Worthy Christian News > Christian > Increased church vandalism in US: “We must regain respect” says Archbishop

Increased church vandalism in US: “We must regain respect” says Archbishop

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Amid increased vandalism of churches across America, on Friday the Lititz Church of the Brethren in Lancaster, Pennsylvania discovered satanic messages chalked on its exterior, CBN News reports. Concerning the recent spike in anti-Christian vandalism nationwide, the Archbishop of Denver said Churches must “regain respect.”

In a statement, the Lititz Borough Police Department said vandals had chalked the pavilion property and an outside wall of The Lititz Church of the Brethren with messages including “666” and “kill God,” CBN reports. There was no further damage to the property, and the chalk was cleaned off.

The incident at Lititz is the latest in a series of similar incidents at churches nationwide in recent weeks. “In Washington, DC a vandal targeted the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, smashing the face of a statue with a hammer,” CBN said in its report. Statues and windows were broken at Peter’s Catholic, Tomoka Christian Church, and DeLand Wesleyan Church during attacks between November 25-27. No perpetrators have been identified so far.

Pastor Benjamin Brown, Jr., who leads the Tomoka congregation, told Click Orlando that the attack on his church was “hurtful and frustrating” but that he would rather invite the perpetrators to attend a service than press charges against them. “Come find out what we’re doing. We’re here to serve here, we’re here to help you,” Brown said he would like to tell the vandals.

According to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, there have been over 100 incidences of church vandalism, arson, and destruction on Catholic property nationwide since May 2020, CBN reports. “There remains much we do not know about this phenomenon, but at a minimum, they underscore that our society is in sore need of God’s grace,” the Conference said in a statement in October.