July 20, 2020
Dear Readers,
As many of you have read, a fire heavily damaged the Nantes Cathedral on Saturday, July 17th. In this newsletter, we provide a summary of the incident, as well as updates on the police investigation. Below, you will also find the reaction from activists who wasted no time celebrating or exploiting the fire.
We provide links and information about other recent fires and attacks on churches in France. The French Interior Ministry report for 2019 indicates that the number of anti-Christian acts "was stable" from the year before with 1,052 identified acts (1,063 in 2018), which the Ministry broke down into 996 "acts" and 56 threats. The "acts" mainly consist of attacks on religious property. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that this works out to nearly three anti-Christian incidents per day in France. Of course, these figures do not even count the innumerable unsolved incidents, such as fires, where the cause remains a mystery.
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Ellen Fantini
Executive Director
observatory@intoleranceagainstchristians.eu
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July 18, 2020
In the early morning hours of July 18th, a fire began in the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral, in the heart of Nantes. Passers-by saw flames through a window of the cathedral and alerted emergency services a little before 8:00 am. When firefighters arrived, they discovered "a violent fire at the level of the organ located behind the rosette window."
104 firefighters and 45 emergency vehicles, coming from around twenty emergency centers in the Loire-Atlantique department were mobilized to the scene. Around 10 am, the fire was "contained," according to Laurent Ferlay, general controller of the Loire-Atlantique firefighters.
Upon further investigation, it appeared that the fire had started in three locations: one fire had started near the organ, while the other two were at the other end of the cathedral.
"When we arrive at a place where a fire has taken place, and you see three separate fire outbreaks, it's a question of common sense, you open an [arson] investigation," Nantes prosecutor Pierre Sennès said. He clarified that no trace of an external break-in.
“What dominates is the emotion and sadness for Nantes Catholics, because it is an emblematic place, but beyond that, for all the people of Nantes."
-- Mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland
VOLUNTEER IN POLICE CUSTODY; LATER RELEASED
On the afternoon of July 18th, a volunteer from the diocese of Nantes was placed in police custody as part of the investigation into the fire. This man "was responsible for closing the cathedral on Friday evening and investigators wanted to clarify certain elements of this person's schedule," Prosecutor Pierre Sennès said.
A magistrate underlined that "any interpretation which could implicate this person in the commission of the facts is premature and hasty," he said.
Later on Sunday, July 19th, however, Sennes confirmed that the man had been released "without charge."
Before his release, Quentin Chabert, a lawyer for the volunteer, told reporters that "there is nothing that directly links my client to the fire."
The volunteer, in his thirties, is a Catholic Rwandan accommodated by the Diocese along with others. He sought to renew his visa [which expired in March 2020] and "was in discussion with the Prefecture on this point," the prosecutor said.
"I don't believe for a second that he could have set fire to the cathedral. It's a place he loves," says Jean-Charles Nowak, clerk of the cathedral. "He is a man of duty, very kind, smiling but rather silent. I know that he has many health problems and that he suffered a lot in Rwanda. He did a service for Father Champenois who had no one to serve Mass on Saturday night. So he was also a regular Mass server." The rector of the cathedral, Hubert Champenois, said he had "total confidence" in this volunteer.
AN "UNIMAGINABLE LOSS"
 Father François Renaud, who oversees the cathedral, surveyed the damage with firemen and said the organ was completely destroyed, describing it as "an unimaginable loss." "The console of the choir organ has gone up in smoke along with the adjoining wooden choir stalls. Original stained glass windows behind the great organ have all shattered," he said. Along with the destroyed organ, officials said other items lost included a painting by 19th century artist Hippolyte Flandrin and stained glass windows on the facade, some of which contained remnants of 16th century glass. The organ dated back to 1621 and had undergone five restorations since. During the 18th century revolutionary period, authorities had wanted to melt down its pipes for scrap, but it was saved when the organist argued it could instead be used for "revolutionary ceremonies," according to historian Paul Chopelin. Read more here. |
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ACTIVISTS WASTE NO TIME EXPLOITING THE FIRE
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One self-described anarchist took to Twitter in the immediate aftermath of the Nantes fire to celebrate the destruction of the cathedral with the familiar phrase "the only church that illuminates is one that burns."
