Massachusetts: Another Virgin Mary statue defaced, “Allah” painted in Arabic on its base

MARCH 30, 2016 12:58 PM BY ROBERT SPENCER

3 COMMENTS

“It’s disrespectful to every religion.” No, it isn’t. It is most likely a member or members of one faith being disrespectful to another. But because the disrespected faith is so very, very solicitous of the likely faith of the perpetrators, no one involved is likely to speak about this honestly — if they ever even realize that the painters wrote “Allah” (الله) at the base of the statue.

This one took place on Good Friday, three or four days before another incident of vandalism of a Virgin Mary statue in Massachusetts.

“Virgin Mary statue vandalized at Norwood parish,” by Reenat Sinay and Alexandra Koktsidis, Boston Globe, March 27, 2016 (thanks to Vicki):

A statue of the Virgin Mary at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Norwood was vandalized with black spray paint on Good Friday, the most sacred day of the year for Catholics.

The body of the statue, which depicts the Blessed Mother with praying hands, was covered in paint. Graffiti was scrawled beneath a plaque that reads “To Jesus Through Mary,” on the base of the statue, which stands in a garden outside the parish school.

The Rev. Stephen Donohoe, the pastor of St. Catherine, called the incident “a sad act of vandalism,” but asked parishioners to pray for whoever defaced the beloved figure.

“Please pray for the person or persons who did this.” Donohoe said in the statement, released Saturday by the Archdiocese of Boston. “We are reminded never to take the gift and treasure of our faith for granted but to live it and proclaim it every day.”

In a tweet posted Saturday night, Norwood Police asked the public for help.

“Statue defiled last night at St. Catherine’s,” said the tweet, which was posted just after 8 p.m. “Father is asking for prayers, but we could also use some leads. If you know something call us.”…

One parishioner was outraged by the vandalism.

“It’s disrespectful to every religion,” said Linda Curran, 73, who learned of the from a neighbor. “I just feel badly. Norwood really has many different houses of worship . . . many different cultures in the town, and there’s never been a problem..”

A town official denounced the act as disrespectful to all faiths in town.

“Personally, I think it’s a very sad thing to have happened, especially on Easter weekend,” said Paul A. Bishop, chairman of the Norwood Board of Selectmen.

“It’s not just about Catholics — it’s disrespectful to all religions,” he said. “The statue has been there for generations.”…