France: Churches Burn Like Briquettes

The interior of the 13th century Gothic St Nicolas Collegiate Church in Avesnes-sur-Helpe, Northern France, which sports a 60m tower, was destroyed by an April 5 fire. The building's structre is not damaged.

A historic altarpiece was lost in the flames. Police took a man into custody who was seen on a surveillance video as the last person leaving the church before the fire broke out.

"We are no longer respected in our faith," a lady told Lci.fr (April 7). In recent years, there have been hundreds of attacks against Catholic churches in France, but nobody cares.

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