A volunteer questioned by French police in connection with the fire at Nantes Cathedral has been released without charge. The 39-year-old Rwandan refugee was detained following the July 18 fire at the Gothic cathedral which police suspect was caused by arson. He was freed Sunday evening, according the Nantes public prosecutor. The BBC reported that the man, who has not been named, was responsible for locking the cathedral the day before the fire. He was detained on Saturday and questioned by police in order to clear up alleged inconsistencies in his schedule. Nantes prosecutor Pierre Sennes told Reuters: “He is not implicated. The inconsistencies that came up have been clarified.” Le Figaro quoted Jean-Charles Nowak, a clerk at the cathedral, as saying that the volunteer was “a man of duty” who had “suffered a lot in Rwanda.” “I don’t believe for a second that he could have set the cathedral on fire. It’s a place he adores,” Nowak told the French newspaper. Firefighters were called to Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral, which dates from the 15th century, on Saturday morning to tackle a blaze which destroyed a historic organ and stained-glass windows. The incident occurred 15 months after a fire ravaged Notre-Dame de Paris, destroying the cathedral’s spire and roof beams.
6:30 PM
Police release volunteer questioned over Nantes Catholic cathedral fire
A volunteer questioned by French police in connection with the fire at Nantes Cathedral has been released without charge
CNA Staff

Already a subscriber? Sign in
5freearticles every month
Continue reading with a free account. No card needed.
- Five free articles every thirty days, on any device you sign in on
- The Catholic Herald newsletter, every morning
- Subscribe whenever you like for everything: every article and the magazine

subscribe to the catholic herald today
Our best content is exclusively available to our subscribers. Subscribe today and gain instant access to expert analysis, in-depth articles, and thought-provoking insights—anytime, anywhere. Don’t miss out on the conversations that matter most.
Subscribe












