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LEAGUE CALLS FOR HATE CRIME PROSECUTION AFTER ARSON FIRE AT CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today is calling upon Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey to initiate a hate crime investigation into the arson fire at a historic Catholic parish church in the Town of Franklin.
The fire began in the sacristy, late in the afternoon of Wednesday, October 23rd, at Saint Mary’s Church, which was built in 1927. Although the blaze was knocked down quickly, it caused extensive smoke damage to the nave, rendering the interior of the church unusable for worship.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office declared the incident to be arson. Cleaning and repairs could take up to a month to complete.
Saint Mary’s is a church of the Archdiocese of Boston.
This incident is the seventh criminal attack directed against a Catholic church in Massachusetts since the beginning of 2023. In the last five years, there have been 47 episodes of arson, graffiti, theft and vandalism against Catholic churches, schools, cemeteries, pregnancy centers and religious iconography in the Commonwealth.
Section 127A of Chapter 266 of the Massachusetts General Laws makes it a crime to destroy, deface, mar or injure a church or synagogue in the state. Since 1994, violations of this chapter have been classified as hate crimes.
In a departure from previous statements, where offenders were routinely referred to as “poor souls” in need of prayers and mental health counseling, the Archdiocese of Boston is now actually calling for the punishment of the perpetrator.
“While we are a forgiving people, we do believe that whoever is responsible should be held accountable for the damage done and for the great risk to human safety that could have occurred,” said the RCAB in its press statement.
The Catholic Action League called the incident “a depraved, viciously evil and premeditated act of violence, which could have caused the loss of human life, millions of dollars in property damage, the destruction of a beautiful and historic edifice of worship, and untold grief to thousands of people who regard Saint Mary’s as their spiritual home.”
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: “After more than 50 unpunished attacks on Catholic institutions in this state in the last decade, it is time for someone to go to prison for trying to burn down a Catholic church in Massachusetts.
The Catholic Church and the Catholic community must insist upon effective action and strict accountability from police, prosecutors and public officials in responding to what can be described, quite reasonably, as an epidemic of criminal violence against Catholic property in the Bay State.
Like other American citizens, Catholics should be able to engage in their constitutional right to the free exercise of their religion without fear, intimidation or impediment from vandals and arsonists.”
