Catholic churches and cathedrals in several cities were among the buildings damaged in the protests and riots that occurred nationwide over the past week.
Church buildings in California, Minnesota, New York, Kentucky, Texas, and Colorado were attacked. Many of the defaced or damaged churches were cathedrals. The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver sustained permanent damage.
Vandals repeatedly struck the Denver cathedral on multiple nights of the protests and riots over the weekend. The church building and rectory were spray painted with the slogans “Pedofiles” [sic], “God is dead,” “There is no God,” along with other anti-police, anarchist, and anti-religion phrases and symbols.
Gates surrounding the cathedral were damaged, and tear gas that was fired to disperse the protests leaked into the rectory. The doors to the cathedral are believed to have been permanently damaged by the vandalism and will reportedly need to be replaced.
Three bags of rocks were collected from the parking lot, but the cathedral’s most valuable windows were unharmed. Other windows on the cathedral’s campus were shattered.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City was tagged with various graffiti, including profanities, “No justice, no peace,” “BLM” (Black Lives Matter) “NYPDK.” The name of George Floyd was written on the stairs outside the cathedral.
Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25 sparked a week of ongoing protests in cities across the country, some of which descended into violence.
In New York City, surveillance video captured two women spray painting the cathedral on Saturday afternoon, during the protests in the city. Police are looking to identify both women and are offering a reward.
In Dallas, the Saint Jude Chapel located in the city’s downtown area was severely damaged by rocks late Friday evening.
“We did have some vandalism at St. Jude on late Friday night. They threw a couple of these rocks through the window,” said Fr. Jonathan Austin, chaplain of the chapel, during his homily at Sunday’s Mass. Austin held up one of the rocks that was thrown through the window.
Austin said that when he watched a surveillance video of the vandalism, he doubted that the vandals knew that they were even attacking a church, and that he suspected they were “breaking things to break things.”
“I looked in their eyes and I thought, ‘wow, they don’t even know.’ Just the smile that was there, that this was a good thing,” he said.
Three windows at the front of the chapel were shattered, and the chapel was boarded up as a result….
The Daughters of St. Paul bookstore in Chicago was similarly damaged by rocks, and would-be looters entered the store early on Sunday morning. Earlier in the day, the Blessed Sacrament was removed from the tabernacle in the bookstore’s chapel and the sisters sequestered themselves upstairs….
The rectory of the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville suffered damage due to rocks thrown by protestors. Three windows were shattered late Friday evening, and the cathedral proceeded to preemptively board up all other windows to prevent further damage….
In Minneapolis, where the protests began, St. Mary’s Basilica–the first basilica in the United States–sustained minor damage during protests on May 29. A fire was lit underneath a pew, but it did not spread beyond that pew….
In Los Angeles, the Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon-St. Peter Cathedral, the Maronite cathedral for the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, was vandalized with anti-police messages during the protests and riots.
On Monday, the cathedral shared a video of people painting over the graffiti.
“Peace to all !! Our Cathedral is shining again,” wrote the church on Facebook.
The above comes from a June 1 story on the site of the Catholic News Agency.
When you’re a hateful violent criminal, this is not personal, it’s business.
Parish priests who are still Catholic should coordinate with qualified parishioners to make sure that this won’t happen to their church. Realistically, we cannot rely on the police.
I’m not a fan of violence…at all. But I don’t think spray painting the boards put up temporarily to protect a building constitutes violence. It DOES constitute free speech and speech against racism. Let’s face it, if our Bishops had become a moral voice against the racism of this President, months and months ago, it might have helped create a different situation right now. We need leaders, not creapy tweeters. Especially those who use the Bible as a prop and a statue Saint John Paul II to pretend that he blesses his divisiveness.
How about if I spray paint your house with anti racism words, do you still respect my free speech? Does it constitute violence if you have temporary scaffolding around it?
Oh please, how ridiculous! You are just making an excuse to hate on President Trump while letting rampaging criminals off the hook.
Were you thinking of paneling your home with the wood that these Churches used to board themselves up? Is that why you are upset, because now you have to apply a new coat of paint to used raw wood?
True
YFC says, “Oh oh oh they didn’t really mean it, they were just exercising free speech, their criminal actions are all due to the President, it’s all his fault, and just in case, Yes! It’s all the President’s fault, don’t worry, we aren’t to blame, Trump did it! Yes! Trump did it!” And we need to be free and state our beliefs openly, and that includes spray painting Churches, and throwing rocks through the windows…” And yes, that’s correct, because it’s all Trump’s fault!” More Moral relativism from YFC, Not sure why he claims to be Catholic….
Thats exactly NOT what I said anonymous. Please don’t put fake news into my mouth. That is called a lie.
But isn’t it what you really mean?
What exactly has this President done that is racist?
Hey, these comments sound like a trump support group. How can a Christian support him? How do you blind yourself from all the evil he has done, all the lies he tells. He is Satan’s pawn and you’ve been seduced which Jesus warned about.
May the love of Jesus and Mary dominate in your hearts and minds
You too, GH…say a Rosary, and ask for guidance.
What exact evil has Trump done?
Be specific. Name actions, not opinions.
We keep hearing about Trump’s evil, but so far, it’s all your opinion.
Let’s have your list of what that “bad guy” Trump has done.
And not the usual op eds from the NYTimes or the Chronicle.
Opinions are NOT actions.
Be specific. Name these actions.
There is one action you cannot deny – Trump is ending Government support for Abortion.
