QWhat is happening in the churches of Gironde? In recent months, several places of Catholic worship have suffered break-ins, in South Gironde, around the Arcachon basin, in Médoc and in the Bordeaux metropolis.
A series of news items, from which some would like to draw a political interpretation – Reconquête Gironde thus evokes, in a recent press release, “acts of Christianophobia”, by summarizing the litany of targeted places: in one month, the churches of Brouqueyran, Saint- Aubin-de Médoc, La Réole and most recently, the Saint-Éloi church in Bordeaux. In August, the Trinity Church of Bordeaux, Saint-Vincent de Mérignac and Lège-bourg. To which we can add Gajac, for a case dating back to last Christmas and in which a suspect was arrested in September.
But does the number effect cover the same reality? According to Father Samuel Volta, vicar general of the diocese of Bordeaux, recent events “relate to different registers from one place to another”. Among them, only one proven desecration. “It was this summer in Lège, a parish of which I am the administrator. The tabernacle was broken and the Blessed Sacrament was targeted. For us, this is the most serious. »
Thefts and resale
The rest are cases of theft, and again with “different typologies”, analyzes Father Volta. “There was in particular a concentration of burglaries in churches in South-Gironde”: Brouqueyran, La Réole, Gajac… Concerning these break-ins, not desecration, nor ransacking “but thefts of religious objects. For example, in La Réole, a cross was taken away.” In Brouqueyran, it's a 50 kilo baptism table. In Gajac, a brass candle holder, a large bronze candlestick and chandelier crowns, for a value of 1,500 euros, according to the mayor of the town.
In one month, we tackled the trunks of the Saint-Eloi church in Bordeaux and a chapel in Libourne.
Thierry DAVID / SudOuest
“In Lège, the tabernacle was broken and the Blessed Sacrament was targeted. For us, this is the most serious”
Third typology distinguished by Father Volta, after the desecration and theft of objects in rural areas: the theft of cash in urban areas. Latest example: the Saint-Éloi church in Bordeaux, where, on the night of November 30 to 1is December, a criminal stole the money contained in the trunks and in the sacristy chest. “He must have allowed himself to be locked there because he broke a stained glass window to get out,” supposes the vicar general.
-“No attack on values”
For him, “the motives are different. The burglaries in South-Gironde suggest that the perpetrators have a network for reselling objects. Moreover, we are sometimes surprised to find, on flea market stands, statues and crosses, which it can be difficult to discern whether they come from theft of objects of worship or popular piety, or from ” donations” dating from a time when many 19th century pieces were sold offe century, because we had not yet become aware of their heritage value.” The man of the Church recognizes this: “These objects are hard to trace, because they are far from being perfectly inventoried. »
Money theft in town is something else, he believes. “The Saint-Éloi district is very difficult, with a lot of precariousness. » It was therefore money as such that was targeted, “without any desire to attack Christian values”. At the end of November, the offering trunk also disappeared in a chapel in Libourne.
“We are sometimes surprised to find, on flea market stands, statues and crosses”
What can we say about “Christianophobia” alerts in this context? “Is this just a coincidence? In any case, these various situations have nothing to do with attacking churches with tags or outdoor processions,” believes Father Volta. “Even in the case of desecration in Lège-Cap-Ferret, the investigation seems to show that we are not at all faced with an anti-Christian network or a Satanist association, but with someone who “farted the lead''. » Enough to exorcise the fears of those who sound the alarm?
The protection puzzle
One element complicates the issue of protecting churches and the objects they contain: which institution is competent? The law of separation of Church and State of 1905 in fact distinguishes between owners (the communes) and assignees (the religion). Before this date, it is therefore the community which is competent. “This represents approximately three quarters of the 650 Catholic places of worship in the department,” says Father Samuel Volta. “But in all cases, we work in good harmony with the municipalities and the police. Knowing that we are talking about numerous buildings, hard to secure and sometimes very geographically isolated. »
The vicar general adds, however, that unlike small heritage, which is poorly inventoried, “objects of great value are of course duly inventoried and protected. For example, the alabasters of Saint-Michel.” These made their return to the Bordeaux basilica in 2019… 35 years after having been stolen and replaced by fakes in 1984.
The Gironde series is all the more notable because at the national level, the Ministry of Culture has recorded a sharp drop in thefts from churches: between 50 and 180 per year, compared to 600 in the 2000s.
