The Diocese of Rome presented this Wednesday the so-called “New Churches Program”, a plan to provide worship buildings and pastoral spaces to five already existing parish communities on the outskirts of the capital, but which until now lack temples and stable structures. The initiative was announced at the headquarters of the Italian Episcopal Conference, with the presence of Cardinal Baldo Reina, vicar general for the Diocese of Rome.
According to information disseminated by Vatican News, the program will be based on three criteria: sustainability, versatility, and recognizability, with the aim of building «economical» and «architecturally sustainable» parish complexes. The plan provides for actions in the west sectors (Santa Brigida di Svezia and San Giovanni Nepomuceno Neumann), south (Sant’Anselmo alla Cecchignola and San Vincenzo de’ Paoli in Ostia) and east (Sant’Anna a Morena, where an expansion is planned). The costs will be covered with funds from the 8×1000 and with co-financing from the Diocese of Rome.
Five «already established» parishes, but without a temple
Cardinal Reina emphasized that these are canonically erected parishes that, despite existing as communities, still do not have a building dedicated to worship and pastoral care: a place for the celebration of the sacraments and for prayer, formation, and community life activities (families, children, and university students). The project, he added, is presented as a response to the growing needs of the outskirts, in a context of demographic expansion of the city.
Fewer «large concrete blocks»: the shift towards lightweight structures
One of the axes of the plan is the reduction of construction and maintenance costs. In this framework, the director of the national area for ecclesiastical cultural assets and worship building of the CEI, Don Luca Franceschini, recalled that in the last 25 years 37 interventions were carried out, 25 of them related to new parish complexes, with a projected expenditure of 98 million euros, of which 57 million came from the 8×1000.
Hence the insistence on a change of approach: «we do not want to build large reinforced concrete buildings,» he stated. In that line, the article highlights that the option for wooden constructions has garnered broad support among bishops, pastors, and communities, emphasizing their technical advantages: insulation, lightness, resistance, behavior in fire, and the possibility of prefabrication, with greater control of times and costs.
Contests starting January 20: architect, liturgist, and artist
The design phase will begin on January 20 with a “expression of interest” that will be published on the CEI website to select professional teams at the national level. The working groups—as explained—must integrate a design technician, a liturgist, and an artist, and their proposals will be evaluated by a commission. Then, the assignments and awarding of works will proceed through integrated contracting.
The stated objective is to combine liturgy, art, and architecture, claiming «beauty» as a requirement, without losing sight of the specific demands of sacred space.