According to Catholic News Agency, Italian police have arrested an African immigrant after vandalizing four churches in Rome.
The 39-year old Ghanian man entered several historic churches in central Rome September 30 and October 1 and destroyed a number of statues. He first went to the 9th century Saint Praxedes Basilica and destroyed a statue of Saint Praxedes and a miniature reproduction of Saint Anthony.
The pastor, Father Pedro Savelli, immediately thought that it was an attack by the ISIS since the man “was outside of himself.” He said, “I don’t know if he was a terrorist, but there certainly was an enormous lack of respect for religion.”
Soon afterward, the vandal went to Via de Colle Oppio and attacked the Church of San Martino ai Monti. He smashed a devotional statue of the Madonna and Child. The next day, the African immigrant continued his marauding and vandalized another ancient church of San Vitale and then ransacked the church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini in Piazza d’Oro.
His religion and his exact motives are still unknown.
Sources:
Catholicnewsagencycom. (2016). Catholic News Agency. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vandal-destroys-statues-in-four-roman-churches-54572/
Breitbartcom. (2016). Breitbart. http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/10/02/african-immigrant-arrested-vandalizing-four-churches-rome/
Cruxnowcom. (2016). Crux. https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2016/10/01/ghana-man-attacks-churches-rome-motive-unclear/
