La Roque-d’Anthéron, a small rural town in Bouches-du-Rhône on the banks of the Durance, has not been a long quiet river for a week. His church was the victim, on two occasions, of a fire caused voluntarily according to Father Michel Bert, his parish priest. Result: a loss of several thousand euros.
A desk blackened by ashes, a cape torn by flames and a green lighter at the scene of the fire: a church.
“The statues of Mary and Joseph were fortunately spared” consoles Father Michel Bert, parish priest of La Roque-d’Anthéron, a town of about 5,000 inhabitants in the Bouches-du-Rhône, located 20 minutes from Pertuis.
Strangers would have entered the religious enclosure to set it on fire. There is a week, Tuesday December 7 and a few days later, this weekend, Saturday December 11.
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“I have been a pastor for almost 23 years and I have never had any problems. The first time, I thought of an accidental cause after discovering the notebook where people used to write their prayer intentions. .. gone up in smoke. So we just cleaned up and took pictures. ”
But the second time, another fire at the foot of the Joseph statue arouses his suspicions. “There was a lot of smoke, a parishioner called me around 11:30 am to let me know.”
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Results : “A very beautiful screed worth 2 to 3,000 euros, embroidered with gold thread and silver thread, has been completely consumed” laments Father Michel Bert.
“It could have been even worse, because a meter away, a carpet is right in front of the high altar (the main altar of the church) with a 17th-century woodwork. The parish could have caught fire. and it could have been very serious. ”
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“I am outraged and sad that we are attacking a place where we welcome everyone and where we trust. Our church is always open. Many parishioners come to pray every day but there are also times when no one is there. ‘is inside. ”
Father Michel Bert therefore resigned himself to lodge a complaint. The gendarmerie of La Roque-d’Anthéron, on the spot, took samples. “They told me, twice in a row, it’s not accidental” launches us the parish priest who had to close the church since.
“We are setting up the nursery. We wouldn’t like someone to come and steal it from us. It hurts us a lot because a church is not made to be closed” sighs Father Michel Bert. He has since contacted three companies to come “quickly install an alarm that will protect the heart of the Church.”
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