F
Faustina
Guest
This just happened in our Diocese of East Tennessee:
Religious statue defaced
By J.J. STAMBAUGH, stambaugh@knews.com
December 13, 2004
A marble statue of the infant Jesus and his mother that stands in front of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville was vandalized early Sunday, authorities said.
Someone cut off the baby’s head and arms and doused the stumps in red paint. The vandal or vandals also threw the baby’s head through a glass door, scrawled an upside-down cross on Mary’s robe and covered her face with paint.
“In this season - when we’re getting ready for the birth of Christ - to have these two images defaced and destroyed like this is disturbing,” said Father Vann Johnston, a priest in the diocese.
The statue was bought last year to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the diocese, which is located next to Sacred Heart Cathedral on Northshore_Drive in West Knoxville, Johnston said.
Bishop Joseph Kurtz donated funds to buy the statue in memory of his late brother, George Kurtz, who suffered from Down Syndrome, Johnston said.
The statue was made in Italy and valued at approximately $12,000, he said.
Parishioners arriving for Mass about 7 a.m. discovered the damage, he said.
While Johnston said he couldn’t remember the bishop’s office being targeted by vandals before Sunday, he said the adjacent cathedral has been a rock-throwing target in the past.
The Knoxville Police Department is treating the crime as “a pretty serious vandalism,” but it was unclear if it might be classified as a hate crime, which potentially would carry a stiffer penalty if anyone is convicted in connection with the incident, according to KPD Lt. Gary Holliday.
Crime scene technicians collected “quite a bit of evidence from the scene,” Holliday said. Also, an investigator from KPD’s Major Crimes Unit has been assigned to the case, he said.
Holliday said he was unaware of any similar incidents at other churches.
Johnston said police officers took the infant Jesus’ head away as evidence along with one of the statue’s arms. The infant’s other arm apparently was taken by the vandals, he said.
While Johnston said he was upset by the incident, he said he was grateful the violence directed at the statue hadn’t been unleashed on a person.
“These things happen,” he said. “I’m just glad it wasn’t a human being. We can repair or replace statues. It’s a symbol of how broken our world is and how much it needs to be healed.”
One of the things that bothered me about this is the statement:
The Knoxville Police Department is treating the crime as “a pretty serious vandalism,” but it was unclear if it might be classified as a hate crime, which potentially would carry a stiffer penalty if anyone is convicted in connection with the incident, according to KPD Lt. Gary Holliday.
Now, you know that when something like this happens to any other religion, it is considered a hate crime. What not here?
BTW- Father Vann Johnston is the priest that baptised by children and recieved me into the Church. He is someone I greatly respect.
Another note: I have been reading Michael O’Brien’s “Father Elijah” and “Eclipse of the Sun”. Boy did this do a number on my head.
Talk about scaring yourself silly
Religious statue defaced
By J.J. STAMBAUGH, stambaugh@knews.com
December 13, 2004
A marble statue of the infant Jesus and his mother that stands in front of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville was vandalized early Sunday, authorities said.
Someone cut off the baby’s head and arms and doused the stumps in red paint. The vandal or vandals also threw the baby’s head through a glass door, scrawled an upside-down cross on Mary’s robe and covered her face with paint.
“In this season - when we’re getting ready for the birth of Christ - to have these two images defaced and destroyed like this is disturbing,” said Father Vann Johnston, a priest in the diocese.
The statue was bought last year to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the diocese, which is located next to Sacred Heart Cathedral on Northshore_Drive in West Knoxville, Johnston said.
Bishop Joseph Kurtz donated funds to buy the statue in memory of his late brother, George Kurtz, who suffered from Down Syndrome, Johnston said.
The statue was made in Italy and valued at approximately $12,000, he said.
Parishioners arriving for Mass about 7 a.m. discovered the damage, he said.
While Johnston said he couldn’t remember the bishop’s office being targeted by vandals before Sunday, he said the adjacent cathedral has been a rock-throwing target in the past.
The Knoxville Police Department is treating the crime as “a pretty serious vandalism,” but it was unclear if it might be classified as a hate crime, which potentially would carry a stiffer penalty if anyone is convicted in connection with the incident, according to KPD Lt. Gary Holliday.
Crime scene technicians collected “quite a bit of evidence from the scene,” Holliday said. Also, an investigator from KPD’s Major Crimes Unit has been assigned to the case, he said.
Holliday said he was unaware of any similar incidents at other churches.
Johnston said police officers took the infant Jesus’ head away as evidence along with one of the statue’s arms. The infant’s other arm apparently was taken by the vandals, he said.
While Johnston said he was upset by the incident, he said he was grateful the violence directed at the statue hadn’t been unleashed on a person.
“These things happen,” he said. “I’m just glad it wasn’t a human being. We can repair or replace statues. It’s a symbol of how broken our world is and how much it needs to be healed.”
One of the things that bothered me about this is the statement:
The Knoxville Police Department is treating the crime as “a pretty serious vandalism,” but it was unclear if it might be classified as a hate crime, which potentially would carry a stiffer penalty if anyone is convicted in connection with the incident, according to KPD Lt. Gary Holliday.
Now, you know that when something like this happens to any other religion, it is considered a hate crime. What not here?
BTW- Father Vann Johnston is the priest that baptised by children and recieved me into the Church. He is someone I greatly respect.
Another note: I have been reading Michael O’Brien’s “Father Elijah” and “Eclipse of the Sun”. Boy did this do a number on my head.
Talk about scaring yourself silly