So explain why he is evil here.
Mikr. You can’t possibly be serious. His first public racist act that I am aware of was to deny housing to black people as far back as the 1970s. He got dinged by the feds for that one. His first speech when he ran for presdient, calling Mexicans rapists etc etc. His calling the virus by a name that is not what scientists and physicians call it, purely to emphasize the country where it originated. His unconscionable separation of children from their families at the border. It goes on and on. Maybe you didn’t notice that he used tear gas to clear out lawful protesters so that he could have a photo op with a Bible as a prop and a Church as a backdrop, saying that if people want to react peacefully to the racist murder of a man, he would send in the miliatry. Frankly, I find it shocking that you even have to ask that question in the first place.
Building a wall to control our border, and prevent drug gangs, is not anti-Mexican racism. Maybe you need to go to your local public park, as I did, and see young men doing drug gang finger signs. Oh, how wonderful! (according to yfc) It isn’t racism to control Mexican drug gangs. And that pathetic remark of so many dems, those “peaceful protesters”. All you have to do, yfc, is to look at all of those neighborhood businesses smashed up. And all those “peaceful” protestors wearing black masks, hurling stones, attacking the police. Why, yfc! It’s your crowd. So peaceful. Why don’t you join them, yfc, and go smash some windows.
We want an end to the violence – and it’s being promoted by the Democratic party. You are helping this violence, yfc, and no, they are not peaceful protestors. They are violent.
I think there is more than a little bit of evidence that the violent people and the looters are not a part of the majority of protesters, and the organizers have begged for peace. What does this have anything whatsoever to do with Democrats? We should all be angry at the treatment of black men at the hands of police officers and others.
Hey YFC friends of yours in Antifa and BLM have managed to destroy several neighborhoods that are mostly black and Hispanic here in NY. We have an incompetent mayor who refuses to let the cops confront these thugs.
If you are more angry about the President visiting a vandalized church than the damage and vandalism to the church, then you just don’t like this President.
I’m not angry that he visited a vandalized Church. That’s not what he did. He didn’t meet with the priests or parishoners to console them, or offer federal aid to repair the damage. He tear gassed peaceful protesters so that he could go with his entourage, stand in front of a Church he has never been to, held up a Bible he has probably not read at least not in decades, and threatened that if peaceful protesters didn’t stop exercising their first amendment rights, he would send in the military against the very people they are sworn to protect. No, I don’t like a man like Donald Trump, but I have very good reasons like these for my dislike.
But he is your president, like him or not. You are obligated to pray for him so suck it up and pray.
YFC – You need a lesson. Let me pray that the “Peaceful Protestors” go down your block,
surround your car, and blocade you for a week.
You might learn something, but probably not….
Maybe you will even invite them in for coffee, so they can ransack your house..
But as we know, as long as the “Peaceful Protestors” are not on YOUR street,
you will praise them for being so kind, peaceful and upstanding.
Meanwhile, we the residents of our city, really want an end to these illegal
blocades, riots, and raucus midnight bullhorns.
Give us a break, YFC. Invite them on to YOUR street.
Perfectly said Anon.
They are on my street. I fully support free speech, the redress of grievances, and the right to peaceably assemble. You and the President apparently do not.
Another complete dreamy fairytale by YFC,,,Oh, the right to peaceably assemble! What a joke! Try wearing a red cap, or a Trump tee shirt..
Watch all that “Peaceful” action! It’s called a lynch mob! That’s yfc, for you…Free speech for me!!! But not for you!! And believe yfc, he will forcibly impress on you, his right to free speech!
yfc, Where to start, you apparently did not read the article, there was more damage then just graffiti on wooden boards , no it is not violent though I wonder if some may consider it hate speech , if this were on a mosque would the same rules apply. Violence no , but you do approve of vandalism which is a sin (theft) no it is not covered by free speech laws , this is private property and vandalism and graffiti whatever the reason is still a crime and a sin .Your rationale on this being the fault of the bishops , fails to recognize the duties of repair falls on the church, the laity will have to pay for the damages .That a church was attacked and damaged did not enter into your commentary as a criminal and immoral act tells us your mindset and lack of understanding of law and right and wrong as a fellow Catholic should have. The you seek to blame the bishops contd.
yfc, That you seek to blame the bishops for their lack of moral voice , I don’t disagree with completely, they have largely destroyed their moral authority with their behavior in the various scandals, whatever leadership they could have provided I think is long gone, that they do some sjw posturing is an attempt to seen relevant, to gain the favor of men. Your speculation on how the bishops could have helped create a different situation falls short on specifics, I doubt the enemies of the church would be moved to peaceful and respectful behavior and dialog with or without the bishops guidance.
It is called vandalism and it is illegal. How would you like it if someone spray painted your home because of your uninformed views??? No, not liking that – well those of us who paid to have our churches built and make donations to maintain them so we have a place to worship resent it. In addition let us keep in mind that the Sacraments are in these churches and the Body of Christ is more important than racists temper-tantrums!
did Rockefeller Center across the street
from St. Patrick’s get tagged ??
just wunderin’
Perhaps, as Abp Gomez chides us, this church vandalism is “the language of the unheard” and that “we should be doing a lot of listening right now” – to these hoodlums.
Were houses of worship of other faiths also vandalized?
Mike m, yes Jewish Temples were vandalized , BLM is sympathizes with the Palestinian’s, anti antisemitism seems to fallow such alliances.