New York City, N.Y., Jan 14, 2020 / 13:00 pm
The Diocese of Brooklyn has responded to an act of vandalism at a parish this past Sunday, and released a video showing a man "desecrating" the altar during Mass.
According to a statement released by the Brooklyn diocese on Tuesday, the incident occurred during the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass at St. Anthony of Padua parish in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Video footage from above the sanctuary shows a man approaching the altar while Father Jossy Vattothu is celebrating Mass. The man, carrying a jar of juice, pours the contents on the altar and tosses some towards Fr. Vattothu.
The diocese called the event a "desecration" of the altar and "a heinous act of religious intolerance."