Struggle: Codogno vs. Christian Congregation over the place of worship in the warehouse

Legal battle in the temple of Penisola Codogno

In one of the open temples in the Penisol of Codogno (Lodi), a legal battle has arisen between the municipality of Codogno and the Christian Congregation in Italy.

The place of worship located in the building at Terrachini Street in the Mirandolina area is considered, according to municipal authorities, to be effectively closed. The fact is that the municipal property management service confirmed on June 14 that the building is designated as a warehouse according to cadastral data and, therefore, "cannot be used as a place of worship, as such designation is not permitted by Article 46.3 of the Technical Standards of the current Land Use Plan (PUP)."

The public authority expressed its opinion in response to a request received last May from an expert appointed by the Lodi court as part of the property enforcement of the building. "Is the use of the building as a place of worship permissible in this urban planning zone, or should this use be prohibited, and the building returned to its original purpose?" the professional asked.

The municipality was categorical.

Relying on the opinion of the municipality, the court custodian of the building issued a ban in July to the representatives of the religious community, prohibiting them from continuing to use the "warehouse" as a place for immersion in Christian doctrine. In response, the Christian Congregation in Italy requested information about the possibility of changing the building's designation, but a new prohibitive measure came from the municipality. Moreover, they were ordered to "remove all references identifying the building as a place of worship."

In this situation, the community leadership promised at the beginning of October to fight by filing a lawsuit in theMilan Administrative Court to overturn the municipal decision, "forcing" the municipal administration to appoint a lawyer for its defense.