Police were deployed Sunday outside the church in Montfavet, a district of Avignon, France, after a group of young men entered the building the night before, attacked the priest, and threatened to set it on fire, witnesses and church officials said, per La Province.
The incident happened Saturday, May 10, shortly after the evening mass. A 15-year-old arrived alone at the church entrance asking to convert, according to Father Laurent Milan. A group of around ten others followed, claiming they only wanted to look inside. “Some identified themselves as Muslim and said they just wanted to visit,” Milan said.
What began as a request to enter escalated once the group was allowed inside. “One of them started running around, and others gathered around the priest, shouting insults,” said Isabelle, who was present with her husband after the service. “We had a hard time getting them to leave.”
Per LifeSiteNews, the priest was assaulted and punched by the group, which fled the church with stolen items including a chalice, a painting, and checkbooks.
"They didn’t insult me personally, it was provocation and offensive remarks like 'Jesus, we f*** you' against the Catholic religion," Milan said. He added that one shouted "Allahu akbar," and that several in the group repeated: "We’ll come back and burn your church."
Five people witnessed the incident. Father Milan filed a formal complaint at the Avignon police station later that evening, police confirmed. As of now, no arrests have been made. The church is equipped with security cameras, and police are reviewing footage to identify those involved.
The priest said this is not an isolated event. On Wednesday, May 7, youths disrupted a parish meeting by yelling and banging on the windows. “We had a computer stolen from the church, candles taken... Sometimes people kick their soccer ball against the church wall in the middle of mass,” Milan said.
Outside a local café facing the church, residents expressed frustration. “I’m disgusted,” one man said. “When I think it was young people who did this...”
The incident happened Saturday, May 10, shortly after the evening mass. A 15-year-old arrived alone at the church entrance asking to convert, according to Father Laurent Milan. A group of around ten others followed, claiming they only wanted to look inside. “Some identified themselves as Muslim and said they just wanted to visit,” Milan said.
What began as a request to enter escalated once the group was allowed inside. “One of them started running around, and others gathered around the priest, shouting insults,” said Isabelle, who was present with her husband after the service. “We had a hard time getting them to leave.”
Per LifeSiteNews, the priest was assaulted and punched by the group, which fled the church with stolen items including a chalice, a painting, and checkbooks.
"They didn’t insult me personally, it was provocation and offensive remarks like 'Jesus, we f*** you' against the Catholic religion," Milan said. He added that one shouted "Allahu akbar," and that several in the group repeated: "We’ll come back and burn your church."
Five people witnessed the incident. Father Milan filed a formal complaint at the Avignon police station later that evening, police confirmed. As of now, no arrests have been made. The church is equipped with security cameras, and police are reviewing footage to identify those involved.
The priest said this is not an isolated event. On Wednesday, May 7, youths disrupted a parish meeting by yelling and banging on the windows. “We had a computer stolen from the church, candles taken... Sometimes people kick their soccer ball against the church wall in the middle of mass,” Milan said.
Outside a local café facing the church, residents expressed frustration. “I’m disgusted,” one man said. “When I think it was young people who did this...”
