Denver Newsroom, May 30, 2020 / 15:46 pm
The nation's first basilica sustained fire damage amid the Minneapolis riots that have crippled the city after the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a police officer May 25.
"The Basilica of Saint Mary did withstand minor damage yesterday. No one was injured in the incident. At the time we pray for peace and healing in our city," a spokesperson for the basilica said in a statement issued May 30.
The basilica church was dedicated in 1914, as a pro-cathedral for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It was designated a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1926, the first church in the country to be so designated.
Photos posted on social media purport to show several fire damaged pews inside the basilica. While the photos do seem to match the appearance of the church's interior, a basilica spokeswoman told CNA she could not comment on the photos or verify their authenticity.