Church in the World

New Orleans loses 27 churches

United States

Timothy Lavin 19 April 2008

The lasting damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans' churches was this week highlighted by a reorganisation plan intended to help the archdiocese finally recover from the wreckage unleashed by the hurricane in 2005, writes Timothy Lavin.

The Archbishop of New Orleans told parishioners last week that he plans to close 27 churches. In a letter read at Masses throughout the city, Archbishop Alfred Hughes said that the plan "will involve the loss of some sacred places with a rich religious history. Such loss, understandably, will cause great pain and may also lead to anger. The cross is never easy." Seventeen of the churches due to be closed have not reopened since the hurricane, which killed 1,836 people and displaced more than a million. The storm cost the 215-year-old archdiocese, the nation's second oldest, US$120 million (£61m) in damage.

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