France

Barbara Butch, the DJ and activist who used the Olympics opening ceremony in 2024 to mock Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, is set to direct a series of immersive art installations inside churches across the French capital during this year’s Nuit Blanche festival Barbara Butch, the French DJ and activist who drew international controversy during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, is to direct a series of artistic installations inside churches across Paris during this year’s Nuit Blanche festival. The all-night arts festival, due to take place on June 6 and 7, will feature immersive projects in several historic churches under Butch’s artistic direction, according to the French Christian outlet Tribune Chrétienne . One installation, titled Sous la peau du ciel (“Beneath the Skin of the Sky”), will be staged inside Saint-Laurent Church in the French capital’s 10th arrondissement. Organisers say visitors will be invited to leave recorded “wishes” over the telephone, which will then be combined with atmospheric sounds and digitally altered to create what has been described as “living and evolving sound material”. Festival material describes the work as “an invisible membrane stretched between human hearts and the atmosphere”, adding that visitors will encounter “a living, moving sonic material, made of dispersed intimacies and celestial energies”. The installation has resulted in criticism from some Catholics in France because of Butch’s involvement in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. During the event on July 26, 2024, Butch appeared in a performance featuring drag artists and a banquet-style tableau which many viewers said resembled Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper . The segment immediately drew accusations of blasphemy and disrespect towards Christianity. The French Bishops’ Conference said afterwards that the ceremony had included “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity”. The controversy quickly spread beyond France, with Christian leaders and politicians across Europe, Latin America and the United States condemning the performance. The World Council of Churches said many Christians around the world had been “angered” by the spectacle. Outside Christianity, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the French ambassador for the insulting representation of Jesus, a prophet in Islam. Paris 2024 organisers initially said the segment had been inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s famous depiction of Christ and the Apostles. Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the ceremony, later disputed that interpretation and said the scene had instead been inspired by pagan imagery linked to the Greek god Dionysus. Art historians subsequently pointed to similarities with The Feast of the Gods , a 17th-century painting by the Dutch artist Jan van Bijlert. Butch defended the performance in media interviews after the backlash. Speaking to French media, she rejected accusations that the ceremony had mocked Christianity and said critics had misunderstood the artistic intention behind the sequence. Following the controversy, Butch said she had received online abuse and threats. Her lawyer later confirmed that legal complaints had been filed. Born in Paris in 1981, Butch has built a career as a DJ and LGBT activist in France. She has publicly described herself as “a fat, Jewish, queer lesbian” and has campaigned on issues linked to body positivity and lesbian visibility. She first became known on the Paris club scene after performing at venues including Rosa Bonheur and La Machine du Moulin Rouge. In recent years she has also appeared on French television and was named “LGBTI personality of the year” in 2021 by the Association of LGBTI Journalists. Nuit Blanche, first launched by the City of Paris in 2002, regularly transforms public buildings, museums and churches into exhibition spaces for modern art installations and experimental performances. Churches across the French capital have frequently hosted concerts, sound exhibitions and light displays during previous editions of the festival.

