Another historic French church goes up in flames; suspect arrested

The Church of the Immaculate Conception in the French town of Saint-Omer has been all but destroyed by a fire that began early in the morning of 2 September. A 39-year-old suspect has been arrested in what is being treated by investigators as a likely arson attack.

The damage to the church building is extensive: the fire consumed both the roof and bell-tower, leading to their collapse. A team of 90 firefighters were required to put out the blaze.

The fire began in the church’s sacristy where, according to Mehdi Benbouzid, Saint-Omer prosecutor, “traces of a break-in” were found.

At this stage, the investigation has identified a stained-glass window that appears to have had been broken prior to the fire. The authorities are categorising the incident as “destruction of property by dangerous means” and have indicated that the church was targeted with anti-Christian motives.

The local police have prior knowledge of the detained suspect. The prosecutor’s office revealed that the man, who had been recently living in a shelter, has “a long history” and is “known for similar acts of destruction by fire”.

Some 50 people were evacuated during the fire. The local mayor reassured residents that there was no risk of lead or asbestos pollution but advised them to nevertheless keep their windows closed on 2 September.

The past decade in France has seen a growing trend of church fires. Many such incidents, like the most recent case in Saint-Omer, are either suspected or confirmed arson attacks – frequently committed with anti-religious or with what appear Islamist motivations.

In July 2024, Rouen Cathedral’s spire caught fire, though the blaze was contained before further damage was done.

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After Notre-Dame-de-Paris was engulfed in flames in 2019, investigators claimed that the fire was either caused by a “cigarette” or a “short circuit” in the electrical system.

In both instances, authorities and mainstream media outlets appeared highly reluctant to acknowledge the possibility of arson or simply dismissed it as an option. This narrow stance of the media and authorities was publicly taken to task by prominent French politician Nicolas Dupont-Aignan after the 2019 Notre-Dame-de-Paris fire.

Confirmed incidents of arson against churches, with anti-Christian motives, have been increasing across France.

Examples include the Church of Saint Peter of Matroi in Orléans, which was damaged by fire in an attack during which the building was also defaced with graffiti – including the inscription “Allah ou Akbar [sic]” (the Arabic phrase for “God is the greatest”).

Similarly, another church in Eyguières was saved from destruction after a local resident intervened and called the fire services. The authorities subsequently confirmed the blaze had been begun deliberately.

In 2021, Nantes Cathedral was set ablaze by an illegal immigrant awaiting deportation. The migrant afterwards murdered Fr Olivier Maire, the priest who had been sheltering him, before turning himself in.

Other attacks in France have seen tabernacles broken into and sacrilegious assaults upon the Eucharist, excrement spread upon the walls in the shape of a cross, and the destruction of statues and holy fonts.

In 2022, the European Commission (EC) was confronted by Virginie Joron, 50, Member of the European Parliament, for ignoring “anti-Christian hatred…[and] burning churches”. The formal challenge submitted documented how in 2020 there were 613 attacks on Christian places of worship, 80 on Muslim places of worships and 38 on Jewish places of worship.

The report also noted that in December 2015, the EC established a European coordinator to combat anti-Muslim hatred in Europe and a coordinator to combat anti-Semitism and to foster Jewish life – but the Commission had not appointed a coordinator “to combat anti-Christian hatred”.

“My thoughts are with the Catholics and the people of Saint-Omer,” French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on social media platform X. “An investigation is under way to determine the exact cause of the fire.”

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Photo: The Church of the Immaculate Conception engulfed in flames; screenshot from ‘TF1 INFO’.

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