Criminals stole various liturgical objects and 12 pieces of sacred art of a chapel in the Mexican city of Puebla, in an aggression qualified as “an act of violence” against the Catholic Church.
Fr. Ernesto Martínez Avelino, in charge of the chapel, told ACI Press that on Wednesday, May 28 they found the open door of the Chapel of Our Lady of the Charse, a temple located in the historic center of the city. This temple only opens for the Sunday Mass of 8:00 am (local time).
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He said that when he arrived at the chapel, the first thing he noticed was that several objects were out of place or lying on the floor. After reviewing the enclosure, he found that they had stolen some liturgical objects used during the Mass, such as a chalice, a copon and an old custody. The sound apparatus and a bronze bell used in the celebrations also disappeared.
In addition to the liturgical objects, Fr. Martínez Avelino described as particularly painful the theft of “12 paintings of the faces of the apostles that are no longer in their place.”
He indicated that there is still no estimate of the value of stolen goods, since “there has to be an expertise especially of the goods that are cataloged as sacred art, and therefore they are federal goods,” but stressed that it is a significant loss for both the Catholic Church and for the community.
“It feels like an aggression, as an act of violence, of hostility, towards the Church (Catholic), towards the things of God,” said the priest. However, he stressed that “thank God the Eucharist was not damaged.”
The Blessed Sacrament, he stressed, is “the most important thing that resides in the churches.”
He also mentioned that they approached the authorities to denounce the robbery, “to take letters in the matter”, and gave them “an inventory that precisely at the beginning of May we elaborate.”
Fr. Martínez Avelino explained that this “aggression” reflects “the social situation, the deterioration and social decline that our homeland lives, which lives the world, society, and that naturally the Catholic Church is also part of this society.” In addition, he indicated that in the historic center of Puebla, “despite being the main picture of the city, there is a lot of insecurity and the churches have suffered all this.”
He pointed out that they are aware of other temples in the center of Puebla where “the robbery of fish is recorded, money is steal (…), people get to take some goods of significant value.”
While the investigations are conducted, the priest reported that there will be no Mass in the temple, however this Sunday at 8:00 am, the faithful will congregate on the outskirts of the temple to pray a rosary, and subsequently “in procession” will go to another nearby church, where “we will offer the Sunday Mass, with a disappointment repair tint for the desecration of the sacred space.”
Finally, he said that they have had dialogue with the authorities and are waiting for “a little to increase surveillance, the rigor of the surveillance of that area, and that they help us with the safety of the temples.”
Diego López Colín
I am a graduate of journalism at the Carlos Septién García school with experience of religious institutional communication. Since 2016 I write for digital media and, since 2018, I report the most important news about the Catholic event in Mexico for the Ewtn news channel. ACI Press correspondent in Mexico since 2023.