Valletta, Malta, November 10, 2021
Photo: timesofmalta.com
A church being used by a Romanian Orthodox community on the island nation of Malta was vandalized over the weekend.
Vandals poured oil and gasoline on the doorstep of St. Roque’s Church on Saturday night. Parishioners helped clean up the mess before Liturgy on Sunday morning.
Police are gathering CCTV footage from nearby properties to try to identify the perpetrators, reports the Times of Malta.
The rector, Fr. George-Alexandru Popescu, said a neighbor informed him that oil had been spilled outside the church. He initially thought oil had spilled from the chandeliers, “But when I arrived at the church I found it was in fact oil mixed with diesel, and I was shocked,” he said.
The priest says this was an isolated incident and he has no suspects in mind.
“I was concerned because people sometimes do these acts of vandalism as a warning or a way to send you a message. But really, we have no divisions or disagreements, and our community has lived in harmony with everyone since it was established in Malta. We really have no reason to suspect anyone,” Fr. George said.
The local community has shown a lot of support to the Orthodox community, and Fr. George was even contacted by President George Vella after the incident.
St. Roque’s is a Catholic church, but has been given to the Romanian Orthodox community for 25 years.
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