French priest arrested after blessing a church scheduled for demolition

(LifeSiteNews) — A French priest was detained by police for over a day after blessing a church reportedly on the verge of being demolished.

Father Matthieu Salenave appeared on a French podcast Monday to explain the incident, which occurred in the town of Mayenne.

Salenave was sprinkling holy water on St. Gault Church, which was built in the 11th century, when the mayor drove up and approached him, demanding he leave the premises. Father started to leave in his car as police arrived on the scene. He continued back to his priory, only to have 10 law enforcement officials arrive several hours later. Salenave spent the next 36 hours in jail on charges that he committed violence against an elected official that he adamantly denies.

St. Gault is located in the commune of Quelaines-Saint-Gault. A petition with more than 32,00 signatures calling on the French government to stop the destruction of historic churches is circulating online. It explains that thousands of abandoned churches are on the verge of demolition but that thanks to President Emmanuel Macron’s 2023 “Church Plan” they can yet be saved. It notes, however, that some municipalities have doubled down on destroying them with no repercussions.

Salenave’s arrest has caught the attention of social media influencers. The Vice President of the Paris chapter of the Association of St. Geneviève, a Traditionalist counter-revolutionary group, called on Catholics to pray for Salenave.

Prions pour Mr l’Abbé 🙏🏼 https://t.co/QPJI62E1og

— 𝕸𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖊𝖚 𝕲𝕺𝖄𝕰𝕽 (@mg12gm) February 9, 2026

During the interview with French outlet Tocsin, Salenave explained that he spent the night at the police station and that delays in the hearing seemed purposefully designed to “intimate” him but that he said it was a “trial” for him that he used to glorify God. He said that he is filing a complaint over the matter with the authorities.

Salenave is a former priest of the Society of St. Pius X. He is currently a member of the “Resistance,” which is associated with the late English Bishop Richard Williamson, also formerly of the SSPX. The Resistance has a strong presence in France, with the Dominicans of Avrille and the Society of the Apostles of Jesus and Mary (SAJM) its main representatives. It is believed that Salenave is associated with the SAJM.

Salenave appeared on the Tocsin podcast on a separate occasion to explain that he said Masses in barns during COVID, which he described as being similar to the days of the French Revolution.

⛪ FOI, RÉSISTANCE ET COMBAT SPIRITUEL

🕯️ « J’ai célébré des messes clandestines dans des granges pendant la période Covid. On se serait crus revenus aux périodes révolutionnaires.

Aujourd’hui, le pouvoir n’est plus au service du peuple ni de Dieu, mais au service du… pic.twitter.com/lqoMsZ3Q1r