A French bishop has become one of the first members of the country’s hierarchy to speak publicly about the controversy surrounding the use of Paris churches during this year’s Nuit Blanche arts festival.

Bishop Dominique Rey, the former Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, intervened after days of criticism from Catholics over installations staged in several churches during the annual overnight cultural event in the French capital.

Speaking to the French Catholic outlet Tribune Chrétienne, Bishop Rey said the dispute should be understood within the broader pattern of attacks on Christian places of worship.

“We are currently witnessing an increase in the number of sacrilegious acts, vandalism and offensive insults that undermine the integrity of places of worship, which scandalise and outrage the faithful,” His Grace said.

Bishop Rey continued: “Because these places are dedicated to liturgical life, prayer, contemplation and silence.”

The bishop went on to question the appropriateness of using churches for events that bear no relation to their spiritual mission. “The Church cannot be the receptacle for events and demonstrations that are not related to the spiritual identity and religious purpose of these sacred places: churches, chapels, oratories and shrines,” Bishop Rey said.

Across France there has been criticism over the installations hosted in churches as part of the 25th edition of Nuit Blanche, Paris’s annual all-night arts festival. The 2026 event was organised under the artistic direction of Barbara Butch, the French DJ and activist who became internationally known following her appearance during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.

Particular controversy surrounded the Church of Saint-Laurent in the 10th arrondissement, where visitors were invited to experience an installation entitled Sous la peau du ciel (“Under the Skin of the Sky”) by the artist Marie-Luce Nadal.

The work consisted of an immersive sound installation incorporating anonymous recorded messages submitted by members of the public. The recordings were mixed with atmospheric data linked to lightning activity and played throughout the church.

The event led to protests from groups of Catholics who argued that the event was incompatible with the sacred character of a consecrated church. Some gathered outside Saint-Laurent to pray the Rosary and sing hymns in reparation, while others attempted to prevent access to the building before police intervened.

Six people were arrested during the disturbance and held in custody after allegations that elected officials had been jostled during the confrontation. The City of Paris subsequently announced that it would file a complaint against those involved and condemned what it described as attempts by religious extremists to disrupt a cultural event.

However, the Paris public prosecutor later closed the case without bringing charges after investigators concluded that no offence could be sufficiently established and that individual responsibility for the alleged incidents could not be proven.

Many have focused not only on the events themselves but also on what they regard as the silence of the Archdiocese of Paris. One of the most outspoken clerical critics has been Fr Christophe Buirette of the Diocese of Blois, who publicly criticised the decision to host the installation at Saint-Laurent. Speaking to Tribune Chrétienne, he described the episode as a serious affront to the sacred character of the church and declared: “Ce confrère, curé de Saint-Laurent, est une honte!” (“This fellow priest, the parish priest of Saint-Laurent, is a disgrace!”).

The parish priest of Saint-Laurent, Fr Paul Dollié, has rejected accusations that the church was profaned. In a statement explaining his decision to host the installation, he said he had accepted the proposal after being assured that it contained no elements contrary to the Catholic faith and respected the character of the building.

“I saw that this work was respectful of the place and that there were no elements contrary to the faith,” he said.

Fr Dollié explained that the proposal had been presented through Art, Culture et Foi, an organisation that serves as a link between the City of Paris and the diocese on cultural projects. He said the installation possessed a spiritual and meditative dimension that offered an opportunity for dialogue with people distant from the Church.

Under the country’s system of laïcité, many church buildings remain the property of local authorities while continuing to function as places of Catholic worship. That arrangement has periodically produced disputes over concerts, exhibitions and artistic performances staged within churches. Similar controversies have emerged in France over the past several decades whenever churches have hosted exhibitions or performances perceived by some Catholics as inappropriate.

A notable example occurred in 2021 when Swedish musician Anna von Hausswolff was due to perform at the Church of Notre-Dame de Bon-Port in Nantes and later at the Church of Saint-Eustache in Paris. Both concerts were abandoned after Catholic protesters gathered outside the venues, praying the Rosary, singing hymns and blocking access for ticket holders. Critics argued that her lyrics, including lines from songs such as “Pills” (“Oh I, I made love with the devil”), and the overall aesthetic of her performances were incompatible with a Catholic church. Organisers, however, maintained that the events had received ecclesiastical approval and formed part of legitimate cultural programming.