Mystery surrounds the appearance of Smurfs on a church in Ternat

Mystery surrounds the origins of the two Smurfs that suddenly appeared on the pedestals above the entrance to the Sint-Gertrudiskerk church in the centre of Ternat this week, VRT reports.

The two figurines, who became a short-lived attraction for locals and visitors, but a source of annoyance for the pastor of the church, appeared on the pedestals over the weekend. Despite since being removed by municipal workers, the mystery of how Papa Smurf and Jokey Smurf were placed some six metres off the ground, and by whom, is still a major topic of discussion in the village.

"Suddenly the figures appeared here on Whit Monday," said Chris Butaye, the pastor of the church. "No one has asked us for permission, so I don't understand it. But a church is not a showcase for anything and everything. This would also have been inappropriate in other religions. It is therefore only logical that we had them removed as soon as possible."

Local residents did not seem to have a problem with the Smurfs appearing on the church. "It brings a bit of atmosphere to the village and when you go to mass, you can have a joke with it,” said one.

“There is already enough misery in the world,” said another. "It's unusual, but I think it's cool.”

Another local resident claims to have seen the Smurfs being placed on the church last weekend. "From my window I saw that someone was putting the figurines on the pedestals," they said. "The person was standing on a long ladder that stood against the façade of the church. I did not get to see what the perpetrator looked like. I thought it had something to do with the fair here in the village."

The plot thickens…