Arson, Desecration and Profanation of Church in Pérols
On September 20th, a man desecrated the Church of Saint Sixtus II in Pérols. He vandalized equipment, setting fire to song and prayer sheets, a table, part of a pew and a veil. He also tried to set some fabric on fire, but it was fireproof. Then the man grabbed a cross from the altar and threw it to the organ. The man also spit several times on the ground and the priest's deck and urinated and defecated between benches. He was traced, thanks to the cameras in the church, and was arrested by the police because of attempted robbery in Auchan. A police officer recognized the man through a photo published by the priest of the parish.
The man was identified s 26 yer old Portuguese. He was sentenced to six months in prison with continued detention, and he was banned from French territory for five years. He recalls a heavy use of drugs in his youth and has spent a week in a psychiatric hospital. He confessed: "In Portugal, we are very religious. I called Jesus Christ every day to help me, but he never heard me. So I committed this attack out of personal frustration." (Midi Libre 30.09.2020)
Source: Midi Libre, Le Figaro, Midi Libre
Symbolic Photo by Greg Willson on Unsplash