Contributi di Davide Dimodugno

Requiescat in loco sacro: first reflections on the use of Catholic churches as columbaria between the needs of the Church and the complexity of regional regulations

ABSTRACT: Negli ultimi decenni, la Chiesa cattolica ha mutato la sua opinione circa la cremazione dei fedeli defunti, passando da una posizione decisamente contraria alla cremazione ad una più aperta. Per varie ragioni, tra cui la mancanza di spazio nei cimiteri e i costi significativamente inferiori rispetto all'inumazione e alla tumulazione, il ricorso alla cremazione è aumentato in modo esponenziale. Si è così persa la connotazione ostile di questa pratica rispetto alla dottrina della Chiesa sulla resurrezione dei corpi. Per questo motivo, in alcuni Paesi, come la Germania, si è diffuso l'utilizzo di chiese cattoliche sovrabbondanti come colombari, ovvero spazi in cui conservare le ceneri dei defunti, pur mantenendo il carattere sacro del luogo. Il presente contributo, partendo dalla costituzione di un'apposita commissione in materia da parte dell'Arcidiocesi di Bologna, da cui sono scaturiti i due quesiti a cui ha risposto il Prefetto del Dicastero per la Dottrina della Fede il 9 dicembre 2023, intende presentare i profili problematici di questa soluzione nel contesto italiano, alla luce della complessità e della pluralità delle normative regionali in materia di polizia mortuaria.

ABSTRACT: In recent decades, the Catholic Church has changed its position on the cremation of the faithful departed, moving from a decidedly anti- cremation stance to a more open-minded one. For various reasons, including the lack of space in cemeteries and the significantly lower costs compared to burial, the use of cremation has increased exponentially. Thus, the hostile connotation of this practice with respect to the Church’s doctrine on the resurrection of bodies has been lost. Therefore, in some countries, such as Germany, the conversion of redundant churches into columbaria, i.e. places where the ashes of the faithful can be kept, has become widespread, while maintaining the sacred character of the place. This contribution, starting from the creation of a special commission on the matter by the Archdiocese of Bologna, which resulted in the two questions answered by the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on 9 December 2023, intends to present the problematic profiles of this solution in the Italian context, in the light of the complexity and plurality of regional regulations about mortuary police.

SUMMARY: 1. Introduction - 2. The temporal goods of the Church and the principle of subsidiarity - 3. The notion of common goods in Italy - 4. Some practical cases of ecclesiastical heritage as common goods in Italy- 5. A comparative perspective with Belgium: the strategic plans for the future of churches in Flanders - 6. Future perspectives and conclusions.

ABSTRACT: According to recent studies, there are about 600,000 places of worship and several thousands of monasteries and convents in Europe. The process of secularization, the decrease and displacement of the population, the reduction of vocations to the sacred life can be held responsible for the redundancy of the assets of the Catholic Church. These buildings represent an impressive heritage of faith, work and creativity of the communities which made them over the centuries. Most of them are considered as “cultural heritage” by the legislation of the European States, because of their historical, cultural and artistic values. Up to now, the main solution to this phenomenon has consisted in the alienation of these properties. However, the selling and the disposal of these goods by ecclesiastical bodies cannot always be the only and preferable solution. Drawing from the analysis of some case studies in Italy, this paper aims to investigate the role of civil society participation in the regeneration process and the possibility of applying “collaboration pacts” for the management of “common goods”. In the light of the European scope of the phenomenon, a comparison is proposed in line with the legal instrument of “strategic plans”, drawn up by the diocesan bishop and local authorities in Flanders (Belgium).

SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione - 2. Problematiche di diritto canonico: la gravità della causa e l’uso non indecoroso tra normativa e giurisprudenza - 3. Problematiche tra diritto civile e diritto canonico: il vincolo di destinazione al culto - 4. Problematiche di diritto civile: la scelta dello strumento giuridico - 5. Problematiche di diritto amministrativo: il divieto di distruzione e di uso illecito e il cambiamento di destinazione d’uso compatibile con il carattere storico e artistico dell’edificio - 6. The future of churches: casi di studio e riflessioni a partire dal convegno di Bologna - 7. Conclusioni.

The reuse of places of worship: problematic aspects between canon law, civil law and administrative law

ABSTRACT: This article focuses on the juridical problematic aspects linked to the reuse of places of worship. It wants to examine the notion of “other grave causes” and “not sordid use” in canon law, the hypothecation as a place of worship and the choice of the more appropriate juridical instrument in the Italian civil law and the application of the Italian cultural heritage code, with the prohibition of destroying and of illegal use and the communication of the change in use, in administrative law. In conclusion, it is proposed a brief reference to the case studies and reflections from The future of churches, a conference that took place in Bologna, from 5th to 7th October 2016, and that was organized by the Department of Architecture at the University of Bologna and the Centro Studi Cherubino Ghirardacci.