Vandal Broke Statue of Saint Anthony of Padua in Bellariva

Case information
Incident date
Country
Italy
Place
Bellariva
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Private
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Vandalism (all)
  • Vandalism of Church
Place of Incident
  • Church
Bias Indicators
  • Significance of Property/Structure/Location to religious community
  • Time/Place/Location
  • Victim/Witness Perception
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Response of Local Authorities
  • Investigated
Image credit: Kevin Dooley; CC BY 2.0, via Flickr (cropped) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

On the morning of April 28th the Franciscan friars in charge of the church of the Cuore Immacolato di Maria in Bellariva discovered that someone had broken the fingers of the statue of Saint Anthony of Padua while friars prayed in a chapel.

Police investigators interviewed witnesses and learned that a drifter had been wandering around the nave near the statue's location just before the damage was discovered. Police suspect a "foreigner" who had recently been expelled from the church after being caught stealing from the alms box.

Sources: Libertas and Rimini Today

CC BY 2.0

Sources