https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed French churches were preparing to hold their first Sunday masses in more than two months after the government bowed to a ruling that they should be reopened -- provided proper precautions were taken. https://www.thelocal.fr/20200524/coronavirus-churches-mosques-and-synagogues-reopen-across-france Sun, 24 May 2020 12:41:56 +0200 coronavirus-churches-mosques-and-synagogues-reopen-across-france Twenty-one people were hospitalised in northern France, two in a serious condition, after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning during Christmas mass, emergency services said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20191226/21-suffer-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-at-french-xmas-mass Thu, 26 Dec 2019 10:56:54 +0100 21-suffer-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-at-french-xmas-mass French prosecutors said Friday they had asked the Vatican to lift the diplomatic immunity of its envoy to France who is under investigation for alleged sexual assault. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190316/france-demands-vatican-lift-envoys-immunity-over-abuse-probe Sat, 16 Mar 2019 09:46:35 +0100 france-demands-vatican-lift-envoys-immunity-over-abuse-probe The highest-profile Catholic cleric to be caught up in a paedophile scandal in France goes on trial on Monday charged covering up child abuse by a priest. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190107/french-cardinal-to-go-on-trial-over-child-abuse-cover-up Mon, 07 Jan 2019 09:41:25 +0100 french-cardinal-to-go-on-trial-over-child-abuse-cover-up French bishops said Wednesday they were setting up an "independent" commission to "shed light on the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic church since 1950". https://www.thelocal.fr/20181108/french-bishops-to-set-up-independent-review-on-sex-abuse-in-catholic-church Thu, 08 Nov 2018 09:48:52 +0100 french-bishops-to-set-up-independent-review-on-sex-abuse-in-catholic-church A French Catholic priest was suspended Friday after a video of him smacking a crying baby during a baptism ceremony went viral, drawing widespread condemnation on social media. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180623/french-priest-suspended-after-slapping-baby-during-baptism Sat, 23 Jun 2018 03:55:54 +0200 french-priest-suspended-after-slapping-baby-during-baptism Tourists visiting a church in the picturesque French town of Chateau-Chalon were surprised to discover that local pranksters had replaced the fonts' holy water with alcohol, the local tourism office said on Friday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20170909/french-pranksters-replace-holy-water-with-alcohol Sat, 09 Sep 2017 07:54:25 +0200 french-pranksters-replace-holy-water-with-alcohol The former bishop of the French city of Orleans was charged Thursday with failing to report a paedophile priest under his watch, lawyers for the plaintiffs said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20170609/french-ex-bishop-charged-with-failing-to-report-paedophile-priest Fri, 09 Jun 2017 11:06:17 +0200 french-ex-bishop-charged-with-failing-to-report-paedophile-priest A bishop in southwestern France resigned Thursday at the behest of the Vatican over "inappropriate behaviour" towards youths, the French Catholic Church said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20170406/french-bishop-steps-down-over-inappropriate-behaviour-with-youths Thu, 06 Apr 2017 16:37:56 +0200 french-bishop-steps-down-over-inappropriate-behaviour-with-youths A French anti-terrorism court on Friday charged a 29-year-old man in connection with a thwarted bid to attack a church near Paris in 2015, the prosecutor's office said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20161119/french-court-charges-man-over-plan-to-attack-church Sat, 19 Nov 2016 11:58:57 +0100 french-court-charges-man-over-plan-to-attack-church Around 25,000 Catholic pilgrims packed the French shrine of Lourdes on Monday for Assumption celebrations, held under tight security after several terror attacks, including the murder of a Catholic priest. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160815/pray-for-france-catholics-rally-at-shrine-lourdes-pilgrimage-under-shadow-of-terror Mon, 15 Aug 2016 14:25:37 +0200 pray-for-france-catholics-rally-at-shrine-lourdes-pilgrimage-under-shadow-of-terror Fury from the far right National Front in France failed to stop riot police clearing a famous Paris church on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160804/far-right-anger-as-france-clears-paris-church-for-wrecking-ball Thu, 04 Aug 2016 10:36:46 +0200 far-right-anger-as-france-clears-paris-church-for-wrecking-ball A French prosecutor dismissed on Monday a probe into allegations that Cardinal Philippe Barbarin covered up the sexual abuse of scouts, in a case which shook the country's Catholic Church. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160801/france-dismisses-sex-abuse-cover-up-probe Mon, 01 Aug 2016 17:14:49 +0200 france-dismisses-sex-abuse-cover-up-probe A leading Muslim group in France has called on its community to attend a church mass this Sunday to show solidarity with Christians after the recent jihadist killing of a priest. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160729/frances-muslims-urged-to-attend-mass-after-priest-killing Fri, 29 Jul 2016 11:22:38 +0200 frances-muslims-urged-to-attend-mass-after-priest-killing Abdel Malik Petitjean, 19, identified as the second attacker involved in the killing of a French priest, was described as perfectly normal by his incredulous family and friends. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160728/french-priest-murderer-he-was-a-gentle-child Thu, 28 Jul 2016 19:28:32 +0200 french-priest-murderer-he-was-a-gentle-child France's Muslim leaders have denounced Tuesday's apparent terror attack at a church, and called for the country's Muslims to band together in support. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160726/muslim-leaders-denounce-terror-attack-at-french-church Tue, 26 Jul 2016 20:05:21 +0200 muslim-leaders-denounce-terror-attack-at-french-church A priest was killed after armed men took over a church in northern France, before they too were killed by police. Here is what we know. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160726/what-we-know-about-the-french-church-attack Tue, 26 Jul 2016 16:15:37 +0200 what-we-know-about-the-french-church-attack A priest in south-western France has been accused of sexually abusing a minor, the latest in a long line of alleged paedophilia in French churches. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160428/french-catholic-church-hit-by-new-paedophile-priest-scandal Thu, 28 Apr 2016 14:30:32 +0200 french-catholic-church-hit-by-new-paedophile-priest-scandal French investigators searched the offices of the diocese of Lyon on Wednesday over the alleged cover-up of a paedophile priest, a source close to the probe said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160330/french-bishops-office-searched-in-paedophile-priest-case Wed, 30 Mar 2016 19:08:48 +0200 french-bishops-office-searched-in-paedophile-priest-case In the latest accusations against France's Cardinal Philippe Barbarin he has been accused of promoting a priest despite a previous conviction for sex abuse. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160317/cardinal-promoted-priest-despite-sex-abuse-conviction Thu, 17 Mar 2016 08:16:33 +0100 cardinal-promoted-priest-despite-sex-abuse-conviction