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THE Justice Department The Civil Rights Division announced Monday that it was launching an investigation after the break-in and vandalism of a Catholic school in Long Beach, California.
“The @CivilRights will open an investigation into this horrific crime,” Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said on X.
Holy Innocents Catholic School was desecrated after its assembly hall, chapel and classrooms were broken into, school officials said.
Statues were brokenimages of Mary and other religious figures were destroyed and a photograph of the pope was thrown to the ground, images of the destruction show.
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The assembly hall, chapel and classrooms of Holy Innocents Catholic School were broken into and desecrated. (KTTV)
The vandalism also includes defecation on school grounds, as well as partially consumed food and drinks left behind, allowing authorities to conduct DNA testing when searching for suspects, according to Fox 11.
Local police and the FBI were contacted regarding the incident.
Investigators said the church suffered an estimated $100,000 in damage from the break-in, Fox 11 reported.
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Investigators said the church suffered an estimated $100,000 in damage from the break-in. (KTTV)
“Statues broken. Images of Our Lady destroyed. The tabernacle thrown to the ground. This is one of the worst cases of vandalism the local bishop has ever seen. Hatred of Christ only destroys hearts. Pray for this school,” Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group Live Action, wrote on X.
Church members said they were heartbroken after learning of the desecration.
“There are crucifixes. There are statues of the Holy Mother. The tabernacle itself was taken and thrown to the ground and the Sacred House is there. That, to me, is more traumatic than anything else. It’s not just about material things. It’s the heart behind things,” Cyril Cruz, principal of Holy Innocents School, told Fox 11, adding that “evil is out there, so we have to pray.”
Church members said they were heartbroken after learning of the desecration. (KTTV)
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A GoFundMe launched to support the school raised nearly $60,000 as of Tuesday morning.
“What appears to have been several perpetrators smashed statues and destroyed images of Notre Dame, as well as other statues, and threw the tabernacle…Bishop Mark Trudeau said this was the worst case of vandalism he had ever seen in the area,” the fundraiser read.
