The statue of St Anthony recently inaugurated in Torres Novas was vandalised on August 5. It was found the next morning with the head cut off, the statue of the Infant Jesus destroyed and a carton banner written "God is dead" and "You paedophiles." The damage was valued at €13,000.
The statue of St Anthony of Lisbon had been inaugurated in June on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the neighbourhood where it was located, as he is the patron of the neighbourhood and city.
Now it has been desecrated on an attack that adds to a list of anti-Christian acts committed during the World Youth Day 2023 held in the Portuguese capital during the first week of August.