Paris: French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin condemned threats made against Catholics in Paris, pointing out the “unacceptable acts” during a torchlight procession in Nanterre on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Vigin Mary.
Nanterre, a commune of around 97,000 people, is located in the Hauts-de-Seine department in northern France. Around 30 Catholics were due to depart from the chapel of Saint-Joseph-des-Fontenelles on Wednesday evening on an annual procession to the parish of Sainte-Marie-des-Fontenelles, nearly half a mile away, along a route approved by the local authorities.“But shortly after 7 p.m., and while we had advanced only a few hundred meters, a band of unknown people on the path verbally attacked us at the time of the first prayer station.”, according to Jean-Marc Sertillange, a permanent deacon at Sainte-Marie-des-Fontenelles.
They threw water on the participants; the torch of a faithful was snatched away and thrown at them. When the police arrived, the group of around a dozen aggressors, ran away. The procession resumed, heading directly to the parish.
The local authorities said that they strongly condemned the insults, threats and intimidation during the procession and expressed their solidarity with the Catholics of Nanterre. The Diocese of Nanterre stated on its Twitter account that the public authorities were contacted to ensure that the safety of the faithful, who are legitimately concerned, is fully guaranteed now and in the future.
The Paris Police Prefecture confirmed in a social media post that a complaint would be filed. The perpetrators fled after “rapid intervention by the police.”, it said.
The number of hate crimes against Christians rose sharply across the continent in 2020.The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recorded 159 hate crimes against Christians in France last year. The Catholic priest Fr. Olivier Maire was murdered in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, a commune in the Vendée department in western France.
The incident in Nanterre followed an attack in May on Catholics taking part in a procession in Paris commemorating the city’s 19th-century martyrs. As soon as the group left the square de la Roquette, east of the city center, those in the procession were subjected to jeers and whistles. A group of around 10 men physically attacked the procession, tearing down flags and throwing projectiles.
A video posted on social media showed black-clad far-left demonstrators punching and kicking participants in the procession. Two elderly people were knocked to the ground. One of them required stitches for a head injury.