Vandals leave trail of destruction in church
Vandals broke into the historic church of Pia Opera Pastore in Alcamo, Sicily, causing extensive damage to sacred art, objects and furnishings. Paintings were defaced, religious objects destroyed and the church left in disarray - an attack condemned by local officials as a serious offence against the community and its cultural and religious heritage.
This is the sixth such incident in as many months, but this time the damage was particularly serious: the perpetrators targeted key religious artworks, slashing and smearing paint on two 19th-century canvases of St Francis de Sales and St Vincent de Paul that flanked the altar. The central painting of the Immaculate Conception, dated 1866, was also defaced. The vandals didn't stop at art: sacred vestments were torn and left on the floor, several marble stations of the Via Crucis were broken, pews were overturned and even the sacristy was destroyed, leaving the entire church in chaos.
The Mayor of Alcamo, Domenico Surdi, strongly condemned the act, describing it as "unworthy and despicable". The community has been shaken, with the mayor declaring that this was not just an attack on property, but on the collective identity and faith of the town.
Some have argued that this act of vandalism could be the result of young people under the influence of alcohol or drugs who have been attacking this symbolic place in the city with impunity for months.
Source: prima Pagina Trapani, alpauno, it aca notizie
Picture: report of alpa uno on youtube