Statue Of Jesus Christ Found Beheaded In US Church

A statue of Jesus Christ has been found beheaded in a church in the USA.

The statue of Christ has been situated in the courtyard of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in West Kendall, Florida, for decades, but it was found with its head by its side on Wednesday.

Miami-Dade police are now investigating the incident.

Archdiocese of Miami

Mary Ross Agosta, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Miami, told the Miami Herald: "This is an attack on the church. This is not only private property, it is sacred property.

"This is not something you can trip over and say, 'Oh, sorry'. Someone did this intentionally."

Speaking to Local 10 News, she added: "The Archdiocese of Miami would expect the police to investigate this desecration as a hate crime.

"This is another attack on the Catholic Church which is happening across the country."

The church's deacon Edivaldo da Saliva said surveillance footage had been handed over to police, though none of the cameras were pointing directly at the statue.

Police spokesperson Argemis Colome said: "People find peace at these types of places, especially during these times.

"We want to ensure the community that MDPD [Miami-Dade Police Department] will look into the matter so people can continue to feel safe."

Since the statue was found decapitated, the church has hired overnight security.

According to Fox News, the church said in a statement: "This incident has saddened the parish community.

"It is too soon to arrive to any conclusion, but we have seen other churches vandalised around the country. We totally 'condemn' this action. We invite our community to pray for peace."

Just last weekend, a statue of the Virgin Mary was found beheaded at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The incident is being investigated by police who are trying to locate the severed head.

According to News 12 Now, the Diocese of Knoxville Director of Communications Jim Wogan said in a statement: "Anytime something like this happens it is disappointing and concerning. We don't know if this was the targeted desecration of a sacred statue and our Catholic faith, or some kind of misguided prank, but it hurts.

"For whatever reason we are living in a very chaotic time and anger seems to be the default setting for people. Our bishop has asked that we live by the example set in the Gospel of Matthew, to treat others as we ourselves would want to be treated."

Topics: religion, US News, crime

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey