Theft of consecrated hosts
On the night of October 19, the church of Saint-Éloi Matigny in Somme was fractured and desecrated, the cup that contains the hosts has been stolen from the tabernacle.
The perpetrators broke the main entrance door on the side of the monument to the dead and then went to the altar, where they stole the tabernacle containing the ciboire (the sacred vase in which the hosts for Mass are kept). They then went to the sacristy, where all the doors were opened.
In a press release published on Wednesday 7 November, the Bishopric of Amiens reacted to the burglary in the church of Matigny, a commune of 500 inhabitants in the Somme. The Bishop of Amiens has been informed of the recent burglary of the church of Matigny and the desecration of its tabernacle, the hosts themselves having been desecrated and taken away,' he wrote.
Father Nicolas Jouy, Vicar General and Parish Priest of Flixecourt, stressed that the community was affected by the incident, as the thieves "broke into the tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is kept on the altar and stole the chalice containing the consecrated host, which is the most precious thing for Christians."
"This theft affects everyone," added Father Nicolas Jouy. "And for Christians it is the same feeling, with the added dimension of sacrilege: what was most precious in the Church has been taken. For us, there is no sacred vessel of the same value as the host that was stolen."
The Bishopric of Amiens sees this as an act of humiliation, theft and grave desecration. "They insult Catholics in their most sacred place. They are contrary to the worship that the Christian faithful have for God," he wrote in a statement.
Father Nicolas Jouy also pointed to similar incidents in the region in the past: "A few years ago, some hosts and relics were stolen in Rosières-en-Santerre. The relics were found in the cemetery of Rosières, but not the hosts. If the thief is not caught in the act, they will never be found."
Source: Courrier picard, France 3
Picture: Courrier picard