Vandals decapitated a statue of the Virgin Mary outside of a Catholic church in Toronto on Sunday.
The staff of Our Lady of Lebanon church in Toronto, Canada, discovered the beheaded statue. The Maronite Catholic church said parishioners were “horrified” to discover the “deplorable and malicious act.” The church has been in contact with local police and is reviewing security cameras in an effort to identify the responsible parties.
Sunday August 30th, 2020, before we started our Masses at Our Lady of Lebanon church Toronto, we were shocked to…
Posted by Our Lady of Lebanon Parish – Toronto (Ontario) on Sunday, August 30, 2020
The vandalism comes as churches across the United States have become targets for vandals and arsonists. In July, a statue of the Virgin Mary outside of a New York City church was vandalized, with the perpetrators spray-painting “IDOL” on the statue. Another statue of Mary in Boston, erected to honor soldiers returning from World War II, was burned.
Rev. John Curran, pastor of Saint Peter Parish in Boston, said he was “shocked” by the incident.
“The image of Our Lady is so important for us and our faith. It’s such a contradiction to her love. Mary would never desecrate anyone, never hurt anyone, only offer them the peace and love of Jesus,” he said.
A statue of Jesus Christ was beheaded at a church in Miami, Florida, in July. The Archdiocese of Miami said the desecration “reflects the increasing attacks on the Catholic Church across the country.”
Jesus statue found vandalized at a church in Kendall. The Archdiocese of Miami wants it investigated as a hate crime @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/8Xvf0Yhmvk
— Christian De La Rosa (@delarosaWPLG) July 16, 2020
A church in New Haven, Connecticut, was defaced with Satanic symbols. Earlier that week, a driver rammed his car into a church and set it on fire as churchgoers prepared for mass. No parishioners were injured, but the fire caused severe damage to the building. The suspect told police that he committed arson because of his disagreements with Catholic doctrine.
In St. Louis, Missouri, demonstrators protested a statue of King Louis IX. The city’s namesake, the medieval king went on two crusades in the 13th century. The king is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, and during his life, he fed the poor, visited the sick, and cared for people with leprosy, according to the Franciscans.
Statues of Junipero Serra, an 18th-century Spanish priest, were torn down in cities across California. Serra traveled to California and is credited with converting many Native Americans to Catholicism. Those in opposition to statues of the missionary say he was an architect of the systems of oppression in which many Native Americans are still trapped. A church founded by Serra in 1771 was severely damaged in a fire. The chief of the San Gabriel Fire Department told the Washington Examiner that the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
