Catholics visiting the famous Parisian cathedral, Notre Dame, say they are experiencing a range of physical problems after touching what they believe was tainted holy water in the fonts at the church’s entrance.
Catholics typically make the “sign of the cross” with holy water when entering and exiting churches.
But The Sun reports that Paris churchgoers suffered “severe headaches” and “tingling faces” after dabbing the holy water on their foreheads, on their way into a Saturday evening church service.
“They complained of tingling in the face after signing themselves with the holy water at the entrance of the church,” a source told the French newspaper, Le Parisian. Others say the holy water had a “foul” smell.
Parisian officials say they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public, but they are concerned about the reports, as Notre Dame has been a prominent terrorist target for years. Just last year, police shot a would-be attacker who claimed to be a “soldier of ISIS,” outside the cathedral.
The cathedral’s caretakers emptied the fonts, bleached and scrubbed the containers, and replaced the holy water on Sunday to avoid any further injury.