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Developers Say Ave Maria, Florida, Isn't Just a Catholic Town

    Created: 7/24/2007 9:03:16 AM    Updated: 7/24/2007 9:03:40 AM
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NAPLES, FL (AP) -- The builders of Ave Maria, Florida, insist it's not a Roman Catholic town. The streets have names like Annunciation Circle and John Paul the Second Boulevard. The Catholic university bans the sale of condoms and warns that premarital sex can be grounds for expulsion. But Ave Maria -- Latin for Hail Mary -- is open to everyone, according to the company building the town for Domino's Pizza founder Thomas Monaghan, a devout Catholic.

In 2005, Monaghan told a Catholic group that Ave Maria's stores wouldn't carry contraceptives or pornography, and cable TV would have no adult channels. But he backed off when critics called it un-American and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida threatened to sue.

Monaghan now says Ave Maria University will follow strict Catholic guidelines, but the town will be largely unrestricted, except for no adult stores or topless clubs. The developers say cable TV won't be restricted and they'll merely suggest that merchants not sell contraceptives or porn.

©2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.



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