It was not sacrilege, but an act of a person who was “not of sound mind”, says the head of the Catholic Church in Fiji, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong.

The archbishop was responding to queries concerning the damaged statue of Mother Mary at the Sacred Heart Cathedral grotto in Suva.

The hands and head of Mother Mary’s statue were found damaged by Catholics attending mass at the Cathedral yesterday morning.

Archbishop Chong has thanked the Police for their swift action in finding out who was behind the act. He said they were informed that it was a person who was psychologically ill.

The damaged statue of Mother Mary at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Suva on November 11, 2020. Photo: Fernando Lobendahn

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed that a report was lodged.

Police had used surveillance camera footage, which the Fiji Police Force and the Suva City Council had installed, to help solve the reported case.

The church will not pursue any charges against the individual but will focus on rebuilding the grotto.

Father Ioani Vodosiro from the Sacred Heart Office said the matter was reported to police when the damage was discovered.

It was early yesterday morning when devotees found the head and hands of Mother Mary’s statue broken.

“Initially, we had conflicting stories. Some people at the 6.30am mass said they noticed the statue being intact when they went into the church,” Father Ioani said.

“While a few said that they may have seen it before the mass. We can say that it could have happened last night (Tuesday) or this morning (Wednesday).”

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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