Colorado Church Vandalized with Pro-Abortion Graffiti in Wake of SCOTUS Leak
Vandals attacked a church in Boulder, Colo., earlier this week, spray painting pro-abortion messages on the building’s exterior and smashing its windows.
The graffiti on the church included, “My body my choice” and, “You don’t speak 4 God,” CBS 4 reported. Messages in support of universal healthcare were also spray-painted onto sculptures.
The damage to Sacred Heart of Mary Church will cost thousands of dollars to repair, the Catholic church and the Archdiocese in Denver told the outlet.
The church is now considering using tithes to boost security and add cameras to their properties. This week’s act of vandalism is the second time in less than a year that the church has been hit by vandals, according to the report, making Sacred Heart of Mary just one of 30 local Catholic churches to have been vandalized in the last two years.
The incident comes after Politico published a leaked majority draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health on Monday, which suggested the Supreme Court may be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, returning the question of abortion to the states.
Mark Haas, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese, told CBS 4 that the Archdiocese had been concerned about the potential for vandalism if the Court overturned Roe, but thought the Church would be safe until at least June.
“Once again a parish community showed up for a morning mass and had to walk in and witness that their parish had been targeted,” Haas said. “I hate to say it. I was not surprised to learn of this, this morning.”
He added: “It is disheartening to see. We understand this is an emotional topic, one that people feel strongly about. But to see people lash out like this and target places of worship is troubling.”
However, he said the church won’t let the vandals win.
“[In the Bible] there are so many stories of the apostles being persecuted for what they believe, and they are actually joyful about it,” Haas said. “They are convicted, it won’t stop them. We can say the same for our parish. We are very strong in what we believe. We certainly are not going to be intimidated by this.”
The report comes as the pastor at St. Joe’s Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., has reportedly asked police to come prepared “to intervene” at Mother’s Day mass, after pro-abortion group Ruth Sent Us called for protesters to “stand at or in a local Catholic Church” this Sunday to “recognize that six extremist Catholics set out to overturn Roe.”
CatholicVote, a national Catholic political advocacy group, on Friday urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to ensure the enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which prohibits blocking the entrance to or threatening physical force at a place of religious worship.
“The aggressive rage exhibited by pro-abortion advocates over the past week, and the plans of anti-Catholic zealots to disrupt Catholic masses around the country this weekend, is a vile attempt to harass, threaten, and intimidate. It is religious bigotry of the worst kind,” CatholicVote president Brian Burch said in a statement. “It is also against the law.”
He added that “no religious believer in America should fear for their safety while attending church this Sunday, or any day.”
“We once again call on all responsible leaders in Washington to condemn and stop these dangerous threats before they result in violence.”
