Having been reared as a Southern Baptist and coming late to liturgical forms, my appreciation for incense is not the same as for a Cradle Catholic or Episcopalian, but I do like it in the service. Our CEC priest switched to a sweeter, milder type after we mentioned that some of our family were not comfortable with the traditional type.

I guess there is a good case to be made for environmental and health-related considerations, but I think that church would be the last and least troublesome place to cleanse. There are so many other more serious offenders.

On the other hand, if that can get more Europeans into church, it is surely worth the payback. (More Americans as well, come to think of it, but I doubt that removing incense would measurably affect American church-going habits.)

I think the move towards fake candles is driven more by cost than environmental considerations.

I hope churches never get the idea of putting out potpourri. That stuff is truly toxic.