Washington D.C., May 18, 2021 / 16:00 pm
The Diocese of Brooklyn is requesting increased police presence after two incidents of vandalism in three days at church properties.
Over the weekend, a statue depicting the Blessed Mother holding the infant Jesus was discovered vandalized outside the diocesan administrative offices, with Jesus decapitated. On Friday, a crucifix display outside St. Athanasius parish in Brooklyn was found toppled over, with an American flag outside the rectory burned.
"We are definitely concerned that there is a pattern of hate crimes against Catholics. There was a hate crime at a Bensonhurst parish on Friday morning and now, just a few days later, this act of hatred has been discovered at the Diocesan offices,” said Msgr. Anthony Hernandez, the moderator of the curia for the diocese, in a statement on Monday.
Hernandez said that churches will be notified to be on the alert for vandalism, and that the diocese is requesting that the NYPD patrol areas around churches.