Three priests from the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon will leave parishes in Amiens after disputes over cassocks, Latin liturgy and preaching led to divisions within local communities. Bishop Gérard Le Stang insisted the decision was not based on doctrinal or liturgical positions, but on the need to restore peace and communion The Diocese of Amiens has confirmed that three priests from the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon will leave their parishes at the end of the current pastoral year after months of tensions within parish communities in northern France. In a communiqué issued at the end of last month, Bishop Gérard Le Stang of Amiens said Fathers François-Régis Favre, Éloi Legrand and Pierre-Marie Brochery would not remain beyond the one-year experimental agreement between the two dioceses. The priests arrived in September 2025 to serve the parishes of Notre-Dame de Brebières in Albert, Notre-Dame de l’Espérance in Bray-sur-Somme, Notre-Dame des Hauts de l’Ancre in Mailly-Maillet and Notre-Dame des Champs in Acheux. The bishop said the decision followed “a long period of reflection”, during which he consulted priests of the diocese, members of the episcopal council and parishioners holding “diverse opinions”. “I personally received these three priests throughout this year,” Bishop Le Stang said. “I was able to tell each one the objective reasons that lead me to end their ministry among us.” He thanked the priests for “their desire to serve the mission of the Church in our diocese” and praised “their concern for evangelisation, prayer, liturgy and formation”. The three priests became the focus of disputes within the parishes after introducing practices associated with more traditional expressions of Catholic life. Some parishioners objected to the wearing of cassocks, the use of Latin within the Novus Ordo Mass and preaching that emphasised doctrinal and moral teaching. One controversy centred on a refusal to permit a secular concert inside a church because of concerns about preserving the sacred character of the building. Complaints were also reportedly made about sermons addressing sin and moral decline in society. Bishop Le Stang insisted that the decision had not been taken because of the priests’ liturgical or doctrinal positions. “The decision I have made not to extend their welcome is in no way based on a certain number of criticisms directed against them,” he said, listing “wearing the cassock, Roman liturgy, concern for doctrinal and liturgical fidelity, exhortation to coherence in moral life, distinction between the cultic and the cultural”. Instead, he said it had become necessary “to acknowledge the conflict that had become established between them and a certain number of people, which was causing deep and lasting trouble in the communities, and dismay among many”. Bertrand Lejeune, communications officer for the Diocese of Amiens, told French Catholic media that the issue concerned parish relations rather than theology or liturgy. “It was a situation that seemed to have no resolution between some of the parishioners and priests, so the bishop chose not to renew their contracts in order to restore a sense of calm and peace,” he said. He added that reactions to the priests had been divided, with some parishioners welcoming their arrival enthusiastically while others regarded it as burdensome. From 1 September, the four parishes and the sanctuary of Notre-Dame de Brebières will be entrusted to Fr Louis-Pasteur Faye, vicar-general of the Diocese of Amiens and currently parish priest of Saint Simon du Molliennois. His appointment was made with the agreement of the diocesan administrator of Thiès in Senegal. In his communiqué, Bishop Le Stang instructed Fr Faye to work towards “renewed communion and fraternity among all”, encourage “the integration of all sensibilities and generations” and develop missionary initiatives connected to the Sainte Colette missionary field. He was also directed to strengthen youth and vocations ministry, continue Christian formation and ensure “the quality of liturgical and sacramental celebrations”. The bishop acknowledged that the dispute had caused pain throughout the local Church. “This pastoral situation has been painful for everyone – priests, deacon, Religious and laity,” he wrote. “I am also aware of how much it gives the feeling of a failure.” He called on parishioners to respond with “reflection, humility and prayer” and said he intended to visit the affected parishes in the coming months. The episode is likely to attract attention beyond Amiens because of the continuing scrutiny surrounding the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, long regarded as one of the most traditionally minded dioceses in France. Under Bishop Dominique Rey, who led the diocese from 2000 until 2025, Fréjus-Toulon became known for welcoming priests and religious communities attached to traditional liturgy, evangelisation and conservative theology at a time when many French dioceses were experiencing declining clergy numbers and falling Mass attendance. The diocese also drew concern from Rome over questions of governance, priestly formation and the rapid influx of different ecclesial communities. In 2022, the Vatican took the rare step of suspending ordinations planned for the diocese while an apostolic visitation was carried out. Bishop François Touvet was later appointed coadjutor bishop before succeeding Bishop Rey. Against that background, the arrival of the three priests in Amiens last year had been viewed by some Catholics as part of a broader effort to integrate clergy formed within more traditional pastoral environments into dioceses facing priest shortages. For now, the three priests are expected to return to Fréjus-Toulon, where Bishop Touvet will assign them to new ministries within the diocese.

Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit France at the end of September, with Paris and Lourdes among the proposed destinations. The Vatican has yet to formally confirm the journey, which would follow the Pope’s June visit to Spain Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit France at the end of September in what would be his second visit to a European Union country outside Italy since his election last year. The proposed journey was announced by the French Bishops’ Conference on May 6, which said the Pope could travel to Paris and Lourdes, although the Vatican has yet to formally confirm the visit. The invitation was extended by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the bishops’ conference, in coordination with the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, and was also supported by President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting with the Pope in Rome on April 10. In a statement issued by the conference, the bishops said: “The Catholic Church in France is preparing to welcome Leo XIV.” They added that, since his election one year ago, “several bishops” had invited the Pope to visit the country before Cardinal Aveline formally renewed the invitation on behalf of the episcopate. The statement said the proposed journey “could take place at the end of September” and noted that “on various occasions, Leo XIV has expressed the great esteem he holds for our country and its spiritual history”. Cardinal Aveline said he had held “several working sessions” with the Pope, including one last week, during which a draft programme was prepared. “His visit would be an opportunity to share with the Pope what our Church in France is experiencing and to let ourselves be encouraged by his words,” the cardinal said. The bishops added that the faithful were being asked “to support the preparation of this event through prayer” while awaiting the official announcement from the Holy See. The expected visit follows the publication of the programme for Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to Spain from June 6 to June 12, his first visit to the country as pontiff. During the six-day trip, he is scheduled to visit Madrid, Barcelona, Montserrat, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The itinerary includes meetings with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Spain’s political authorities and the country’s bishops, along with Masses in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. The Pope is also expected to visit migrants, prisoners, charity workers and young people during the journey. Among the principal events of the Spanish visit will be a Corpus Christi procession in Madrid, a gathering with the diocesan community at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ at Barcelona’s Basilica of the Holy Family. The Pope is also due to visit the Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat, which recently marked the millennium of the monastery’s foundation. The abbey remains closely associated with the history of Catalonia and the suffering of the Church during the Spanish Civil War, when a number of its monks were killed. France has received several papal visits in recent decades, including journeys by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Francis travelled to Marseille in 2023 and to Corsica in 2024, though neither was considered a full state visit to France.