A statue of Jesus Christ on the cross displayed outside of a Catholic church in Boston's South End was vandalized on Tuesday night, according to the Archdiocese of Boston.
Boston police said 37-year-old Michael Patzelt, of Attleboro, was arrested on a charge of assault and malicious destruction of property in connection with the incident.
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Patzelt was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court, being ordered held on $5,000 bail with a condition that he must stay away from all witnesses in the case.
Police said they received a call around 6:14 p.m. Tuesday for a suspicious person who had knocked off a female victim's headwear and then climbed up on the cross, where he began to swing and hang from it, breaking off several pieces of the cross. He also broke both of the statue's arms before officers arrived.
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Video from the scene showed Jesus' upper arms fully removed but the forearms still intact on the statue on the front lawn of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
Police estimated the damage at about $20,000.
"I have no information regarding why someone would take such an action," the Archdiocese of Boston noted in a statement.
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The archdiocese said it will work with the church to "assess the damage."
"The level of venom and destructiveness displayed by this individual is difficult to comprehend," Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. "We live in a society where citizens are free to practice any religion they choose, and equally free to practice no religion at all. But they are not free to desecrate symbols held precious by the many faiths within our society."
Patzelt is due back in court on Nov. 30.
