Case of Ground Zero church proves Sarah Palin's critics wrong

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If the Ground Zero mosque issue is all about the Constitution and freedom of religion, as critics of Gov. Palin and others opposed to the Cordoba project insist, then why hasn't St. Nicholas Church been allowed to rebuild? Judson Berger reports:

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America accused New York officials on Tuesday of turning their backs on the reconstruction of the only church destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks, while the controversial mosque near Ground Zero moves forward.

The sidelined project is the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, a tiny, four-story building destroyed in 2001 when one of the World Trade Center towers fell on top of it. Nobody from the church was hurt in the attack, but the congregation has for the past decade been trying to rebuild its house of worship.

While the mosque project cleared red tape earlier this month, negotiations between government officials and the church stalled last year -- and have stayed that way. Though the particulars of the two projects are completely different and on the surface unrelated, the church and its supporters see a disconnect in the way the proposals have been handled.

An archdiocese official said Tuesday that the situation has created "consternation" for those still struggling to jump-start talks over the church.

"We have people that are saying, why isn't our church being rebuilt and why is there ... such concern for people of the mosque?" Father Alex Karloutsos, assistant to the archbishop, told FoxNews.com. He said "religious freedom" would allow a place of worship for any denomination to be built, but accused officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey of making no effort to help move the congregation's project along.

"Unfortunately, they have just been silent -- dead silent, actually," said Karloutsos, whose father was ordained at St. Nicholas.

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Karloutsos called the Port Authority's claims "propaganda" and said the church has complied with all conditions. He said the government should honor agreements that date back to 2004, under former New York Gov. George Pataki.

Pataki, speaking with Fox News on Tuesday, agreed that the church should be rebuilt.

"I don't understand it," Pataki said. "Why the Port Authority now has so far put roadblocks in the way of its reconstruction is beyond me. It's not the right thing to do."

In our opinion, the fact that NYC officials are giving the church the runaround while going into full submission mode to those behind the Ground Zero mosque, totally deflates the left's argument. Though none of St. Nicholas' congregation or clergy were killed in the 9/11 sneak attacks, a consecrated house of God was destroyed and the city bureaucrats won't let it be rebuilt. The people of the parish, who have been without a church home for almost a decade, are just more victims of the jihadist attacks.

Sarah Palin is right. The push to build this mosque is insensitive to the victims of 9/11 who all lost someone or something in the attacks.

- JP