Police have arrested a suspect in connection with vandalism at the historic Church of the Gesu on the campus of Marquette University in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin — the church trashed nine months after completing a $10 million renovation.
The suspect is a 29-year-old man who was also arrested last week and charged with resisting and obstructing an officer in a separate incident apparently unrelated to Wednesday’s early morning attack on the church.
The person arrested is not affiliated with the university, officials say.
Fr. Michael R. Simone, the pastor of the church, told TMJ4 the vandalism happened in both the upper and lower sanctuaries of the mid-1800s building. The church replicates the kind of iconic architecture seen in the grand cathedrals of Western Europe.
Images of the vandalism show a broken statue, overturned tables, and candles scattered on the ground.
“The multimillion-dollar renovations included replacing aging pews, repainting the ceilings, and installing new fire detection and security systems, among other improvements,” according to the city’s NBC affiliate.
Officials with Marquette University released this statement about the vandalism incident:
Marquette University was saddened to learn that early this morning, an individual not affiliated with the university vandalized and damaged property inside the Church of the Gesu, a sacred space for many in the Marquette community. The Marquette University Police Department has made an arrest in connection with this incident, and the investigation is ongoing. While the Church of the Gesu and Marquette are separately incorporated, we will support the parish as we always have, bonded by our Catholic, Jesuit tradition and a shared desire to serve God in all things.
Marquette University police have yet to release the suspect’s motivation for the attack.
Fr. Simone said he didn’t believe the vandalism was an act of anti-Catholic violence.
However, as Breitbart News reported last month following a similar trashing of a parochial school in Southern California, criminal attacks on Catholic institutions soared during the Biden administration and after the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Catholic advocacy organization Catholic Votes said there have been at least 547 attacks on Catholic churches in 43 states since early 2020.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
