Overview
- The mayor of Verdun, Samuel Hazard, issued an arrêté on November 11 prohibiting a mass planned for November 15 at Saint-Jean-Baptiste church in homage to Philippe Pétain and his soldiers.
- Hazard cited Pétain’s 1945 indignité nationale, Verdun’s symbolic status, and risks to public order, referencing a reported surge in antisemitic acts.
- The Association pour défendre la mémoire du Maréchal Pétain (ADMP) says it obtained written ecclesiastical authorization to hold the ceremony.
- The Diocese of Verdun stated that the Church does not take political positions and that the celebration was accepted as a mass praying for all the dead.
- ADMP intends to file an urgent référé before the administrative court to contest the mayoral ban, with no ruling reported yet.