On the night of Sunday, September 1, to Monday, September 2, 2024, a fire broke out in the sacristy of the Immaculate Conception Church in Saint-Omer, located in northern France. The fire quickly spread to the roof, and by 5 a.m., the bell tower collapsed due to the intensity of the flames. A total of 57 local residents were evacuated, and approximately 100 firefighters from across the region were mobilized to fight the blaze. By midday, the church—once known as the “Cathedral of the Suburbs”—stood surrounded by fire engines, its bell tower reduced to a blackened metal frame. “The vault collapsed so that we can see the sky directly,” said the parish priest. The church had been completely restored between 2015 and 2018, making this destruction even more tragic.
A fire has destroyed the Immaculate Conception church, in Saint-Omer, France, inaugurated in 1859.
We all know the reason why Christian churches keep burning down.
What is going to be done about it?
Shame on European governments for enabling the persecution of Christians. pic.twitter.com/D6DQe5hhds
— Disciples Of Christ (@ChristSavesUK) September 2, 2024
Later that day, at 7 p.m., a 39-year-old man, already known to the police for similar arson-related acts, was arrested in connection with the fire.
However, this criminal act is far from isolated. It fits within a broader pattern of church desecrations in France—acts that include arson, vandalism of religious symbols and sacred objects, destruction of liturgical furniture, organ damage, theft of church offerings and religious items, blasphemous messages, Satanic graffiti on church walls, urination in holy water fonts, statues of saints smashed, stained glass windows shattered, crosses overturned and defiled with Nazi symbols, and even altars and tombs ransacked in cemeteries. […]
— Read More: rairfoundation.com
