Unknown perpetrators vandalized the interior of the church in the village of Malnia in southern Poland, causing significant damage. The statues of the Blessed Mother and Saint Anthony were destroyed in broad daylight, around 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday; the interior of the church was also vandalized.
“This attack is a strong blow to our community,” said Father Hubert Sklorz, the parish priest. “The statue of Mary is a village statue carried in processions, when devotions are held, and the parishioners have become accustomed to it. It is very painful for us all.”
Father Sklorz told the Tvp.info news portal that the crime scene had already been inspected and that he reported the incident to the police.
This vandalism comes after a series of similar events that have occurred in recent times in Poland.
In March, a chapel near the headquarters of the Zamrzenica Forest District in northern Poland was targeted. The assailant not only vandalized the chapel, but also smashed the statue of the Blessed Mother situated on the chapel stairs.
In mid-April, a Tajikstani migrant was arrested for sawing the head off a historic figurine of the Virgin Mary located in a chapel near the church on Czerniakowska Street in Warsaw.
On May 5, an 80-year-old priest, who was returning from a visit to the sick in Pionki, fell victim to a violent assault.
