Desecration of Bodies and Tombs at Catholic Cemetery in Alhos Vedros
Ten bodies were desecrated after mausoleums were broken into at a Catholic cemetery in Portugal. While cemetery vandalism had occurred before, the parish priest said that this incident was of an unprecedented scale. The local bishop condemned the act as a “sacrilegious gesture”.
Authorities reported that at the Catholic cemetery of Alhos Vedros in Moita, Setúbal district, vandals forced entry into at least four mausoleum chapels and removed ten bodies from their coffins, leaving them on the ground. The incident was discovered by a parish employee who stated he saw “a coffin vertically against the wall” and later described finding “those people in their final rest, all mixed and thrown away. Pure vandalism.”
Parish priest Nuno Pacheco stated that cemetery profanation occurs in Portugal but not “with this level and this dimension.” Bishop Américo Aguiar of Setúbal went to the site to pray and show solidarity with the affected families. He described the site as a “film of terror,” adding, “Never, not even in horror films, did I ever see or think I would see such a scenario.” He condemned the act as a “sacrilegious gesture” and emphasised that “any attack against the dead is also an open wound in the hearts of the living.” Police, firefighters, and forensic officials secured the site, which was closed with chains and a lock at the main gate.
Sources: CNN Portugal, Expressso
Photo: CNN Portugal (video screenshot)