CNA Staff, Nov 9, 2020 / 20:04 pm
A group of militants charged into a Catholic church in Argentina on Friday, beat the priest, desecrated the Eucharist, and vandalized the interior of the church. Five were eventually apprehended.
The attack took place at Our Lady of Luján Parish, located in the town of El Bolsón in Argentina's Patagonia region near the Chilean border.
The militants were Mapuche activists. The Mapuche are an indigenous people inhabiting present day south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. Militants have resorted in recent years to violence over land disputes, particularly targeting Catholic churches.
The vandals beat the parish pastor, Franciscan friar Fr. Ricardo Cittadini, briefly took another Franciscan hostage, broke sacred images, and overturned pews.