Christ Figure Broken in Half and Left on Church Altar
On May 8th, parishioners at the church of Saint-Martin d'Asson (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) discovered that a crucifix had been dismantled, and the Christ figure it supported broken in two pieces and left on both sides of the altar. A complaint was filed and police began an investigation.
The Bishop of Bayonne, Lescar and Oloron announced that due to the desecration, a Reparation Mass would be held. He noted in a statement that this was not the first time, nor probably the last time, that desecration has taken place in the diocese.
"In France and for several years now, such anti-religious and anti-Christian acts have multiplied in an extremely worrying way. Should we recall that in 2018, 541 anti-Semitic acts, about 100 anti-Muslim acts and 1063 anti-Christian acts were recorded by the Ministry of the Interior?" he continued, assuring "the priests and faithful of the parish of Notre-Dame du Piémont of [his] solicitude and [his] prayers, but with the conviction, shared, in this paschal time, by all Catholics and Christians, that violence and contempt will not have the last word."
"En France et depuis plusieurs années, de tels actes antireligieux et antichrétiens se multiplient de façon extrêmement inquiétante. Faut-il rappeler qu’en 2018, 541 actes antisémites, une centaine d’actes antimusulmans et 1063 actes antichrétiens ont été recensés par le ministère de l’Intérieur?" poursuit-il, assurant "les prêtres et les fidèles de la paroisse Notre-Dame du Piémont de [sa] sollicitude et de [ses] prières, mais avec la conviction, partagée, en ce temps pascal, par l’ensemble des catholiques et des chrétiens, que la violence et le mépris n’auront pas le dernier mot".
Source: La République des Pyrénées