A French priest was robbed at gunpoint over the weekend as his colleague performed a baptism in the adjacent church.
According to local news outlet France Bleu, the incident took place around 1 p.m. on Sunday.
En plein baptême, ils volent le coffre-fort du presbytère à Carbon-Blanc
➡️ https://t.co/4GcMLcFvaa pic.twitter.com/a2aGkr7Ixo— France Bleu Gironde (@Bleu_Gironde) August 15, 2022
Three masked thieves, at least one of whom was armed, reportedly broke into the home of the priest, located behind the Carbon-Blanc church in Bordeaux while the sacrament was being celebrated nextdoor.
It is believed that the thieves thought the presbytery would be empty while the ceremony was taking place.
According to local reports, they began to rifle through the safe and various cupboards, before realising that a second priest was present within the house.
Realising what was happening, the second priest reportedly called for help, at which point two of the three intruders fled with the safe, making off with €2,000 worth of goods.
The third criminal stayed behind briefly to threaten the priest with a handgun, before following his partners and escaping in an unknown vehicle.
The trio are still reportedly on the run, with authorities looking into the matter.
The priest who was held at gunpoint is alleged to be in a state of shock, and as such found it difficult to give a description of the thieves or their getaway car.
Crimes of vandalism, desecration, theft and other attacks against churches have been increasing in France in recent years, with Le Figaro reporting in 2019 that there are almost three incidents per day within the once-Christian country.