Central El Paso church statues destroyed by vandals

EL PASO, Texas -- A trio of angel statues were toppled over and broken by vandals on the grounds of St. Pius X Catholic church in central El Paso overnight, diocese officials said Wednesday.

“We are saddened at the damage that was done at St. Pius X,” Bishop Mark Seitz said.“These holy images are important to us because they serve as signs and reminders of God’s closeness and God’s care for us."

The bishop said church officials were working with El Paso police investigators to try and identify the vandals.

"We recognize that these are things that can be repaired and replaced. We
are grateful to God that no one was physically hurt in this violent outburst, because human beings are the most beautiful and irreplaceable images of God," Seitz said. "We pray that whoever carried out this senseless act will receive the help they need."

The diocese said the attack by vandals occurred despite parish security measures being in place; however, all the damage was confined to the outdoors - there was none inside church buildings.

This marked the second instance in recent months were Catholic church statues in El Paso have been destroyed by vandals.

A separate incident at St. Patrick Cathedral back in September saw a $25,000 statue of Jesus destroyed. An arrest was made in that case.

Also, the FBI is still investigating several small church fires deliberately set by vandals roughly two years ago.