The map previously circulated online after a fire devastated the area Our Lady in Paris in April 2019, when social media falsely claimed there had been a recent spike in attacks on churches.
At that time there were fact checkers from France 24 observers pointed out that the map showed a range of “Christianphobic” acts and that it was last updated in December 2018 (archived link).
‘Anti-Christian acts’
According to the Observatory for Christianophobia websiteThe organization is “mainly run by Catholics” and aims to “identify anti-Christian acts, no matter how serious they are, wherever they are committed and regardless of the Christian denomination targeted” (archived link).
Although the map is no longer available online, the Observatory continues to report on various incidents in churches in France and abroad.
There was an article about the fire at Rouen Cathedral published on the organization’s “Christianophobia in France” page — despite saying the fire was “probably linked to ongoing construction work” (archived link).
The data on the website cannot therefore be considered a complete collection of anti-Christian attacks.
French media reported that the fire may have been caused by a spark during welding work on a construction site in the church (archived link).
Fire statistics
Fires in places of worship in France are rare, according to a Report 2019 published after the fire at Notre-Dame by the fire investigation service of Laboratoire Lavoué (archived link).
“There are very few fires in places of worship (in France, several dozen per year),” the statement said, although they have a “significant impact.”
While the risk of accidental fire in places of worship was “very low” during normal periods (except during restoration work), most religious buildings were “highly vulnerable” to arson, the report said.
A spokeswoman for the French Observatory of Religious Heritage (OPR) told AFP on July 12 that the organization recorded 27 church fires in 2023 and 12 in the first six months of 2024, most of which were accidental (archived link).
“There’s a recurring pattern. You have slate roof tiles coming loose, water coming in and it’s getting into the electrical wires,” said Claire Daniely, OPR’s director of facilities for religious buildings — adding that electric heaters have also been blamed for starting fires.
The French Ministry of Culture said in a 2023 report report that “defective or inadequate electrical installations” were the cause of more than 30 percent of damage to the country’s historic monuments, including cathedrals (archived link).
Other major causes of damage included heat work, improper storage, lightning strikes and ‘malicious activities’ (archived link).
According to a report by French authorities, more than 850 “anti-Christian acts” were committed in France in 2021. report by French Senator Isabelle Florennes and Member of Parliament Ludovic Mendes (archived link).
