Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 12, 2022 / 14:56 pm
The pastor of a Catholic church in Bethesda, Maryland, targeted by an arson attack over the weekend has clarified that the fire did not reach the parish’s tabernacle.
A video posted on the YouTube channel of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Parish appeared to show the tabernacle engulfed in flames. However, Father Samuel Giese told CNA on Monday that the flames were only reflections in a window behind the tabernacle from pews in front of the altar.
“There was no fire in the sanctuary,” Giese later told “EWTN News Nightly.”
The attack in the early morning hours Sunday caused no structural damage to the church, he said, though statues were overturned and the Stations of the Cross were torn down. While the tabernacle did not catch fire, its doors were pried open and the consecrated hosts were scattered on the ground. You can watch Giese’s full interview “EWTN Nightly News” in the video below.