On March 16th, unidentified perpetrators set fire to the church Saint-Apollinaire built in the 12th century in Meximieux in eastern France. The fire was extinguished by local firefighters and police arrested the arsonists, but still the church will be closed to the public until further notice.
In a Facebook post, the parish priest, Father Sylvain, thanked the local firefighters who put out the blaze. He also noted that police arrested the arsonists, but does not provide any further details about them.
“It is our faith that is violated and it is our community that they wanted to strike,” the priest said. "We must redouble our prayers and pray for these individuals. Pray for your enemies.”