Evangelists appeal Catalan town's ban on new centers of worship

The decision by Salt town hall in Girona province to suspend the concession of licenses for building religious centers in an industrial zone for a year is not just raising the ire of local Muslims, but also that of the evangelical community. One of its churches, the Holy Ghost Fellowship Ministry International, had applied on August 8 for a building permit and presented plans to construct a center of worship there.

According to the Evangelical Council of Catalonia, the CiU Catalan nationalist bloc-run local government's decision to ban the construction of new places of worship in Salt is unconstitutional. In its view, it prevents members of the community from being able to pray in the municipality, which it considers "a shameless violation of the fundamental right to freedom of religion, worship and its expressions." The council says it will go to the courts if the town hall does not revoke the ban.

The local government of the Catalan town, which has 40 percent immigration, made the decision after weeks of pressure from the far-right Plataforma per Catalunya (PxC), which is opposing plans to construct a mosque in the municipality. The party, led by Josep Anglada, is planning a demonstration on Saturday against the mosque, despite being forbidden from doing so by the Catalan regional government.

In 2006 Salt town hall approved a bylaw that permitted the opening of places of worship in premises of more than 200 square meters and in detached buildings. But religious bodies stated that no premises of those characteristics existed in the town center, which made it impossible to comply with regulations. "We are trying to find a solution," said the town's former Catalan Socialist (PSC) mayor, Iolanda Pineda. "We gave permission for them to set up in an industrial zone, in order to give them an alternative." The regional governments Centers of Worship Law- which the current CiU government wants to amend- obliges municipalities to reserve space for religious use.

The suspension was approved last Wednesday with votes from CiU, the Popular Party and two PxC councilors who have since been dismissed. The party has suffered a crisis in the town in recent days after one of its members was forced to leave over her Cameroonian boyfriend and another resigned over his relationship with a Dominican man.