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Catalan Church and Generalitat Sign Four-Year Pact to Open Vacant Properties for Social Housing

The pact prioritizes long-term use of underused ecclesiastical assets through a new joint process for selecting and converting sites.

Overview

  • The Church keeps legal title while placing selected properties at the administration’s disposal for social housing projects.
  • A 10-member working table will meet twice a year to identify assets, propose regulatory changes, and steer conversions, with a six-person commission reviewing results annually.
  • Eligible assets include vacant homes, buildings, and plots from dioceses, with allocations pledged for vulnerable groups under transparent, equitable criteria.
  • Media reports say 75-year use cessions will be studied by the new bodies rather than applied universally at the outset.
  • The signing, led by Archbishop Joan Planellas and President Salvador Illa, marks Illa’s return to public activity and carries an initial four-year term that can be extended.