Bolivia: Priest demands greater security after vandalism attack on Catholic church

The Catholic church of San Clemente, in the city of Potosí (Bolivia), was the target of an act of vandalism last weekend, when unknown persons threw stones at the building, breaking several windows.

According to the portal El PotosiIn the Sunday Eucharist, Father Mario Fernández, local parish priest, expressed his sadness at the “painful news” of the attack on the church, inaugurated in 2023 after several months of solidarity work that required a lot of support from the community.

Visibly affected, the priest stated that the attackers used large stones that broke the windows, and that they were later found inside the church.

“The insecurity in this area is alarming,” warned Father Fernández, emphasizing the presence of people who usually drink alcohol in the vicinity of the church.

Addressing the criminals who perpetrated the act, the parish priest called for awareness about the sacrifice that the construction of the temple cost: “It cost us a lot to build this temple and it is painful to see it mistreated.”

In that sense, he referred to the lack of police presence and security cameras in the area, which endangers public areas, in addition to the church itself.

In conversation with ACI Prensa on November 14, the priest said that they have not found the perpetrators of the incident. However, when explaining the situation in the area, he noted that “there is a lot of disorder.”

On weekends, he explained, there is a lot of activity in the parish with children and young people attending catechism classes. In the vicinity of the temple, many people “sit down to drink, and many times I tell them to go somewhere else, and that’s where they get upset and tell me: ‘You don’t own the little square.’ I have been attacked, they have even hit me once,” he said.

On the other hand, he indicated that in some Masses, a person “comes to shout.” This is someone who belongs to a sect, and Father Fernández believes that “he could have wanted to hit a crucifix that is on the main altar with the stone.”

There is also disorder in the area, because the square is a stop for cars that take passengers to the cities of Tarija and Porco, the priest explained, and they act as “owners of the street.”

“They should be at the transportation terminal,” the priest said. “I had complained about all this to a group of authorities, perhaps they have gone to talk to them and perhaps out of revenge they are throwing stones at the temple,” he said.

“The community is supporting a lot,” he said. “We are taking precautions, tomorrow they will begin the installation of the (security) cameras,” the priest anticipated, and they are also working to replace the glass that was broken, ahead of the parish anniversary which will be on November 23 .

Finally, he demanded that the authorities “give more importance to the square, which is a place for children and young people who go to catechesis.”