The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Unit is investigating a possible hate crime after a statue of Jesus on the cross was torn down and a U.S. flag was burned at a Brooklyn church.
The Diocese of Brooklyn said in a statement that the vandalism occurred early Friday morning at St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and was discovered by Monsignor David Cassato as he walked from the rectory to the church’s school.
The statue, which was installed in memory of Cassato’s mother in 2010, was toppled and broken into pieces in the incident. The diocese later discovered that the flag hanging in front of the rectory was burned by vandals.
The monsignor said the “act of hatred” was “the saddest day” of his 20-year placement at the parish, adding that he used the incident to teach students at the parish school about forgiveness and love.
“I went over and spoke to the students in the school about what happened, telling them that hate never wins,” Cassato said in a press release. “We are, and must be, a community that continues to share the message of Easter, that which is of love, hope, and forgiveness.”
AUTHORITIES SHUT DOWN CHURCH AND ERECT FENCE AROUND BUILDING FOR VIOLATING CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS
https://www.facebook.com/stathanasiusbrooklyn/photos/pcb.2032141710269974/2032124363605042
Parishioners quickly replaced the toppled statue with one from the school. The diocese plans to repair the damaged crucifix.
Hundreds of people gathered for a prayer vigil outside of St. Athanasius Church on Friday night. Ginger Bivona, a church trustee, told CBS New York that she was “filled with tears, emotion, [and] heartbreak” when she saw the cross.
https://www.facebook.com/stathanasiusbrooklyn/posts/2032450950239050
The vandalism comes after churches across the United States became targets for vandals and arsonists in the summer of 2020. 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.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Another statue of Jesus Christ was beheaded at a church in Miami in the same month that an Ocala, Florida, man was accused of setting fire to an occupied church building.
The Archdiocese of Miami said it reflected “the increasing attacks on the Catholic Church across the country.”
