A parish occupied to accommodate undocumented

Medieval alleys adorned with half -timbered houses, walking paths arranged on the banks of the Loire and trams with an elegant and futuristic design. The landscape of the city of Tours, in Indre-et-Loire, gives off a peaceful and prosperous atmosphere. Yet here, as in all the big French cities, misery also has its home there.

In the center, in a freshly renovated district, the Saint-Etienne-Sainte-Jeanne-D ‘Arc parish in an emergency, several clandestine families. It all started on Thursday, February 27. Part of the families of undocumented migrants accompanied by the collective “No children on the street” has no solution to avoid sleeping outside that night.

Since morning, a dozen migrants, accompanied by young people, have made up 115, the state’s social emergency number, but the accommodation centers coordinated by the public authorities are already packed. And associations have exhausted all their solutions, such as finding a room with the locals.

Georgian, Chechen, Moroccan families

“We surveyed the city and suddenly, we fell in front of the Saint-Etienne church, near the station,” says Vanessa Rigolet, professor of languages ​​and member of the collective. In front of this house of God, open to everyone, we thought it was there that we had to go! »»

Exhausted, several Georgian families, Chechens or Moroccan penetrates into the church, and deposit mattresses and blankets. But the monument is not tall and offers neither heating nor sanitary. Volunteers then think of the parish house, nestled in a courtyard close to the courtyard. “The door was closed but a volunteer managed to open it by tapping the right code, randomly,” continues Vanessa Rigolet. We were very moved. For us, it was almost a sign of Providence! »»

Reorganize all pastoral life

Since the 1990s and the highly publicized occupation of the Saint-Bernard church, in Paris, by undocumented migrants demanding their regularization, the militant mobilizations have given way to some more spontaneous movements, like that of Tours. Diocesan buildings are invested as rescue places: here, a former college or a presbytery, there, a church …

In the parish of Saint-Etienne Tourangelle, Father Benoît Menoux recognizes that he did not appreciate that the members of the collective-pro migrant associations, teachers with some of these children in their class and parents of students-brought families in without asking him for his opinion. “They put me before the fait accompli,” sighs the priest. I saw all these faces, I couldn’t dislodge them. »»

In his presbytery, attached to the parish house, the parish priest then begins to make an ink blood. What if the radiators of the aging parish hall were overheating? What if a fire was triggered overnight?

In the days that follow, the priest must tinker to reorganize all pastoral life. Usually on Sunday, he lends the parish house to the evangelical community of Tours. During the week, the space hosts homework assistance workshops for children in difficulty or meetings with families.

Companants and ulcers

Informed of the situation, some parishioners toque at the door of the parish house. Companants, several of them offer blankets, clothes or a helping hand for the meals of the homeless.

Others, ulcerated, criticize their intrusion to members of the collective. “It is true that we entered without asking, but could we let little sleep on the street?” wonders Isabelle Saillenfest, one of the few Catholics of the militant network. The Gospel teaches us to see Christ in the most precarious face. It is our duty of charity … “

Within the diocese of Tours, Isabelle is a known figure. She chairs the association “La Table de Jeanne-Marie”, which distributes free meals. Because of its proximity to the church, it plays the role of spokesperson with local religious authorities, to which it guarantees the good supervision of families

A palette of emotions

On March 5, the first day of Lent, Father Benoît Menoux lands his electric scooter for a busy day. He celebrates the ash Wednesday mass, in the two churches of his parish. At noon, the nave of the Saint-Etienne church is filled with elderly people or executives extricating from work at the lunch break.

At 7 p.m., it is the turn of Sainte-Jeanne-D ‘Arc, a very large building straight out of the 1960s, to attract the faithful. The church hosts a younger, family and bourgeois population, in this residential area where town houses sell at gold prices. In the audience, some do not hide their anger, like Alain*, Tourangeau aged around sixty years: “Of course Christians must be charitable, but charity has limits!” We cannot force the door of a property and welcome people in indecent conditions! This parish hall does not even have a shower! »»

Others feel torn, like Aline*, 57 years old. “I regularly participate in homework help for undocumented children,” says this extracurricular host. They are registered in school but must sleep on the street. It’s a heartbreaker. And at the same time, I can see the limits of generosity. Our social model cannot manage all this misery… ”

A rescue wheel for the State

These contrasting reactions clearly show the distress of Christians in the face of migrants. “In the Bible, charity is the highest form of hospitality,” notes the Dominican brother Jacques-Benoît Rauscher, specialist in the social doctrine of the Church. Pope Francis also welcomes migrants a priority in his pastoral care. However, we can blame him for a speech that lacks concrete elements. Many Christians wonder how to create, on the ground, the good conditions of this hospitality. »»

The representatives of the diocese agreed with the collective to maintain a temporary reception in their premises until Friday, March 21. “But associations and the church will not be able to serve as a rescue wheel in the state perpetually, warns François du Sartel, vicar episcopal of Tours. It is up to the prefecture and social services to take responsibility. »»

∗ These first names have been modified.