European churches are currently engaged in an architectural culture war.
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi declared the outbreak of hostilities in 2013 with a sweeping condemnation of many recently built churches in Italy, which, he said, were intended to win design prizes rather than to serve the needs of liturgy. Instead of seeking to create a suitable mood for celebration or meditation, architects have extolled abstract geometric form. Ignoring religious needs, they â??tend instead to focus on space, lines, light and sound.â?
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