The controversy points to the City Hall of Paris and the diocese for allowing LGBT activities in temples
The proposal was installed inside the temple with speakers distributed in side chapels, areas near the altars, the baptistery, and even confessionals. For many Catholics, the intervention turned a place intended for prayer into a space incompatible with its sacred character.
The French progressivism returned to international controversy after a group of Catholics was detained for protesting in front of the Saint-Laurent church in Paris against an LGBT art installation held inside the temple as part of the Nuit Blanche, the cultural event organized by the City Hall of the French capital.
According to reports from French media and those related to Catholic activism, six faithful were placed in provisional detention after participating in a public prayer in front of the church, where they sought to reject what they considered a desecration of the sacred space. The police intervened to ensure access to the temple and allow the scheduled activity to proceed.
The episode occurred during the 2026 edition of Nuit Blanche, a nighttime celebration of contemporary art created in 2002 that utilizes various public, heritage, and cultural spaces in Paris. This year, the controversy flared up because several Catholic churches and chapels were included in the official programming, featuring sound installations, immersive experiences, and proposals that represent a desecration of religious worship.
One of the main focal points was the Saint-Laurent church, located in the 10th district of Paris. There, Sous la peau du ciel —“Under the Skin of the Sky”— was presented, an installation by artist Marie-Luce Nadal based on text messages sent by people from different parts of the world, later mixed with ambient sounds and digital treatments.
The controversy was also intertwined with the figure of Barbara Butch, chosen by the City Hall of Paris as the artistic director of Nuit Blanche. Her name had already been associated with the controversial opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, questioned by millions of Christians for a representation interpreted as a mockery of the Last Supper.
The former socialist deputy mayor Alexandra Cordebard, current mayor of the 10th district, defended the opening of the church to “celebrate freedom” and give visibility to the LGBTQIA+ movement. On the other hand, the protesters denounced that it was an ideological use of Catholic temples under cultural cover.
The organization Civitas International had previously called for prayers in front of the churches included in the event. Its president, Alain Escada, urged to use prayer as a form of peaceful resistance and called for forming a “barrier” of kneeling faithful in front of the temples.
