The Church is one of the most important players in the European property market, yet it remains to be an opaque institution hard to investigate. Our collaborative project Sacred Grounds is the first one that brings a comprehensive picture on valuable assets the Church owns across European cities and its investment strategies impacting the shape of our cities For six months, we have cooperated across European media outlets to find out: Do the Churches manage their land holdings in the spirit of Christianity, in the service of the common good and in accordance with their own ethical codes? And what is the impact of church property dealings on the affordability of housing or public services? The coordinators of the Urban Journalism Network investigation will showcase major international and local findings, explain how to get data and how to investigate the non-transparent institution as the Church is.
