After Madison Cathedral burned to the ground by arson in 2005, city forces property tax payment of 100K per year with judicial strongarm!

 

The Downtown property that once held St. Raphael’s Cathedral, a church rectory and a religious school doesn’t qualify for a property tax exemption for religious use, a Dane County judge ruled Tuesday.

While Dane County Circuit Judge Rhonda Lanford agreed that the property is being used for a religious purpose, it failed to satisfy a second requirement under state law that the property is “necessary for (the) location and convenience of buildings,” such as a future cathedral to replace St. Raphael’s, which was destroyed by an arson fire in 2005.

St. Raphael’s Congregation, the listed owner of the property at 204 W. Main St., sued the city last year, claiming it was improperly assessed property taxes for 2014 for the parcel because it still serves a religious purpose following construction of a Way of the Cross on the property, made up of 14 stations commemorating key locations along the route that Jesus took on the day of his crucifixion.

continue at WisSJ

#DoubleStandard  Would a mosque suffer the same legal attacks in Madtown?  Flying Spaghetti Monsters?  Yeah.   Perhaps Catholics in Dane County can apply for Dhimmi status?

Welp, I'm ready to contribute to a new cathedral.  Anyone else?

Update: Statement from Madison Diocese:
NB: The property in dispute (204 W. Main) was donated to the Church by Governor James Doty, in 1848, and has been in use by the Catholic community on the Isthmus ever since.