Archbishop Guy de Kerimel of Toulouse has acted to remedy potential harm caused by a creation called “The Gate of Darkness”.
Archbishop de Kerimel, while not condemning the performance, has indicated that the consecration of the Archdiocese of Toulouse to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a way to offer a hopeful alternative.
The consecration took place on the October 16 Feast of St Margaret Mary Alacoque, the French nun and mystic to whom Jesus appeared between 1673 and 1675, urging her to spread the devotion to His Sacred Heart.
Two hundred years later the Basilica of Le Sacré Cœur de Montmartre was built in Paris honour of the Sacred Heart and in atonement for the sins committed in the Republic, and the moral decline of France, since the French Revolution of the late 18th century.
The work of François Delarozière features mechanical creatures, including a machine named Lilith, inspired by a demon from Mesopotamian mythology. Alongside Lilith will be Ariane the spider and Asterion the Minotaur.
The three machines will parade through the streets of Toulouse from October 25–27 in the second edition of “The Gates of Darkness” show, which attracted more than 800,000 people in 2018.
The show draws on themes contrary to Christian faith, including depictions of Satan, skeletons, and an inverted cross.
The story centres on the “Guardian of Darkness,” who, according to the script, will try to take the “souls of the damned” to fill Hades.
The event has highlighted a growing cultural divide between artists, who see the performance as harmless popular theatre, and members of the Church, who view it as symbolising a fascination with darkness.
M. Delarozière told La Croix, the French daily Catholic newspaper, that concerns about the performance are a “reaction from another era” and represent a “return of a form of puritanism”.
But Fr Simon d’Artigue, a priest of Saint-Étienne Cathedral, reflected that the divide stems from the rise of esoteric symbols in entertainment and the feeling among some Christians that the use of this symbolism is a direct attack on their faith.
He said those outside the Church and unaware of the religious nature of these symbols do not understand the offence.
Concerns were raised as early as July, when a controversial advertisement for the show depicted Toulouse and its churches in flames alongside the devil.
These concerns, raised by Catholics in Toulouse, led to meetings between Catholic and Protestant leaders and M. Delarozière.
Fr d’Artigue clarified that there was never any intention to ban the event but rather to question the use of religious symbols to denote evil.
Among Catholics, reactions have been mixed.
Some are heartened by the bishop’s decision to consecrate the diocese, like 27-year-old Marie, who said that “dedicating Toulouse to the Sacred Heart of Jesus demonstrates God’s love”.
Others have expressed disappointment, feeling that the archbishop’s decision lacks sensitivity to the artistic expression of the show.
The reaction of the archbishop comes amid a growing Catholic shift against rampant secular progressivism in France.
This year, there was a 32 per cent increase in adult baptisms compared to 2023, with 36 per cent of those receiving the sacrament aged between 18 and 25.
Significant efforts have also been made to restore and preserve France’s Christian heritage, with groups like SOS Calvaires restoring thousands of roadside crucifixes.
The controversy also comes in the wake of the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris, where a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper drew international condemnation.