On the evening of December 8, around thirty faithful from the parish of Fontenelles, in Nanterre, were attacked by a dozen people during a torchlight procession organized in honor of the Virgin Mary, celebrated by all Catholics on the feast of the Immaculate Conception - and especially at Fontenelles, whose parish church is dedicated to her.
During this heated altercation, insults and threats were uttered against the clergy and parishioners present, so that the organizers had to give up the stations planned along the route to regain the point of arrival more quickly. of the procession.
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A catechumen of the parish first published a summary account of the facts on his social networks, which
Jean-Marc Sertillanges, permanent deacon in the service of the parish
, confirmed in
Figaro
. “
Our procession, which takes place every year on December 8 for the feast of the parish, was to start from the Saint Joseph church to reach the Sainte Marie church, at the foot of Mont Valérien. The route of barely one kilometer had been authorized by the prefecture after a declaration filed by me.
"
"
But shortly after 7:00 p.m., and when we had only advanced a few hundred meters, a bunch of strangers on the path verbally attacked us at the time of the first prayer station
." The deacon mentions three main ringleaders, and a dozen threatening people, behind the scene. According to him, the faithful would have been copiously insulted, treated as “
kouffars
” (“
disbelievers
”), and threatened. "
Wallah on the Koran, I'll cut your throat
" launches one of the attackers in the direction of the priest who opened the procession. “
They then threw water at us, then picking up one of the torches that had fallen on the ground, sent it in our direction,
” he adds.
The police, who had gone to the start of the procession before leaving the scene once it had left, then returned to see the faithful, putting the attackers to flight.
The procession then resumed, but without making any new stops, the organizers having deemed it more reasonable to wait until they have reached the gardens of the parish church to do so.
Jean-Marc Sertillanges claims to have reported these facts to the prefecture and the police station, with whom he will discuss in the future the adaptation of the security system for the parish processions.
He will file a complaint against the attackers on Monday.
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The bishop of Nanterre, Mgr Rougé, who has since spoken with the deacon, informed him that he would visit the parishioners in the coming days.
The deacon was also contacted by the deputy for Hauts-de-Seine Isabelle Florennes, who expressed her support to him.
"
Our Republic is secular and must therefore protect the practice of all religions throughout our territory
" she then reacted on Twitter, announcing that as part of her "
mission on anti-religious acts
", she would do "
Proposals
" to the Minister of the Interior "
to better protect them
".
