Priest allowed Eucharistic Adoration to continue in Church during desecration. Outside the Church, he did nothing while Catholics arrested
Nuit Blanche 2026: Parish priest of Saint-Laurent Church refutes all desecration
We wanted to hear the explanations of the parish priest of Saint-Laurent Church following the controversy sparked by Nuit Blanche. In a statement sent to Tribune Chrétienne, Father Paul Dollié fully stands by the event and affirms that no desecration took place, even though Eucharistic adoration continued in the church.
Anything but the sacred. This is undoubtedly the feeling that remains after reading the statement that Father Paul Dollié sent to Tribune Chrétienne in response to our questions concerning Nuit Blanche, organized at Saint-Laurent Church in Paris. While many parishioners expressed their incomprehension and indignation at what took place in this consecrated building, the priest categorically rejects any accusation of desecration. “I saw that this work was respectful of the place, that there were no elements contrary to the faith,” he wrote.
Inside Eucharistic Adoration continued, outside the priest did nothing while Catholics were arrested
The priest explained that he accepted the proposal from the Art, Culture and Faith association, tasked with liaising between the organizers of Nuit Blanche and the Diocese of Paris. According to him, the installation “Under the Skin of the Sky” had a spiritual or meditative character likely to open a dialogue with visitors distant from the Church. But what is striking in his defense is the very conception of the sacred space that seems to shine through in his explanations. For the facts are now known. At Saint-Laurent Church, the installation “Under the Skin of the Sky” was one of the highlights of this Nuit Blanche. The building had been plunged into semi-darkness. Speakers had been placed in the chapels, around the altars, the baptistery, and even in the confessionals. As we moved further into the church, the voices overlapped in a constant hubbub.
Some of the comments, broadcast in the very heart of this sacred space, were fantasies as ludicrous as they were incomprehensible: "I'd like to drive at 100 km/h," "I want a smartwatch with all the instruction manuals." The whole thing created a strange, sometimes frankly unsettling atmosphere. And this is where the essential question arises.
What is the connection between these statements and the mission of a Catholic church? What is the connection between the desire to drive at 100 km/h, the desire to own a smartwatch, and the proclamation of the Gospel? What is the connection with prayer, adoration, or the salvation of souls?
Even more surprising, Father Paul Dollié states in his press release: "I agreed, because the installation of the artwork did not interfere with the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which is continuous in our church." In other words, according to his own explanation, while visitors wandered in semi-darkness amidst loudspeakers broadcasting a succession of personal desires and words lacking any real spiritual coherence, Eucharistic adoration continued in the church. This statement does not diminish the questions; it only intensifies them.
For the issue is not simply whether or not the work contained blasphemous statements. The problem runs deeper. Is a church merely a cultural space where anything becomes permissible as long as no explicit attack against the faith is made? Or does it remain a house of God, consecrated to divine worship and set apart for the real presence of Christ?In his text, the priest states that he wanted to welcome “a different audience” and allow people distant from the Church to cross the threshold of Saint-Laurent. The missionary intention is commendable. But does evangelization consist of bringing the world into the church indiscriminately, or of leading souls to Christ?
This affair ultimately reveals a profound misunderstanding of what the sacred is. For what shocked the faithful was not merely the presence of a contemporary artwork in a church. It was that, at the foot of the altars, in a church where the Blessed Sacrament was adored, according to the priest's own words, phrases such as "I'd like to drive at 100 kilometers per hour" or "I want a smartwatch with all the instruction manuals" could have been uttered. And this is precisely where the great misunderstanding of this Nuit Blanche lies. Not in a deliberate desire to desecrate, but in the inability to understand what distinguishes a church from any other cultural space. A church is not simply a space open to the world. It is first and foremost a house of prayer, consecrated to God.
Statement from Father Paul Dollié addressed to Tribune Chrétienne
“The truth will set you free (John 8:32)
Why did I accept Marie-Luce Nadal’s artwork “Under the Skin of Heaven” at Saint Laurent Church?
Here are the facts. The association "Art, Culture, and Faith," acting as an intermediary between the City of Paris's Nuit Blanche (White Night) initiative and the diocese, contacted me on February 3, 2026, to propose hosting a sound installation as part of Nuit Blanche. The proposal was presented to me as follows: "Among the works selected by the city, we are looking for those that possess a spiritual character, or at least a meditative one… We see this as an opportunity to demonstrate that the religious world is open to contemporary art, which is also a way of making the invisible perceptible."
I observed that this work was respectful of the space and contained no elements contrary to the faith. The altar, the liturgical space, and the confessionals, which represent a third of the church, remained unoccupied, and the wishes expressed throughout the evening regarding the "soundscape" contained no blasphemous remarks (CCC 2148).
I accepted because the installation of the artwork did not interfere with the continuous adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in our Church.
For your information, I do not allow any concerts during church opening hours, which are dedicated to prayer.
I saw in this proposal an opportunity for our parish to welcome a different audience, a way to offer people who rarely visit church the chance to begin a journey of reflection on the meaning of their lives and the Truth of the Gospel. In short, to use Canon 1210 of the Code of Canon Law, to be a place of religion, in the etymological sense, re-ligare, a place that connects us to God. I had several encounters along these lines during Nuit Blanche.
Faced with this project, without even seeking to meet with me, self-proclaimed defenders of the purity of the place, who have no connection whatsoever with my parishioners, blocked access to the church in the early evening, misusing the Name of God (Exodus 20:7; CCC 2146). What a shame! Were they not the ones who could have shown visitors that the Church is not simply a building of stone but a community capable of guiding visitors onto the first step of faith?
For your information, I did not receive a single cent for opening my church; the aim was not financial but pastoral: since we are so hesitant to engage with the world, let us accept that the world comes to us without closing the door.
I make a wish. May all those who are zealous for the purity of our stone temples have the same passion for the temple of flesh that is our fellow human beings (Matthew 25:40; 1 Corinthians 12:27).
I would like us Christians, defenders of the sacred, to have the same energy to concretely care for those we encounter, in their material and spiritual needs!
Unfortunately, in my parish, I have several very real faces who today are waiting for a helping hand to escape their humiliation.
Father Paul Dollié, parish priest of Saint Laurent Church in Paris.
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