Churches attacked, desecrated in Venezuela

March 12, 2014

Amid civil unrest in Venezuela, churches have been attacked.

“Some churches that are located in places where the conflict was high were attacked by violent groups,” said an official of the bishops’ conference.

According to a Fides news agency report, a church in Mérida, a city of 200,000, was attacked during the celebration of Mass. In Maracaibo, the nation’s second-largest city, security forces beat a priest.

In Aragua State, vandals broke into a parish, destroyed the tabernacle, and threw the consecrated hosts to the ground. El Periodiquito, a Venezuelan newspaper, reported that the altar was destroyed and that human waste was left at the site of the tabernacle. The newspaper reported that “common criminals,” who remain at large, are suspected in the nighttime attack.

The Church leadership in Venezuela has frequently been at odds with the government since the rise of the regime led by the late Hugo Chavez.

 

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Further information:

• Churches subject to violence and sacrilegious acts, even during Mass (Fides)
• Maleantes robaron iglesia La Candelaria en La Victoria (El Periodiquito)