A Pennsylvania church is fighting for its right to build a chapel on its own property, alleging township officials are imposing unreasonable restrictions on the church and refusing to grant permits to allow them to build.
The non-profit First Liberty Institute, Troutman Pepper Locke, and the Independence Law Center have filed a lawsuit on behalf of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.
According to First Liberty, when the church was ready to begin construction to expand on its 41-acre parcel of land, Collier Township refused to approve most of the plans the church proposed. The legal group claims officials added unlawful restrictions, such as limiting how long and when church bells could ring, for whom memorial services could be held, and the size and height of buildings.
Additionally, the township has reportedly allowed establishments such as amusement parks, ice rinks, fitness centers, and country clubs to operate in the same zoning district, but will not allow the same for houses of worship. One mile from the church’s property is a 19-acre campus that belongs to a local carpenters union, and it includes classrooms, conference rooms, offices, a cafeteria, an event space, and a meeting room with seating for 400 people.
“The Township has shown clear discrimination in applying strict limitations on the church but giving free rein to comparable secular activities and neighboring organizations,” said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel for First Liberty. “Religious freedom means precious little if religious organizations cannot use their property for religious purposes.”
Attorneys say the township has double standards and is violating the church’s protected rights under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), which prohibits discriminatory land-use regulations and ensures fair treatment for religious institutions in zoning and landmarking laws.
“It is a bitter irony that a Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish, part of a historic faith tradition that suffered brutal repression under the Soviet Union, is now facing government hostility here in the United States,” said Randall L. Wenger, Chief Counsel at Independence Law Center. “When officials restrict religious exercise without a compelling government interest, they endanger constitutional rights that protect all Americans.”
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As First Liberty notes, the Holy Trinity is part of a branch of the Catholic Church headquartered in Ukraine. Ukrainian Catholic refugees fled from communism in the 20th century to Collier Township. They sought to worship in peace according to their own customs and traditions. The Ukrainians acquired the 41-acre parcel of land, which features a cemetery.
Father Jason Charron, pastor of Holy Trinity, said, “We are a parish that seeks to worship freely and serve the needs of the community while being treated fairly and equally as all organizations in the Township.”
CBN News has reached out to Collier Township for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
