Constitutional Court
Orders Church To Quieten
Bells
The magistrates of the
Constitutional COurt or
Sala IV as it is also
referred to voted quiet
the bells of the
Catholic church de
Cristo Rey in San José.
The ban is due to
excessive noise the
church bells make.
Some time back the
church installed a sound
system to ring the
church bells, which
according to area
residents, ring loud and
often, including up to
10:30pm, which led the
residents to file a
complaint with the Sala
IV, claiming the noise
affects their health and
the ability to enjoy
tranquility.
The court decision
orders the Ministra de
Salud (health miniter)
to check if the church
has the required permit
to install the
amplification system and
to ensure that the noise
level does not pass the
permitted levels.
The decision also orders
the Temporalidades de la
Arquidiócesis de San
José from producing
sound contamination with
the bells and to respect
any measures set out by
the ministerio de Salud.
Meanwhile, priest Sergio
Valverde said that the
bells will continue to
ring as the sound they
emit is below the
permits by Salud, whose
officials have already
measured.
Valverde said that the
bells were installed six
months ago, a gift from
a resident couple and
were brought in from
Chile and that only one
couple living a block
away from the church are
the ones complaining and
filed the Sala IV
appeal.
Valverde added that
there are other
activities and
businesses in the area
that make much more
noise that the church
bells, however, no one
is complaining about
that to the
Constitutional Court.
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