Archdiocese praying that churches won’t get heritage designations [Video]

The Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall is concerned that heritage designations for two of its Ottawa churches would be more of a burden than a blessing.

Last Tuesday, the city’s built heritage committee recommended that Saint-François-d’Assise in Hintonburg and Saint-Joseph d’Orléans in Orléans be given heritage protections.

But that would only bring unnecessary bureaucracy, according to Richard Pommainville, the archdiocese’s chief administrative officer.

“How does this assist the mission of the church, which is to bring the word of God?” he asked. “If Jesus were to be here right now, I don’t think he’d be in support of a designation.”

But for some in Hintonburg, a designation for Saint-François-d’Assise would be a commitment to retain a beautiful building which looms large in their community and lives on …