MANHATTAN — The Archdiocese of New York has the right to demolish a century-old Catholic church in SoHo despite the wishes of its parishioners, New York state's highest court ruled.
Churchgoers at Our Lady of Vilnius, which the archdiocese padlocked in February 2007 due to declining attendance, filed a lawsuit against the archdiocese in 2008, arguing that state law obliges the Catholic authority to be accountable to worshipers.
But the New York State Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the archdiocese can use the 570 Broome St. church as it sees fit, as the New York Times first reported.
"[The] plaintiffs have no basis to challenge the actions properly voted upon by the board of trustees and sanctioned by the archbishop," Justice Theodore T. Jones wrote in a unanimous ruling.
The archdiocese praised the ruling.
"We are grateful that the Court of Appeals has upheld the right of Roman Catholic bishops to determine the best way to meet the needs of the faithful in their dioceses, a decision that is fully in keeping with the First Amendment, the Religious Corporation Law in the State of New York, and common-sense," spokesman Joseph Zwilling said in a statement.
While spokeswoman Carolina Fung said there are "no plans at the moment to sell the property," it was not immediately clear what the archdiocese plans for the building.
No active construction or demolition permits for the building exist, according to the Department of Buildings website.
Our Lady of Vilnius was founded by Lithuanian immigrants in 1905, according to its website.
