Bishop Blocks Electronic Music Concerts in Church

 

On July 23, Bishop Alexandre de Bucy of Agen, southwestern France, barred an electronic music festival from using the Saint-Robert Church for concerts scheduled on August 7–9. The church is municipally owned under French law, but the bishop has authority over its religious use and the French law forbids a secular use of state-owned churches.

 Organizers had reportedly failed—for the fourth consecutive year—to seek permission from either the parish or the Diocese of Agen. Parish priest Rev. Gilles N'Goran condemned the planned concerts as a "profanation."

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