Unknown vandal beheads statue of Christ at New York Catholic church
Statue of Christ with severed head. Photo: screenshot from Eyewitness News ABC7NY YouTube channel
In New York, an unknown assailant attacked St. Mary’s Catholic Parish, LifeSiteNews reports.
Parishioners discovered the mutilated statue of Jesus on May 16, 2026, at around 11 a.m., as families with children had gathered at the church for a celebration. The vandal severed the head from the sculpture and hid it in nearby bushes beside the church garden.
The parish rector, Fr. Anthony Iaconis, called the incident horrific and urged the faithful to pray for the person who committed the act of sacrilege. The priest noted that children would usually come to this garden statue after services to take commemorative photos.
Police are now searching for those responsible and are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
As previously reported by the UOJ, vandals in France smashed the altar of a Roman Catholic church with an axe. In such incidents, the attack is usually aimed at a visible symbol of parish life, while law enforcement response begins with a hate-motive classification followed by efforts to establish the evidentiary basis.
Read also
Ostapenko: Everyone in UCCRO feels fine except the “FSB UOC”
The director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve called the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches “a wonderful organization.”
Khmelnytskyi Eparchy donates funds for treatment of 12-year-old girl
UOC believers raised UAH 20,000 for Anastasiia Mamchur as part of an eparchial charity campaign.
Shevchuk: We had to convince world UOC ban does not violate religious freedom
The UGCC head claims that by banning the UOC, the state is not violating religious freedom but merely protecting the Church’s faithful from Moscow propaganda.
Lavra reserve head estimates damage to Dormition Cathedral at €15 million
Maksym Ostapenko said restoring the Dormition Cathedral would take at least a couple of years and require major funding.
DESS official says state should not govern the Church
A DESS official called for cooperation between the state and the Church for the benefit of citizens.
Poltava court upholds mobilization of Protestant pastor
A court in the Poltava region ruled that a prior criminal conviction and religious beliefs do not exempt a person from military service.