The religious building, which is located at Place Mimi-Azais in La Mosson, was the target of a fire that was fortunately quickly under control and obscene graffiti on Monday January 25 at around 6 p.m. Reactions …
“We are sorry to see these stupid degradations, considered as an assault in a place open to anyone who wishes to meditate, it is lamentable”, considers Archbishop Monsignor Pierre-Marie Carré. He was present this Wednesday at Saint-Paul de la Paillade church to support the parishioners, after the discovery, Monday shortly before 6 p.m., of blasphemous and obscene inscriptions, riddled with mistakes, on the wall of the building rebuilt in 2013 after a storm.
A wooden table at the entrance to the prayer room where the church’s guest book had been placed, as well as a desk, where a tagged icon sits on top, were eaten away by the flames like a bible.
All the tracks are studied
When he arrived Monday evening to close the church, the worker father Jean-Louis Cathala, discovered his place of worship soiled and water on the ground. Suggesting that someone had extinguished the disaster before it escalated. Maybe kids idle by challenge, stupidity? An investigation was opened by police. All the tracks are studied. The Christian community from all walks of life who attend this church is affected.
Muslims in the neighborhood to support
Several Muslim officials immediately expressed their strongest disapproval after the acts of desecration that targeted Saint-Paul de La Paillade church. Regional manager of the French council of Muslim worship, Lhoussine Tahri gave his support to Father Jean-Louis Cathala and indicated that he will be present during the service next Sunday in the company of the imam of the great mosque of La Paillade . “A church so human and welcoming has, once again, been the target of human stupidity”, writes, for his part, Abdelkader El Marraki.
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Messages of support poured in, from Mayor Mikaël Delafosse to Father Cathala, from the Prefect to the Archbishop, but also from “the community, residents of the neighborhood, our Muslim friends, it’s great”, testifies Father Cathala, who is active with parishioners equipped with brooms and disinfectant, who came to help him clean and put in order their place of worship for the Sunday service.
Today, there is emotion because of the testimonies of friendship
“We are shocked,” he said, “there were no injuries although a fire outbreak is never trivial, but we are a little hurt by the insulting dimension about Jesus at the heart of our faith. Today, there is emotion because of the testimonies of friendship and sympathy that we have received since “.
He wishes to clarify: “we are not a besieged fortress, nor besieged Christians, but a small community happy to be in this district”.
We are ecumenical here, I don’t see why they did this
A woman from the Malagasy Catholic community, hosted by the church, cleans the ashes around the burnt table: “It’s sad, worrying, serious”. This other woman, a member of the parish animation team, who came to lend a hand, is “shocked of course, we don’t understand. It’s a church, a place that we respect even if we don’t have the same faith or the same convictions. It is a rather silly gesture. We are ecumenical here, I do not see why they did that “.
The Archbishop will be present at mass on Sunday
The faithful do not utter the word of profanation. Like this parishioner, who has been attending Saint-Paul for 50 years. “We relativize”, she said with a smile of wisdom in her voice, evoking an act of vandalism, “it does not please, we are saddened but we try to tell ourselves that it is not so serious, it is maybe children. In this parish we are used to the difficulties with the storm that destroyed the church in 2009 “.
It evokes a place where communities and associations from all walks of life can knock on the door. On Sunday, Monsignor Carré will come to celebrate Mass in support.
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