Security checks at Christmas mass

SECURITY has been reinforced at churches around France over the festive period, amid concerns without the interior ministry that a "symbolic" attack could occur during Christmas ceremonies.

Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve has written to préfectures, police and gendarmerie units with recommendations on how best to proceed over the Christmas holidays.

Police will make contact with local parishes to find out the timings of their ceremonies - but routine patrols at the entrance will be difficult to guarantee, as France has 45,000 churches across 13,000 parishes.

It comes after representatives from the Catholic church asked the interior minister for assistance. A spokesman for bishops' group the Conférence des Evêques de France said: "We drew attention the fact that there will be a large number of people at Christmas mass."

Church staff or volunteers can ask churchgoers to open their bag, but they do not have the legal power to carry out a comprehensive check of its contents.