Statue of Mary destroyed in Church in Fonzaso
On June 1, the statue of Mary was found destroyed in a church in Fonzaso. Perpetrators put the broken statue on the altar of the church. The statue was an important symbol for the church, which is named after the Nativity of Mary and the community is shocked about the incident.
The parish priest, Don Stefano Vanzetto, discovered the vandalism on Saturday morning, when he opened the church. 'I found the niche of the altar of Our Lady empty. I thought the statue had been stolen, and instead I found it broken on the altar.' As no signs of burglary were detected, it is likely that the sacrilegious act took place on Friday afternoon, before the church was closed for the evening.
The community experienced the desecration as a shock: "We were all astonished," said Don Vanzetto "more than the theft hits the fury against the image of Mary. It was the symbol of our community, it is obvious that the community itself feels touched alive. (...) I do not know what he wanted to prove who committed this act of hatred. It is not so much the damage to a historical heritage, as it is to a symbol that has value in our dimension of faith."
Source: difesapopolo.it, Il Gazzettino
Image: difesapopolo.it