BENSONHURST, Brooklyn (WABC) — Police have launched video of vandal seen utilizing a hammer to deface statues at a Catholic Church in Brooklyn, and whereas the suspect is now in custody, churchgoers say the harm is already performed, bodily and emotionally.
The statues of Mom Theresa and Pope John XXIII on twentieth Avenue in Bensonhurst are actually draped in crimson crimson, and the doorways of St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church have been boarded up.
It comes after the faces of the revered figures have been bashed in and the glass doorways smashed.
“I got married there, I did my confirmation there, I did my communion there, my kids were baptized there,” stated parishioner JoAnne Liggieri. “We all know everybody. It’s a family thing. It’s just very, very sad this happened.”
Liggieri has celebrated each particular milestone at her house church. When she heard the commotion Monday afternoon throughout the road, she rapidly began recording and known as 911.
“To us, it doesn’t matter what religion you are. She’s Albanian and she’s actually was from same town where my grandmother was born,” stated Bedrana Duka.
Duka is Muslim however she has private affection for Mom Theresa. Each hail from Albania initially. She and Marko Kepi, who can be Albanian, are actually beginning a GoFundMe account for the church.
“When we look at saints and holy statues, they should always be in the best condition. Where people worship them and not see them destroyed,” stated Kepi, a candidate for New York State Senate.
For many who name this neighborhood parish their religious house, the pastor, Father Michael Lynch, is now asking for the neighborhood to wish for the particular person dedicated this act, and to wish for peace of coronary heart and thoughts.
“Look at it now, it’s all boarded up. The statues are all covered. Really, really sad,” Liggieri stated.
Due to Liggieri’s description, a fast police response and maybe the prayers of the devoted, an arrest was made shortly thereafter.
A 30-year-old man with prior psychological well being issues has now been charged with felony mischief.
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“Well bless their hearts.”
