Ground Zero has seen its fair share of politicians recently. The furor over a proposed mosque and community center blocks from the site has enraged both sides, with countless people weighing in. Earlier today in the shadow of where the World Trade Center towers once stood, a group of New York politicians were joined by religious leaders to draw attention to a different controversy – the rebuilding of St Nicholas church. Speaking just outside the south east gates before a crowd of cameras and onlookers, former governor of New York George Pataki was joined by members of the Greek Orthodox community and George Demos, a Greek American running for Congress.

The Greek Orthodox church of St Nicholas was the only religious building destroyed during the 9/11 attacks. In the years after, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Bishop worked to rebuild the church. The authority agreed to accommodate a 24,000 square foot structure next to the original location and pay $20 million to subsidize construction. But somewhere between now and then, the deal broke down, with both sides blaming the other. The rebuilding effort remains a top priority for the former governor after promising to see it finished years ago.

While the speakers tried to focus attention on St Nicholas, the mosque controversy dominated the conversation. Mr Pataki condemned the project, saying that we don’t know where the funding is coming from and that he would like to see it moved further from Ground Zero. The Bishop was not as critical, but thought it “was unfortunate that it took a controversy over a mosque to bring attention to the church.”