Increased Number of Thefts, Vandalism and Desecrations Leads to Closure of More Churches
On the occasion of the Heritage Days which took place from 19 to 20 September in Paris, RCF radio in France points out that the increase in theft, vandalism and desecration of churches in France prompts more and more priests to close their churches outside of services. For several months the churches have been attacked through theft of liturgical utensils, relics, desecration and even arson. In 2019, there were more than 1052 incidents registered, including 996 acts of vandalism or graffiti and 56 threats against persons.
Father Gautier Mornas, who is responsable for the department of Holy Art in the conference of bishops in France, encourages churches nevertheless to keep their doors open: "Paradoxically, to protect a church you need to open it. If a church is vandalized at 10 o'clock in the morning, the person who comes to shut it at night will know that it was vandalized during that day and can alert the authorities."
Opening the churches also allows the heritage to keep living.
Symbolic Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash