Romania priests in funding rally

Suceava, Romania - Orthodox priests in north-eastern Romania have taken to the streets in protest at what they say is the lack of funding from the government.

Priests in the town of Suceava say the money that they receive is not enough to sustain their church activities.

The protesters want the return of thousands of acres of forests which were confiscated in 1949 after the communists came to power.

They say this would allow churches to be self-financing.

A new law introduced two years ago provides for the return of such land, but correspondents say the specific dispute in Suceava has now become bogged down in complex legal wrangling over ownership.

They also say the future of Romania's forests has become an environmental issue, with critics of the government accusing it of allowing the logging industry to destroy them for short-term gain.