The pastor of a Catholic church in Bethesda, Maryland, which was the target of an arson attack over the weekend, has stated that the fire did not reach the parish’s tabernacle.
A video shared on the St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Parish’s YouTube account purported to show the tabernacle engulfed in flames. However, Father Samuel Giese told CNA on Monday that the flames were just reflections in a window behind the tabernacle from pews in front of the altar.
“There was no fire in the sanctuary,” Giese later told “EWTN News Nightly.”
The early-morning attack on Sunday left little structural damage to the church, he claimed, however sculptures and Stations of the Cross were destroyed. Despite the fact that the tabernacle did not catch fire, its doors were wrenched open, and the consecrated hosts were dispersed on the ground.
Authorities said that two more adjacent churches were damaged early Saturday morning. According to the Washington Post, a fire at North Bethesda United Methodist Church caused little damage, and headstones on the grounds of Wildwood Baptist Church were destroyed.
Giese told the congregation at the opening of the live-streamed Mass that he suspected the church had been targeted because of the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion.
“In these types of events, there’s that initial distress of seeing your worship space vandalized and attacked,” he said. “But what is so edifying, really, is the response of everyone.”
Giese stated on Monday that the parish has gotten an outpouring of support from the community as well as Cardinal Wilton Gregory and other Archdiocese of Washington pastors. Because St. Jane Frances de Chantal was closed for repairs, he claimed, another neighbouring church performed a funeral Mass for one of his parishioners.
“The response is so touching and so warm and so positive,” Giese said. While the attack on the church was sad, he described the outpouring of support as a “wonderful consolation.”
Anyone with information should contact the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service at 240-777-2263.