MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A statue of Jesus Christ was violently vandalized inside a South Florida church, leaving police and parishioners to ponder who would commit such a crime.
The Good Shepherd Catholic Church in West Kendall was hit with hate and destruction.
A Jesus statue was found decapitated on Wednesday.
Deacon Edivaldo da Saliva found the monument at the church baring his name headless and toppled off its pedestal Wednesday morning.
"This morning I found it on the ground, and we presume that it is vandalism," said da Saliva.
Deacon da Saliva points to what the Catholic Church has said is a growing number of holy places hit with vandalism, from Florida to California.
"We have seen this happening all over the country," he said.
The Archdiocese of Miami told Local 10 News its members expect police to “Investigate this desecration as a hate crime. This is another attack on the Catholic Church which is happening across the country.”
Deacon da Silva points to his church’s many surveillance cameras, but none of them point to where the statue once stood. Still, he hopes the cameras can yield clues to who was behind this unholy act.
“God bless you all and let us pray for peace in our country and peace in Miami,” he said.