The most senior bishop in the Dutch Catholic Church could be forced to move out of his cathedral because of the financial strain brought on by falling attendance.
The diocesan board has decided to sell St Catherine's Cathedral because it can no longer afford to maintain the building, which was completed around the year 1550.
The cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht and its Archbishop Cardinal Wim Eijk, who will have to relocate to another church if the sale goes ahead, Dutch News reports.
The diocesan board is reportedly planning to sell the cathedral to the former convent next door, which was converted into a museum of religious art.
According to Dutch News, Cardinal Eijk is not opposing the sale.
This stands in contrast to over 1,000 parishioners who have signed a petition calling for the cathedral to be preserved as an inner-city church and not turned into a museum.
They argue that the building is still home to a vibrant community with regular celebrations, courses, faith meetings, processions, choirs and open days, in addition to serving as the seat for the Archdiocese of Utrecht.
'Closing the cathedral and thus removing the visibility of Catholicism in the inner city will prevent growth of the community in the future,' the petition said, adding that the building was 'not yet ripe to become a museum'.
Objections to the sale of the building are to be heard at a hearing on February 20.
Church historian Peter Nissen told Dutch News that he was only aware of two other times in history when bishops in the Netherlands had to move to a different cathedral.
This would be the first time, in his opinion, that the move was happening because of financial constraints.
'It will be the first time a bishop loses his seat because of efficiency savings, which in turn are the result of the falling number of churchgoers,' he said.
