French Priest Smashes Jesus Statue, Blames Job Stress

A priest in northwestern France has reportedly smashed a Jesus statue while shouting out “one less” to his congregation.

55-year-old priest Jean-Jacques Le Roy was giving a sermon on Thursday at the church in Plestin-les-Greves, Brittany. He reportedly shocked his flock when he flung a statute of the Lord Jesus Christ down on the floor while crying out “one less!”

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The village priest has blamed the “stress and fatigue” of his job for the disturbing act and has been summoned to appear before the Bishop. Le Roy apologised for his action blaming it on the ‘style of the statue’ and the ‘shortage of priests.’

The Local France reports:

The incident occurred last Thursday while a sacred art commission was visiting the church in Plestin-les-Greves, a town of 3,600 inhabitants in Brittany.

Vicar-general Gerard Nicole said Le Roy did not like the style of sculpture, and the priest himself said his act was not deliberate, and that he had simply pushed the statue too hard while checking if it was properly attached to a wall.

However, local media said he had smashed another religious statue in front of a couple in 2014.

Le Roy cited the stress of his job as the cause for the incident. “In our ministry, we are called upon from all directions; there aren’t many priests, there is a certain fatigue, irritation, stress. It all came together at that moment,” he told AFP.