Andy Drozdziak
Parishioners from Salford Catholic churches have been left shocked and reeling after yet more statues were stolen in what appears to be a series of targeted and organised thefts.
The one remaining statue outside St Luke’s church, Salford, which is part of Our Lady of Hope parish, has now been stolen. A crucifix and statue of Our Lady have also been stolen from St Mark’s, Pendlebury.
The latest thefts come after two similar incidents which have upset the local community. Firstly, vandals are believed to have turned up in the early hours of Monday 18th March at St Mary’s RC Primary and Nursery School in Langley, Greater Manchester. Images showed that the school’s large Calvary statue had been cut down.
This was preceded in January by a similar incident at St Luke’s, where thieves escaped with statues of Jesus on a crucifix, with the crucifix sawn at the base, a kneeling figure of St Bernadette and a kneeling angel.
Paul Ashton, who is the Parish Communications Officer at Our Lady of Hope parish in Salford, underlined the sadness felt by parishioners and shared his belief that Catholics in the area are under attack.
“The congregation are understandably upset and feel that we, and Catholics in the area, are being targeted,” Mr Ashton told the Universe.
“However, the other side of this is that the statues are being taken away, stolen not vandalised, and this would suggest that they are being stolen for sale-possibly abroad.
“I had already been in contact with possible dealers in the UK and have now contacted dealers in Europe to alert them to the thefts.”
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Salford told the Universe of its regret at the ‘very sad’ incidents. “We are aware of a number of sad events concerning the desecration of religious images,” the spokesperson said.
“These have been reported to police and, as far as we are aware, there is no link between these events but the matter will be investigated. It is certainly very sad to think that such damage is being done.”
Devastated parishioners took to social media to share their dismay. Posting on Facebook, Linda Morgan said that ‘this is so terrible and sad’, whilst Suzanne Rankin called the incident ‘a disgrace’ and James Brown said it was ‘disgusting.’
Currently, no updates have been provided on the thefts by Greater Manchester Police in response to the Universe’s requests for comment.
Paul Ashton is keen to hear from anyone who has information about the thefts.
He said: “If you have any information that may help, please do let us know. Again we would ask for CCTV or doorbell footage that might pinpoint the time or other vital information.”
Mr Ashton can be contacted at communications@ourladyofhope.org.uk
Picture: Stolen statue circled in yellow