Canada: Ten churches destroyed in arson attacks, dozens vandalised

St Jean Baptiste Church, Morinville, Alberta

Source: Vatican News/RCMP

Police in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada have noted a marked increase in acts of vandalism against churches since the beginning of June, with 13 incidents including rocks thrown at windows, graffiti and threats of arson. In Surrey, near Vancouver, the Coptic Orthodox Church was destroyed by fire on July 19, just days after an earlier arson attempt failed.

The incidents are part of a larger trend of violence against churches in Canada. Twenty-one churches have been set on fire in recent months, with at least ten being completely destroyed. Dozens of other churches have been vandalized or desecrated throughout the country.

Most of the attacks appear to be related to outrage against Christian churches for their role in the residential schools system, which saw indigenous children taken from their families and placed in boarding schools in order to isolate them from their native culture.

At the end of May, about 200 unmarked graves were discovered at the site of a residential school in Kamloops, British Colombia. drawing attention to the fate of thousands of native children forced into the system in the 19th and 20th centuries. In June, a further 751 unmarked graves were found near a former residential school in Saskatchewan.

Indigenous leaders believe as many as 8,000 children died in the Indian Residential School System - from disease, neglect and mistreatment. But they have spoken out against the attacks on churches: "Destroying property will not help us build the peaceful, better and accepting Canada we all want and need," said Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegard. He added, "I believe in processes that unite rather than divide. Violence must be replaced by turning to ceremony and all that our old people taught us about peaceful co-existence and mutual respect. Thoughtful dialogue, not destruction, is the way through this."

In a statement earlier this month, the Archdiocese of Vancouver also emphasized the importance of dialogue: "The right path forward is one of reconciliation, dialogue, and atonement with Indigenous people and in following the way they would lead us in that process," the statement said.

Following the latest incidents, police in Vancouver say they are working to prevent crimes and are calling for increased vigilance. "Fortunately, nobody has been hurt in these Vancouver incidents and most of the damage has been minor," said Sergeant Steve Addison in the news release. "However," he said, "we're growing more concerned each day by the escalation of these crimes and their brazen nature, and we're calling on the people responsible for these crimes to stop."