it comes down to the PA saying they made an offer, and the GOC saying they never turned it down.
Okay, *would* the GOC accept such a deal?
(please pardon the abbrevs., my “iced tea” hasn’t kicked in)
Banana FAaa commented:
Fortunately, this entire article is a lie. So you don’t have to worry about it. Because it’s a lie.
Tom commented:
What it comes down to is that the MTA has a money problem. They are laying off employees and cutting service because they don’t have enough money. The church officials want the MTA to give them money to rebuild and they want the money upfront. Meanwhile, the people building the mosque and community center aren’t asking for a dime from the city. Guess which one will go forward when the MTA and the city are almost bankrupt having been forced to lay off teachers, firemen, and policemen.
The simple solution is for the church to rebuild right where they were and to stop asking the MTA to cut more service so they can get a bigger church.
Halleck commented:
Wow, how dishonest can you be?
From the article linked in this post:
“St. Nicholas Orthodox Church has always had and will continue to have the right to rebuild on its original location. The question was whether public money would be spent to build a much larger church at a separate location on the site and ensuring that construction wouldn’t delay the World Trade Center further,” [Port Authority] spokesman Stephen Sigmund said in a written statement.
You don’t get to make up your own reality.
RobNYNY1957 commented:
Jeez, it’s a good thing there is no reading comprehension test for becoming a conservative blogger.
bg commented:
++
“I think it should be rebuilt. It’s long overdue,” he said Wednesday. “The real question is why is the Port Authority trying to renege?”
gee, i wonder where the new victory mosque will be built??
those damn Greek Orthodox Christians..
hijacking planes full of men women & children, then flying them into the WTC murdering hundreds of innocent people from around the globe..
then they expect US to support their victory church from which they have announced the intention of proselytizing the global community via informing the world America is now officially being transitioned into a
Greek Orthodox Nation, oh wait..
Port Authority Now Accepts Dubai Deal
the truth will come out, and all of you Obama
bend overs are going to get you know what..
==
Sir Craig commented:
Thank you for yet another fresh bit of dishonesty from conservative commentators. Tell me, why is it so difficult to tell the truth for you people? Quote mining, even from Faux News, does nothing to impress those whose IQs are somewhat higher than their waist measurements. (This seems to leave out the majority of the mouth-breathers that use this site as their sole point of anti-Obama, anti-muslim, anti-American misinformation.)
Seriously, it’s going to get to the point that no one is ever going to believe you people, ever, and that’s fine by me – you all need to find a former leper colony to occupy with your rabid anti-intellectual followers and engage in some hard-core self-flaggelation.
24shamsky commented:
HAHA! See what I did there? I took any old random comment that was an insult, and turned it into an insult predicated on the idea that Obama is a stupid muslim.
You mean turning an effective jab at the author of this dishonest article into yet another tired, puerile and unfunny “Obama is a Muslim” cheap shot? Yes, we all saw that, and thanks for demonstrating once again that wingnuts simply don’t get the whole concept of humor.
That’s how we would govern, too.
Ineptly and ineffectively. Not exactly a major newsflash there.
The Reticulator commented:
Has anybody noticed that it’s hard to draw conclusions about this without more information? It would be nice to have the Port Authority and Orthodox Church officials get together and hold a press conference — take questions under oath under penalty of perjury, and be allowed to cross-examine each other. We’ll never get to the bottom of this or the mosque story by relying on newspaper stories like these.
Maybe back in the days of investigative journalism it would have been different.