Two men, thought to be British tourists, have been accused of stealing and shattering a golden statue of Jesus Christ in the capital of Lithuania.
In CCTV footage from the Old Town of Vilnius, the pair are seen laughing as one man staggers while holding the statue and the other attempts to film on his phone. Lifting it up, the man holding the statue shouts in English: “Praise the Lord!”
The arms break off as he struggles to stay upright. It then falls and shatters on the ground, the pair fleeing the scene and leaving fragments scattered across the pavement and road. One can be heard saying “No we didn't, we didn't... go go go.”
The statue was taken from a wooden cross in the inner courtyard of the 15th century Shrine of Divine Mercy Church on Wednesday evening.
A statement from the church said: “We look at the broken pieces of the sculpture and we grieve. But we should tremble even more when we realise the truth: this is not just the destruction of the sculpture of the Crucified. This is a sign. Man is still trying to destroy his Creator.
“To crush the One who created him out of love. To silence the One who even prayed on the cross. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Father Elijas Anatolijus Markauskas, priest at the church, shared the pictures and footage taken from a nearby shop which captured the incident. He appealed for anyone with information to contact police, asking accommodation providers in the Old Town if they recognised the men.
He added in a Facebook post: “I sincerely admit that today it is difficult for me to pray for those who did this. But God thinks differently than I do. He loves them too. He awaits their return, as he awaits each of us. He does not justify evil, but he does not close the way to repentance and forgiveness.”
Local police said in a statement: “The damage is being assessed. A pre-trial investigation has been initiated under Article 284 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania.”