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Bishop Robert Barron vows to reconsecrate vandalized cemetery

SYNOD2018

Antoine Mekary | ALETEIA

J-P Mauro - published on 11/06/22

The bishop took to Twitter to voice his outrage over the vandalism that took place at Calvary Cemetery on Halloween.

Bishop Robert Barron has vowed to reconsecrate a cemetery that was defaced with anti-Christian graffiti on Halloween. Calvary Cemetery, of Minnesota’s Diocese of Winona-Rochester, was tagged with spray paint that praised the devil and cursed the name of God.

Photos provided by the Twitter account Ratus Catholicam show various spots of the cemetery marred by blue and brown spray paint. Many of the words are indecipherable, but the ones that can be made out are highly offensive to Catholics. One image shows a cross with the words “no God” written on it, beside this is a statue of Christ with paint on his face and an image mocking the Sacred Heart on his chest. 

Other images show paint on ground stones and several columbarium niches that were practically covered in graffiti. One of these was tagged with an inverted cross, while another bore images that must have been so offensive they were blurred out. 

Bishop Barron

In a letter posted on Twitter, Bishop Barron expressed his outrage over the desecration of the Catholic cemetery. The prelate went on to assure families of the deceased that he will pray for them after the dishonor and injustice done to their loved one’s graves. 

The bishop concluded his statement by vowing to reconsecrate the cemetery once the damage has been repaired and the defacements have been cleaned. According to CNA, the cost of the damages could be as much as $8,000.

Tags:
CatholicismHalloweenUnited States
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