Switzerland: Our Lady of Lourdes Vandalized
The church of St. Peter in Chains.
A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was desecrated in Thônex, near Geneva. According to La Tribune de Genève’s May 14, 2014 edition, the statue was taken out of its grotto behind the church of St. Peter in Chains and “broken into a thousand pieces.” The altar was destroyed as well, and the flowers overturned. For now, a small statue of Our Lady has been placed in the grotto.
When questioned by the French-speaking newspaper, Fr. Alain Arbez, former pastor of Chêne and Thônex, declared that “it is all the more regrettable since the attack was on a popular prayer site.” According to Guylaine Antille, head of communication of the Catholic Church in the canton of Geneva, “this voluntary act touches the heart of the faith and a sweet and motherly image of Catholicism.” For Danielle Gut, the parish secretary, “some are saying it may have been done by someone involved in black magic.”
The statue had been attacked before, but it had been repaired. This time, the damage could be irreparable.
(sources: apic/La Tribune de Genève – DICI no.297 dated June 6, 2014)
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