Places of worship have always played a crucial role indefining the landscape and character of our cities andvillages. Each building has its own story to tell andrepresents the effort of a whole community in the creationof a common identity. For this reason, as well as for theirhistorical and artistic value, these goods are frequently protected by the legislation of the States as a part of theirnational cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the problem of their re-signification arises when their religious purpose ceases, as it is happeningeverywhere in Europe because of secularisation, demographic decline and migrations. Focusing on the Catholic Church’s assets because of theirsignificative presence in Western Europe, this paper aimsto provide avision on the future of these goods,underlining their value as “common goods” for localcommunities. In fact, the population recognises theseassets as having both a use value and a cultural heritage value, which must be considered when identifying thenew profane uses. These are goods that evoke a dualbelonging, i.e. not only to the ecclesial community, butalso to the wider civil community that has the right to beable to express its opinions on the reuse of buildings nolonger used for worship. The comparative study of thelegal framework and experiences from Belgium, Franceand Italy, in search of best practices and replicablemanagement solutions, shows that, in spite of theirdifferent legislations, a new awareness is emerging withrespect to this heritage, which should not be destined toneglect and abandonment but properly valorised. Throughparticipatory processes, it seems possible to identify theneeds emerging within communities, so that political andecclesiastical decision-makers will be able to adoptsolutions that can generate a positive impact in terms of social, cultural and economic development. In this way,these assets will be restored to the spatial and culturalcentrality they have always had in the neighbourhoods ofour cities and in rural villages. ...