Church in Vicht Ransacked; Fire Extinguisher Emptied
Vandals devastated the interior of the parish church of St. John the Baptist in the village of Vicht (Stolberg District) on April 4th.
A young woman who had gone to light a candle in the parish church of St. John the Baptist in Vicht, the only church in the urban area of Stolberg open during the day, informed the vice president of the parish council, Gerda Neumann, who lives a few meters from the building, that intruders had devastated the interior.
When Neumann had opened the parish church around 9:30 in the morning, everything was in order. At noon, she discovered that the Easter eggs sitting in a basket at the foot of the altar had been thrown throughout the entire church and smashed against the baptismal font, the container of holy water had been partially emptied, and all of altar candles had been burnt, scorching the altar cloth.
Finally, the fire extinguisher, normally mounted behind a curtain in the church tower, a place that few knew, was emptied into the church, leaving all of the benches covered in white foam.
"Those who have devastated the church must have had plenty of time to do it," said the vice president of the council, noting that they might have to consider closing the church during the day.
The police opened an investigation and requested any citizen assistance to contact them at 0241/957742101.
Source: Aachener Nachrichten