Arson, Graffiti and More: Vandals Increasingly Target Catholic Churches

A statue of the Virgin Mary that graced the grounds outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in northeast Washington, D.C., was beloved by worshippers for its beauty—until vandals struck. On the night of December 5, someone cut off the statue's nose and hands, along with the cross atop her crown. Her defacement was the 113th such attack on Catholic property across the United States in the past 20 months and part of a rising rate of vandalism against Catholic churches that may be unprecedented in American history-- More...