Crucifix Stolen from Church During Funeral

Case information
Incident date
Country
France
Place
Dombasle
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Private
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Desecration
  • Theft
Place of Incident
  • Church
Bias Indicators
  • Significance of Property/Structure/Location to religious community
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Response of Local Authorities
  • Investigated
Symbolic image; not a photograph of the reported incident.Image credit: Harry McGregor on flickr

A repeat thief stole a wooden crucifix off the condolence table at the Saint-Nicolas de Port Basilica near Dombasle, France. The absence of the liturgical piece was noticed shortly after the funeral had ended and upon viewing the footage from the nearby surveillance cameras, the police identified the thief to be Phillipe Languedoc. He has been in prison for the past 38 years for other offences and now will spend 12 more months behind bars for this crime. The lack of respect for religious sentiments was evident in the incident.

Symbolic Image by Harry McGregor on flickr

Sources