This is an excerpt from a press release from the church in Paris, France.

An explosion of great force partially damaged the entrance to HQ of the French Unification Church on Monday, January 29th, at 4:00 am .

Very fortunately, there were no injuries among the few occupants of the building; some missionaries passing through Paris en route to their mission countries.

The metal shutters over the front entrance of 9 Rue de Chatillon, which are closed during the night , were ripped. The metal beams of the ceiling littered the entrance, as well as numerous shattered windows. Arriving quickly at the scene, the police officials of the 14th district as well as the firemen, proceeded to make a rapid evaluation of the damage. The president of the HSA-UWC , Mr. Laurent Ladouce, 38 years old, arrived at the scene about 4:45, having come from his home.

The origin of this explosion is still undetermined, but all evidence suggests a criminal act. An explosive device appears to have been placed in front of the entrance. HSA-UWC has declared its confidence that the police will discover the origins of this attack.

Prior to this incident, HSA received no telephone warning or threat whatsoever, written or verbal. Furthermore, no individual or group until now has claimed responsibility, materially or morally, for this apparent attack. The assistant to the mayor of the 14th district, who came to the scene, was able to personally confirm to the police the peaceful character of our relationship with the immediate neighborhood.

Consequently, in the absence of any precise manifestation concerning hostility against us, we can only remind the authorities, and the public opinion of this country, as well as men and women of the press, of the absolute duty to respect without any restriction or reserve the freedom of thought and belief, which is one of the foundations of the Republic. All media campaigns founded on ill-considered amalgamations , all "sect-hunts" (to borrow a very ill-advised expression from "Le Point" magazine) instigated by pressure groups, are susceptible to spark blind violence at any moment.

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