Local business owner seeking reimbursement from Diocese of Pittsburgh after cross removal

PITTSBURGH — A local business owner wants the Diocese of Pittsburgh to cough up thousands of dollars after she says it broke an agreement.

Beth Rupert bought the former St. Ursula school in Hampton Township and converted it into “Solid Foundations Academy.”

Now, a cross-shaped hole sits in place of a large, stone cross. Rupert told Channel 11 she had to take it down. Despite her Catholic faith, her business is not religiously affiliated. She says she can’t have religious symbols as a condition of her loan.

After months of lobbying the diocese to take the cross down, she did it herself.

“It’s hurting my bottom line, and, again, I’m Catholic,” she said. “The agreement was the cross was supposed to come down.”

According to the purchase agreement, the Diocese had agreed to remove all “religious articles or any other items deemed to be of a religious nature by the seller.”

Rupert contends that includes the stone cross.

We reached out to the Diocese of Pittsburgh about the situation and were told:

“The sale agreement was between the parish and the buyer. The cross is, of course, an important symbol of our faith. The concern is that this cross is embedded in the side of the building. Removal could impact the integrity of the facade, and even if it could be removed safely, there would still be an outline of the cross on the building. the agreement was signed for the sale of the building As-Is. All blessed, consecrated items used for religious worship were removed.”

A diocesan spokesperson also told us the cross on the outside wall was not used as a consecrated part of worship.

Rupert wants the diocese to reimburse her the nearly $8,000 she’s spending to take down the cross and replace the brick.

“I would like the diocese to pay my bill because that is the right, moral thing to do.”

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