The French Basilica of Notre-Dame de Boulogne-sur-Mer was vandalised by one Man for more than two Hours Straight.
Newsroom (30/07/2022 7:50 AM, Gaudium Press) The basilica of Our Lady of Boulogne-sur-Mer (Boulogne on the Sea), was vandalised last Tuesday night, July 26.
When the basilica was closed at 6pm on July 26, a man of about age 30 was inside the sanctuary.
For more than two hours, the man destroyed the interior of the church. He knocked down images, candelabras and paintings, overturned benches and chairs.
Even the image of the patron saint of the town, the Virgin Nautonière, was lying on the ground but intact. Despite the destruction, the tabernacle and the altar were not touched by man.
The Fire Alarm Reported the Presence of the Vandal
The man was only discovered because, in his frenzy for destruction, he activated the fire alarm.
With the sound of the alarm, one of the three priests who were in the parish house opened the church and witnessed a scene of destruction.
The police were triggered and the individual detained. He was bloodied and “in the midst of a crisis of madness”, the police statement said.
The man used the fire extinguishers to destroy the inside of the church. The damage is enormous and could amount to thousands of euros.
The Image and the Relics of Our Lady were Preserved
Despite all the degradation, the diocese was happy that the image of the patron saint was preserved.
On Wednesday, July 27, several parishioners and volunteers came forward to clean and tidy up the basilica, which will start functioning normally from tomorrow, July 28.
Bishop Olivier Leborgne, Bishop of Arras, Bologna and Sant’Omero made a statement on the diocese website stating that neither the tabernacle nor the altar were vandalized, nor the relics of Our Lady of Bologna, nor the relics of St. Benedict Joseph Labre.
A Reprehensible and Unspeakable Act
The mayor of the city, Frédéric Cuvillier, also said it was “a reprehensible and unspeakable act”.
In the message on his social networks, the mayor said that it is an act of insanity and not a demand, although investigations will continue to determine the motivations of the vandal.
The offender is in police custody and will be investigated by the authorities. (FM)
With information from Aleteia
Compiled by Florence MacDonald
