#BreakingNews Attack on a Church in France Causes a Destructive Fire but the Priest Rushes in to Save the Eucharist
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In the night of Monday, September 2nd, the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer (northern France) burned down completely. The fire reminded him of the fire at the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, says Rev. Sébastien Roussel to "TF1 Info" (see images of the fire on video below).
The public prosecutor’s office said that a, 39-year-old, suspect had been taken into custody on Monday evening. The man, who was born in 1985, has been known to authorities “for similar acts” in the past, Saint-Omer public prosecutor Mehdi Benbouzid told AFP on Tuesday. The man, who had been living in a hostel before the incident, was being interviewed on Tuesday morning. The investigation pointed to “traces of forced entry” into the church, where a stained-glass window had been broken, said Benbouzid.
The public prosecutor was considering a criminal charge of “destruction of property by dangerous means” because of the religious nature of the property. The individual allegedly broke into the premises, smashing a stained-glass window. The suspect, identified as Joël Vigoureux, was convicted on numerous occasions of similar acts by fire in recent years.
Father Roussel was woken up at around 4 a.m. on Monday morning by a call from the deputy mayor, who informed him of the disaster. "I went there immediately, everything caught fire very quickly, the bell tower was burning like a torch..." This is how "Actu Pas-de-Calais" quotes the priest. The firefighters allowed him to enter the building for a few minutes to save some things. "I wanted to evacuate the Blessed Sacrament!" and he managed to do this. He was also able to save some statues. It is still too early to estimate the full damage, explains the priest. But he boldly says that reconstruction will probably take several years.
He is still in shock, the priest explains. "It feels strange to think that we celebrated [Sunday] Mass there only the day before. What strikes me is an image: seeing the sky from inside through the collapsed roof... And also the emotions of the people!"
The church was built in 1859, survived two world wars and was renovated just six years ago. The bell tower collapsed in the fire and the building was badly damaged - in fact only the foundation walls are still standing, as the central and transept aisles burned out. It is not yet possible to determine to what extent the foundation walls were permanently damaged by the fire, the heat and the fire-fighting work. The organ burned down. Around 100 firefighters were deployed to the fire disaster.
The community members and residents of the city are deeply shocked by the fire disaster. The footage went viral on the internet and people were shocked. High-ranking politicians have also expressed their concern and sympathy.
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