During the distribution of Holy Communion at Sunday Mass, a man pulverized and threw to the ground the Host he had received.

Newsroom (19/01/2022 9:15 AM, Gaudium Press) In France, the wave of desecrations against the Catholic Church continues mounting in a very aggressive fashion.

At Mass last Sunday, January 16, Fr. Simon Violet, vicar of the Parisian parish of the Holy Spirit, witnessed a sacrilege.

During the distribution of communion, a man approached, but instead of taking the Host to his mouth, he crushed it in his hand and then threw the particles on the floor.

The profanation happened during the 11 o’clock Mass, the most attended celebration in the parish. As Father Violet explained to Aleteia, ‘the church was full.’

The priest tried to hold the attacker by the garments, and the profaner just replied: “For Nadia!” and then disappeared into the crowd.

Procession, Prayers, Mass of Reparation

Father Violet concluded that the action was utterly deliberate. Despite noticing some injuries on the profaner’s hands, the priest said the man was entirely sober.

The celebrant brought a ciborium to collect the scattered particles on the ground. At the end of the Mass, Fr Violet decided to clarify what happened so that the faithful who did not see the scene would understand the gravity of the offence.

The priest completed the final procession holding the profaned Host: “We go through the people of God, with the ‘broken’ body of the Lord. There is something prophetic and dramatic about this,” warned the priest.

After the celebration, the pastor dissolved the Host while reciting a prayer of reparation and announced a Mass of Reparation on Wednesday, January 19.

In the face of the gravity of the sacrilege, the priests in the Diocese are denouncing the wave of desecrations, promoting Eucharistic devotion among the Faithful. (FM)

With files from Aleteia.

Compiled by Gustavo Kralj