Eli condemns church demolition; city government responds.

Tocantins 247 - State Representative Eli Borges (Pros) used the podium during the morning session this Wednesday, the 6th, to express his indignation regarding the Palmas administrators who demolished, last Thursday, the 30th, the construction work of a Catholic church in block 1306 South.

The legislator highlighted that residents of the area are outraged with the mayor of the capital, Carlos Amastha, because, according to them, the land on which the temple was being built did not belong to the Municipal Executive, but rather to the Housing Struggle Movement, which had donated it to the church, which acquired the construction material with money from donations from the faithful.

"We cannot allow attitudes like this to continue in our city. Although I am not Catholic, I join these Christians who feel harmed by the demolition and compelled to express their faith," Eli Borges emphasized.

Wanderlei Barbosa (SD) also expressed his opposition to the municipal government's actions, lamenting the incident. "It is unacceptable that a municipal manager, even with a court order, would carry out this type of demolition without informing the community's priest, as destroying the project of a religious institution that needs the temple to meet is a very drastic measure," the parliamentarian stressed.

City government blames housing movement.

In a statement released to the press, the Palmas City Hall stated that the Housing Struggle Movement identified itself as responsible for the construction, which was being carried out without proper authorization on Municipal Public Land. Mayor Carlos Amastha (PP) met on Wednesday afternoon with representatives of the Archdiocese of Palmas to discuss the matter.

"Representatives of the Archdiocese clarified that it was the Housing Struggle Movement that indicated the area for the construction of the church and were informed that the construction did not even have a building permit approved by the City Hall and that all notifications and stop-work orders were issued in the name of the Movement for having declared itself responsible for the work," says the City Hall.

Mayor Carlos Amastha decided to establish a multidisciplinary commission with the participation of various departments and the legislative branch to analyze the acts of donations, transfers, and consolidated occupations, in order to verify the public interest in the important work that religious entities have been providing in this capital city.

Read the full statement from the City Hall.

"Demolition at 1306 South"

Following a meeting held on the afternoon of last Tuesday, the 05th, between Mayor Carlos Amastha and representatives of the Archdiocese of Palmas, it was possible to reach a broader mutual understanding regarding the needs for religious buildings in institutional areas, meeting the legal precepts of public interest in harmony with the principle of secularism of the state.

However, it became clear that the inspection and demolition actions of the construction being carried out in the Municipal Public Area (APM 29) in block 1306 South, by the inspection team of the Municipal Secretariat of Urban Development, were due to the Housing Struggle Movement having identified itself as responsible for the construction without the proper authorization.

Representatives from the Archdiocese clarified that it was the Housing Rights Movement that indicated the area for the church's construction, and they were informed that the construction did not even have a building permit approved by the City Hall and that all notifications and stop-work orders were issued in the name of the Movement, which had declared itself responsible for the project.

During the meeting, Mayor Carlos Amastha decided to establish a multidisciplinary commission with the participation of various departments and the legislative branch to analyze the acts of donations, transfers, and consolidated occupations, in order to verify the public interest in the important work that religious entities have been providing in this capital city.

This commission will seek a solution to regularize specific cases through legislative means, in strict compliance with the Federal Constitution and the Municipal Organic Law.