Crosses broken and Catholic graves targeted at Moselle cemetery
An unprecedented act of vandalism occurred on the night of 14 to 15 September, where a woman vandalised almost 100 gravestones in Maizières-lès-Metz Cemetery in Moselle. Gravestones were defaced, with countless crosses and crucifixes found broken and tossed onto the surrounding property. Police are investigating whether the gravestones of Catholics were specifically targeted on the basis of religion. The local community, officials, and diocese expressed deep sadness and outrage at what they believed to be a direct attack on the respect due to the dead, a religious site, and communal unity. On 25 September, the Diocese of Metz organised a time of prayer for all the deceased whose graves were desecrated.
During the night of 14 and 15 of September, a woman vandalised the cemetery of Maizières-lès-Metz in Moselle, leaving 96 Catholic gravestones defaced. Photos from the incident show that many crosses, crucifixes, and statues were broken off the headstones and left scattered on the ground.
The Metz prosecutor announced that the incident is being investigated for the crime of desecration "committed on the basis of the deceased persons’ actual or supposed affiliation with a specific religion." The local mayor further expressed his outrage at what he believes was an attack "against a clear target—the Catholic religion—whose symbols were specifically and systematically targeted." He condemned the acts via social media.
According to the report from the Diocese of Metz, the local community was left deeply saddened and outraged by the incident. Beyond the material damage, it represents a lack of respect due to the dead, disrespect to religious freedom, and social cohesion, the report states. "Faced with this cowardice that wounds what we hold most sacred...we respond with dignity, unity, and an absolute rejection of all provocation.", wrote the parish priests, Abbots Jean Corso and Jean-Louis Barthelmé. The diocese also organised a time of reflection and prayer for all the deceased whose graves had been desecrated on 25 September in the Church of Saint-Martin.
On the day of the incident, a 32-year-old woman voluntarily turned herself in to the police, confessing to the acts of vandalism. She was involuntarily transmitted to the hospital for observation and testing.
Sources: metz.catholique, republicain-lorrain, tf1info
Image: metz-catholique