The parish church of the Sacred Heart of Lourdes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, has been the target of the growing wave of anti-Christian attacks affecting France. During a morning patrol on November 11, police officers discovered blasphemous graffiti on the central door of the temple, as reported by Le Figaro. The inscriptions, made with white marker, were described by the police as “injurious to the Catholic religion.” A day later, images were disseminated that clearly show the content of the graffiti, written directly on the wooden doors: “À mort Jésus-Christ” (“Death to Jesus Christ”) and “Sale race de Jésus-Christ” (“Dirty race of Jesus Christ”). The town hall immediately sent municipal staff to erase the messages, while the National Police opened an investigation that so far has not identified the perpetrators nor has any claim.
France concentrates the majority of anti-Christian attacks in Europe
The Lourdes incident adds to a trend already established in the country. According to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe, in 2023 there were 2,444 hate crimes against Christians on the continent, of which nearly 1,000 occurred in France, accounting for 41 percent of the total. The majority of these attacks consisted of acts of vandalism, although fires, assaults, and attacks on religious buildings were also documented. The situation worsened in 2024, when fires—thwarted or consummated—against French churches increased by more than 30 percent. In the first five months of 2025, according to Valeurs Actuelles, the authorities had already recorded 322 anti-Christian acts, a 13 percent increase compared to the same period the previous year.
Demand more protection for churches and Christian places
The frequency of these attacks has generated both political and social concern. In September, 86 French senators signed a joint statement demanding measures to strengthen security in temples and Christian places throughout the country. The conservative senator Sylviane Noël then emphasized that “Christians must be protected in France, like all other believers.” The attack in Lourdes once again confirms the vulnerability of French religious heritage to a violence that continues to rise.