On 19 September, unknown individuals forcibly removed and opened the tabernacle of the parish church of Santa Maria de Lagostelle in Guitiriz, stealing the ciborium containing consecrated hosts. The hosts were subsequently scattered outside the church, while the silver ciborium remained missing. The incident constitutes desecration and sacrilegious theft and was condemned by the Diocese as a direct affront against the Eucharist and the centre of the Catholic faith.
At the Church of Santa Maria de Lagostelle in Guitiriz, unknown perpetrators entered the church and violently removed the tabernacle from its usual position behind the altar on 19 September. They forced its lock and took the ciborium containing the consecrated hosts.
The consecrated hosts were scattered outside the church, with remains found in the area around the local fairground. The ciborium has not been recovered. The parish priest, Óscar Fernández Expósito, stated: "To attack the tabernacle is a sacrilege."
The Diocese of Mondoñedo-Ferrol described the incident as a "grave act" and a "direct affront to the Eucharist, the centre of the faith and life of the Church, which deeply wounds the religious feelings of Catholics." Further, they also expressed that the act affected the community at large.
As a response to the desecration, the Diocese has called the faithful to a Eucharistic Mass of reparation at the church on 29 September 2026. The diocese invited the Christian community of Guitiriz and others to participate in prayer and acts of reparation.
UPDATE: According to a report from 5 November, the Vilalba District Court has opened a preliminary investigation into the theft and desecration of 19 September. The judicial investigation follows a complaint filed by the Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers regarding the incident which "goes beyond the mere theft of a religious object."
Sources: diariogallego, infovaticana, reinformation
Image: mondonedoferroldiocese