SW News: Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco in the US state of California said the prosecutor's office signals that attacks against the Catholic Church can continue with impunity with the lessening of the charges against vandals who destroyed a St. Junipero Serra statue in 2020. The prelate said that reducing the penalty against those who demolished the saint's statue from a felony to a misdemeanor has signaled that assaults against Catholic churches and objects can continue without facing severe legal repercussions.

The archbishop wrote a letter criticizing Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli's decision to lessen the charges against the culprits of vandalism. Describing his disturbance, the prelate said, "I have seen this happen too many times before. We are promised justice and equal treatment, only to have our legitimate concerns dismissed, and we ourselves treated as unworthy of consideration."

The incident occurred in October 2020 when five individuals vandalized a statue of St. Junipero Serra on the grounds of St. Raphael Parish by coating it in red spray paint and tearing it off its foundation.

The police officers reportedly witnessed the vandal act but didn't get involved. Archbishop Cordileone cited the same but made no remarks about their negligence. Instead, he said he felt relieved when the district attorney charged the perpetrators with a felony. He then decried that "A simple "I'm sorry" falls pitifully short of reparation for the harm done."

The prelate condemned the attacks against Catholic Churches, saying that this would have been labeled a hate crime if it had been committed against some minorities or vulnerable groups. Archbishop Cordileone cited that there have been more than 100 attacks on Catholic Church properties across the nation on which the government puts a close eye. "Anti-Catholicism has a long and ugly history in this country," said the bishop. "We are approaching three years since this crime was committed, and we are still waiting for justice," the prelate added.

Meanwhile, according to the attorney's decision, the defendants must participate in a community forum with "a credible historian who will give stakeholders a chance to have a meaningful dialogue about the issue." They also have to pay monetary reparations to the church for the cost of repairing or replacing the statues, perform 50 hours of volunteer work, and offer an official apology in writing.