Study: In France, one Christian church is destroyed every 15 days

In France, one Christian religious building disappears every two weeks due to demolitions, fires, collapses and vandalism. According to a study by the Observatory of Religious Heritage (OPR), the country is facing a systemic loss of its cultural and spiritual patrimony, exacerbated by underfunding and an increase in deliberate attacks.

According to the Observatory of Religious Heritage (OPR), the alarming situation became particularly evident after the fire at the 16th-century church of St. Pierre in Normandy, which occurred exactly two years after the tragedy at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Research shows that two-thirds of church fires have signs of deliberate arson, indicating the dominant role of the criminal factor in the process.

Although the statistics covers buildings of all denominations, the main blow falls on Catholic objects, of which there are about 45 thousand in France. According to the country’s criminal intelligence agency, 877 attacks on Catholic places of worship were recorded in 2018 alone. Over the past decade, the number of acts of vandalism has increased fivefold, and today about 5,000 churches are in danger of disappearing. Compounding the situation is the fact that while a Christian temple disappears every two weeks, one mosque is erected in the country at the same frequency, which OPR calls a “watershed moment” for the religious landscape.

Experts say one of the key reasons for the problem lies in legislation. According to a 1905 law, municipalities are the owners of most religious buildings. However, local authorities often do not have sufficient funds for their maintenance, repair and protection from vandals, which only accelerates the process of destruction of invaluable religious and historical heritage of France.

A new report by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has revealed a disturbing trend: hate crimes against Christians in Europe are often downplayed or completely ignored. The paper, presented at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, emphasizes that Christians face a wide range of harassment, from vandalism and graffiti to violent attacks and even murder, leading many communities to increase security measures.