Olbia, Sardinia, Italy, June 10, 2025
Photo: olbia.it
A grave act of vandalism that shook the Christian community in Olbia has been resolved after the perpetrator voluntarily surrendered to authorities and confessed to breaking into the historic Santa Croce Church and destroying sacred religious items.
The incident occurred during the night between Saturday and Sunday, coinciding with the great feast of Pentecost. The vandal forced open the entrance door of the small church, overturned candelabras, spilled sacred oil on the floor, and damaged an icon depicting Christ Pantocrator, reports Olbia.it.
The Carabinieri of Olbia immediately responded to the scene to conduct investigations. During their inspection of the church, law enforcement discovered a cell phone on the ground along with footprints left in the spilled oil. The mobile phone proved crucial in directing the investigation toward the suspect.
Photo: olbia.it
The Santa Croce chapel, located next to the Catholic Church of San Paolo, has been entrusted for several years to Orthodox priest Fr. Nikolay Volsky for celebrations by Olbia’s international Orthodox community. The small church hosts about fifty Orthodox faithful twice a month, coming from various countries including Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Belarus, Serbia, and Georgia.
Fr. Nikolay Volsky, who is responsible for three parishes in Cagliari, Burcei, and Olbia, expressed his deep sorrow over the incident: “I’m deeply saddened. We will pray for this too, just as we will pray for peace in hearts and in the world.”
Photo: olbia.it Don Gianni Satta, parish priest of the Catholic Church of San Paolo, also released a statement of solidarity:
On the day of Pentecost, the birth of the Church and the believing community, the primatial parish of San Paolo expresses its closeness in prayer of praise and intercession to the Risen Lord for the violation of the Church of Santa Croce, entrusted to the Orthodox community that relates to the Moscow Patriarchate. The evidently anti-Christian act, together with disbelief at the cowardice shown, has aroused feelings of pity, strength and peace of the Lord toward every man, which frees from every impulse of revenge and death.
The suspected perpetrator voluntarily presented himself to authorities on Sunday evening. The man, initially reluctant to cooperate, eventually admitted responsibility for the vandalism. The cell phone found at the scene had helped direct the investigation toward the suspect.
The Carabinieri are now completing their investigation, having obtained testimony from the individual who confessed to the crime. The case involves charges related to the desecration of a place of worship and vandalism of religious property.
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