In the Swiss town of Einsiedeln, a 17-year-old Afghan asylum seeker stormed a church service and attacked a Virgin Mary statue in dramatic fashion.
During the attack, he repeatedly hit the statue, tore her clothes off completely, and according to witnesses, finished the attack by placing the crown of the Virgin Mary on his own head.
Priests and police finally put an end to the incident. Authorities in the Swiss canton of Schwyz have placed the Afghan man in custody, and he was later transferred to a psychiatric hospital.
The statue, which is a Gothic image carved into linden wood dating from the 15th century, only had minor damage, according to Bote.
Initially, priests and police said nothing about the man’s background. The chapel posted about the incident on its own website, but there was no information provided about the attacker. It describes the incident as being caused by a “confused person.”
“We deeply regret this incident and are thinking of the many people whose religious feelings were hurt. Our prayers and thoughts are with them, as well as with the person taken into custody by the police,” wrote the chapel.
The monastery thanked officers and the church’s stewards, describing their “courageous and prudent intervention.”
The vast majority of prisoners in Switzerland are foreigners. https://t.co/NxkvQfWcJF
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) November 13, 2024It is unclear why the man targeted the statue; however, the monastery called for a rosary prayer in response, stating that it was a sign of “peace and reconciliation.
Earlier this year, Remix News reported on former Muslim Green Party politician Sanija Ameti, who posted photos on her Instagram page showing her shooting images of Jesus and Mary. She resigned over the incident.
