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The space where the Romanian Orthodox Church operates in Bergamo has been up for auction since October 25, 2018, and the Muslims won it by offering 418,700 euros. Although almost two years have passed since then, Romanians still use the building, despite the fact that the free loan agreement expired almost a year and a half ago, on June 30, 2019.
“We are still here, we do not know anything,” Gheorghe Velescu, pastor of the “Santo Apóstol Tomás” parish, who witnessed the events, told Corriere della Sera. The Italians point out that the Romanians are illegally occupying the space, but although so long has passed, the auction winners have not taken any action against them.
Furthermore, the Muslims even made them an offer, but the Romanians, who have been using the building since 2015, don’t even want to listen, upset that they lost the auction. Imad El Joulani, Chairman of the Council of the Bergamo Muslim Association, said: “We will maintain the place of worship. It is no problem for us to give these spaces to our Christian brothers, when they request their services, but, of course, in moments other than our services. ”The answer was not long in coming. Gheorghe Veleşcu considers that“ the brothers do not behave like this. ”“ We need suitable places for our families and our children, this was our church, the brothers do not behave like this ”, He said.
Romanian alternatives
Meanwhile, the Bergamo authorities proposed other sites for the construction of a church to the Romanian parish, but all proposals were rejected.
Following the official sale of the space, the regional authorities of the Lombardy Region have announced that they intend to exercise their right of first refusal. However, a court in Bergamo rejected the action as discriminatory, but the Lombardy Region will appeal. This is also the basis of the Romanians, who are trying to postpone a possible agreement with the Muslims, in terms of the latter.
Despite this, the Muslim Association has so far not demanded the execution of the judgment of the Bergamo court and the evacuation of the Orthodox. In addition, according to the cited source, it is not ruled out that Muslims even sell the church to Romanians. However, for this to happen, the Lombardy authorities would have to give Muslims a place in the mosque.
“Before the appeal, if there really is one, a conciliation between Muslims and the region could be attempted. But even the attempt to reach an agreement in this first phase of the process failed. The judgment of the Bergamo court says that reconciliation has not been reached because the Lombardy Region has not made itself available to offer a different and alternative property to the Muslim Association, ”the cited source also points out.
Another trial for Muslims
Meanwhile, a Bergamo court acquitted Imad El Joulani, 59, a Jordanian cardiologist, former president of the Islamic Cultural Center in via Cenisio in Bergamo, now president of the Islamic Community in Bergamo.
According to Bergamo News, El Joulani was sued because, according to the indictment, in June 2015, after obtaining a donation of 4,981,000 euros from the Qatari charity on behalf of the Islamic Cultural Center, falsely proposing the creation. a new mosque, would have formed another association called the Islamic Community of Bergamo and would have bought land, using the money received from Qatar.
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