**4. The "Sacredness" of the Altar**

As Schöch (2007, p. 502) explicitly points out, it is important to note that in can. 1238 §1 it is stipulated that an altar can lose its dedication or blessing according to the norm of can. 1212—in the case of a major destruction, the church being given over permanently to profane use in its factual use or by decree—but that, according to §2 of the same article:

"Altars, whether fixed or movable, do not lose their dedication or blessing if the church or other sacred place is relegated to profane uses." (can. 1238 §2).

Altars are dedicated in a separate rite (can. 1237 §1) and need to be deconsecrated separately if a church is to be reused. If, in the case of a partial reuse, one still would want to have the option to celebrate Mass, Schüller considers that one could refrain from the deconsecration of the altar to leave this option available. It is possible to deconsecrate parts of the church and still continue to celebrate Mass in the consecrated parts of the church (Schüller 2012, pp. 272, 276). In such cases in which a church is deconsecrated, the still dedicated or blessed altar may be moved to and used in another church without being dedicated or blessed anew. In the case of desecration, can. 1211 takes effect (Huels 2000, pp. 1439–1440). In the procedural guidelines it is stated that:

"Even more so, altars do not lose their dedication or blessing when the church does, and can never be turned over to profane use for any reason (cf. cann. 1212 and 1238)." (Cardinal Piacenza and Iruzubieta 2013, p. 216).

According to the procedural guidelines:

"Prior to alienation, all sacred objects, relics, sacred furnishings, stained-glass windows, bells, confessionals, altars, etc. are to be removed for use in other sacred edifices or to be stored in ecclesiastical custody. Because altars can never be turned over to profane use, if they cannot be removed, they must be destroyed (cf. cann. 1212 and 1238)." (Cardinal Piacenza and Iruzubieta 2013, p. 219).

The Vatican Guidelines state the following concerning the canonical practice of destroying altars:

"Concerning altars, the canonical practice of destroying the table in some cases can find itself in clear opposition to civil norms concerning the conservation of cultural heritage." (Guidelines 2019, p. 277).

Two sentences prior, however, it is stated that it is:

"necessary to consider some issues usually connected to the process of reduction of a church to a profane use ( ... ) the need to avoid situations that can give offence to the religious sentiment of a Christian people" (Guidelines 2019).

It is not hard to imagine that the willful destruction of the altar could offend the religious sentiment of the faithful ...
