Children discovered cigarette butts placed on Nativity figurines and a swastika drawn on St. Joseph’s silhouette at parish and municipal displays in Lentate sul Seveso.
In Lentate sul Seveso, Italy, parish staff and local authorities reported that unknown individuals placed cigarette butts on the heads of Nativity shepherd figurines inside the Church of San Vito and drew a swastika on the plywood silhouette of St. Joseph at the municipal Nativity display near Villa Cenacolo, acts discovered on December 20, 2025 by fifth‑grade students who were in the church for confessions.
The children alerted the pastor and asked, “Why do people have it out for the Church?” During Sunday Mass, the pastor, Don Marcello Grassi, condemned the vandalism and said, “It is unfortunate that these things happen, especially during the Christmas season, but even in the face of these episodes we must give hope and be signs of light.” Local police reviewed municipal surveillance footage to determine when the vandalism occurred and to identify those responsible.