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French Nuns and Climate Activists Square Off Over Plans for a Megachurch French Nuns and Climate Activists Square Off Over Plans for a Megachurch
(about 11 hours later)
When climate activists protesting the building of a huge church complex in a natural park in the South of France scaled the construction site, the nuns gave chase.When climate activists protesting the building of a huge church complex in a natural park in the South of France scaled the construction site, the nuns gave chase.
One sister grabbed an environmentalist climbing an excavator but lost her grip and fell rolling into a pit. Two other nuns tried to hold down a protester, who shook loose. Sister Benoîte raced and tackled a running activist — and pushed him into a ditch.One sister grabbed an environmentalist climbing an excavator but lost her grip and fell rolling into a pit. Two other nuns tried to hold down a protester, who shook loose. Sister Benoîte raced and tackled a running activist — and pushed him into a ditch.
“They lost,” said Sister Gaetane, who had also grabbed a protester. “We tried not to cause any injuries.”“They lost,” said Sister Gaetane, who had also grabbed a protester. “We tried not to cause any injuries.”
The clashes last month were a significant escalation of a longstanding hostility between environmental activists and the Missionary Family of Our Lady, a Roman Catholic order that wants to build a majestic new religious center in a verdant valley of the pristine Ardèche mountains.The clashes last month were a significant escalation of a longstanding hostility between environmental activists and the Missionary Family of Our Lady, a Roman Catholic order that wants to build a majestic new religious center in a verdant valley of the pristine Ardèche mountains.
The order, part of a Catholic community of about 150 people that includes nuns and brothers and has its headquarters in the village of Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier, has planned to build the new site for more than seven years to welcome what it says are a growing number of pilgrims who visit the village to venerate a statue of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Snows.