Vandals douse Basilica St. Lawrence’s Sacred Heart of Jesus statue in red paint
The Very Rev. Roger Arnsparger
By Andrew James
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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — A statue of Jesus at an Asheville church was vandalized over the weekend.
The Very Rev. Roger Arnsparger, pastor at Basilica St. Lawrence, said someone threw red paint on the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue Saturday night. The statue has since been repainted, but some of the red paint is still visible on the grass and base of the statue.
Arnsparger sent News 13 the following statement:
“Sadly, when we arrived for Mass on Sunday morning, we discovered that someone had defaced our widely revered statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which has greeted westbound motorists on I-240 in Asheville for decades. The good news is our devoted curator and property manager had the mess cleaned up within a couple of hours. The statue features Jesus with arms outstretched and the image of a heart upon His chest, representing Christ’s love for all of humanity. We reported the incident to police and are praying for those who did this, and we are endlessly grateful for the support of our community.” One woman who came to see the statue Tuesday said she saw the statue covered in red paint while on a run through downtown Asheville early Sunday morning.
“It’s just not right. This is the holy throne, this is the King of God, this place is holy ground, so they need to respect it as such,” she said.
A man who asked to not be identified said the vandalism felt like an attack on his faith.
“I pray that the person who did this realizes that they’ve done wrong, and I pray that they are either converted or that they pray for forgiveness,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Asheville Police Department said they have not received a report about vandalism, but they are reaching out to the church for more information.
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