And feminist activists used the opportunity to protest the appointment of Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin as officials arrived to survey the damage. |
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OTHER RECENT INCIDENTS IN FRANCE
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- July 12th:
HARASSING GRAFFITI DIRECTED AT NUNS AT SAINT-MARTIN BASILICA - UNDER INVESTIGATION
During the night of July 11th, the outside walls of Saint-Martin Basilica in Tours were sprayed with offensive graffiti (a cruder version of "become lesbians"), as well as the familiar anarchic tag "ACAB". The graffiti is clearly visible at the entrance of the basilica and was likely intended for the Benedictine nuns of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, who serve in the basilica.
- June 29th:
LA DOMINELAIS CHURCH RAVAGED BY FIRE - CAUSE UNKNOWN
A fire which began behind the altar of the church of La Dominelais, south of Rennes and north of Nantes, caused significant damage: the wooden altar and its statues partly burned down, as well as the dais behind the altar, chairs, a cross, and furniture. The mayor of the town said "As it stands, the church is unusable." The police dispatched a forensic technician to the site to investigate the cause of the fire. As of July 20th, there has been no reported update on the cause of the fire.
- June 12th:
ATTEMPTED ARSON AT RENNES CATHEDRAL - UNDER INVESTIGATION
During the night from the 11th to 12th of June, Rennes firefighters intervened to extinguish an intentionally-set fire in front of a door of the Saint-Pierre cathedral in Rennes. A trash bin, placed just in front of the door located at the back of the building, on Rue Saint-Sauveur, was set on fire. According to the first impressions from the investigation, this was an intentional act because the bin was brought from an adjacent street and deliberately placed outside the door.
- May 24th:
SAINT-ARTHÉMY CHURCH VANDALIZED IN COTEAUX-DU-BLANZACAIS The Saint-Arthémy de Blanzac church in the town of Coteaux-du-Blanzacais was the target of acts of vandalism over the weekend of May 23rd and 24th. Several statues were damaged, including those of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joan of Arc, dating from the 19th century. A "psychologically fragile" woman was arrested.
- May 23rd:
TWO VANDALIZED CHURCHES IN MUNSTER - UNDER INVESTIGATION
The Catholic and Protestant churches, an ambulance company, the railway station, two banks and a sports complex were vandalized on the night of 22nd to 23rd May in Munster in le Haut-Rhin. Tags such as "Anarchie vaincera" (Anarchy will win) and the number "666" spray-painted in color were found.
- May 20th:
CALVARY DESTROYED IN ASSÉ-LE-BÉRANGER - UNDER INVESTIGATION
The calvary in front of the Assé-le-Béranger town hall of Assé-le-Béranger was broken by a sledgehammer.
- May 10th:
DESTRUCTION OF THE SUMMIT CRUCIFIX OF PIC SAINT-LOUP NEAR MONTPELLIER - UNDER INVESTIGATION
Unidentified vandals cut down the emblematic summit crucifix of Pic Saint-Loup at its base. The iron cross overlooking Montpellier, which weighs 900 kg and is nearly ten meters high, was reportedly detached with a blowtorch or drills and left hanging over the 658 meters from the top of the peak. Inscriptions in red paint reading "Larcins des sorcières hérétiques" (crimes of heretical witches", "Le Pic Laïque" (the secular peak), and "Witch Power" (in English) were left on the pedestal.
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Have you heard or read about an incident in Europe negatively affecting Christians or Christian buildings, symbols, or institutions? Have you been assaulted, threatened, or discriminated against because of your Christian faith? Have you been verbally harassed and silenced when stating a Christian position?
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