Pecohub The Archbishop of Montpellier has condemned plans for an “anti-religious” Halloween performance set to take place in a former church where two bishops are buried.
In a statement released Monday, Archbishop Norbert Turini said he was “deeply concerned” about the event, titled Dark Witness in Église, scheduled for Oct. 31 at the Maison des Chœurs, a 17th-century chapel in Montpellier now owned by the city.
Although no longer used for worship, the building contains the tombs of two former bishops, including Bishop Charles de Pradel, founder of Saint-Charles Hospital.
Archbishop Turini said the chapel “carries a spiritual, historical and human memory which remains alive in the conscience of many citizens,” and warned that using such a place for an irreverent performance “has no place there.”
He stressed that he was not opposing artistic freedom but defending the right of believers to speak when their faith is mocked.
“Freedom of expression belongs to everyone. Believers also have the right to say peacefully that they feel hurt when religious symbols are misused or mocked in a place rich with ecclesial memory,” he said.
Archbishop Turini reminded civic authorities that secularism should protect religion rather than erase it, urging “mutual respect among all citizens.”
He described his statement as “an appeal to dialogue, to mutual consideration and to respect for the places that have shaped our common history.”
He concluded by expressing hope for “a freedom that does not wound, a creativity that does not scorn, and a way of living together that honors the memory of persons and of places.”
