France’s Catholic bishops have condemned the violence that broke out during Saturday’s demonstrations over the cost of living and educational standards, and have called for talks and a return to peace.
In a statement issued on Monday on the Church in France’s website, the leadership of the French Bishops’ Conference said the country had been left shaken and afraid by the scenes. It said the unrest raises serious questions about what lies behind the crisis.
The bishops urged people not to be pulled into a spiral of deadly violence, and said France deserves better. They added that they were praying alongside all believers that the disturbances would end and that legitimate grievances would be heard.
“These scenes of riots plunged the country into shock, fear and despair, raising numerous questions about the root causes of this crisis,” the statement said.
“With all believers, we pray that these disturbances will cease, that legitimate demands will be heard and taken into account, and that, through dialogue and respect for justice, peace may return,” they said.
Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and president of the conference, repeated the call for an end to the violence in a statement published online on Sunday, reported by Vatican News. He expressed solidarity with the injured and with shopkeepers hit by the damage.
Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon said the violence went well beyond legitimate protest, and described scenes of hatred, destruction and looting.
“It is a dead end and can only lead to further injustice and division,” he said.
The Diocese of Lyon said the prefecture had asked for a peace march, organised with Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities, to be postponed because of the violence.
Elsewhere in the Christian world, Australian pastor Bobbie Houston, who co-founded the Hillsong megachurch, spoke out about the rioting on her Instagram, saying:
“Pray for France and Europe (scenes of manic lawlessness and destructive anarchy are horrifying to say the least. Raise up a standard of worship and prayer.”
Almost 2,400 people were arrested on Saturday, and nearly 1,000 police officers and gendarmes were injured, according to the interior ministry. The unrest followed marches by hundreds of thousands of people against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.