A man in St. Louis used construction equipment to drop a heavy boom lift onto a sculpture outside the city’s Cathedral Basilica, causing significant damage, as reported by the police. The sculpture, known as the Angel of Harmony, has stood for 25 years and portrays a Black angel protecting three children of diverse races. The 14-foot-tall sculpture created by Polish sculptor Wiktor Szostalo saw part of one child broken off and damage to the angel’s wings.
The motive behind the vandalism on Tuesday night remains unknown, but authorities have apprehended a 35-year-old suspect. The Angel of Harmony was installed in 1999 following Pope John Paul II’s visit to St. Louis and features more than 100 wind chimes on the angel’s wings, with the children depicted playing instruments. The pedestal is inscribed with quotes from the New Testament, Pope John Paul II, and Martin Luther King Jr.
St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski expressed sadness over the damage, emphasizing the sculpture’s message of celebrating diversity and unity through truth, beauty, and goodness. He hopes the sculpture can be restored despite the extent of the damage yet to be fully assessed. Police responded to a report of a man tampering with construction equipment at the cathedral, where they found the statue toppled off its pedestal. The suspect also allegedly fired a gunshot into an unoccupied car which remains unexplained.
Surveillance footage aided in locating the suspect, who attempted to flee but was eventually discovered hiding a few blocks away from the cathedral with the help of a police dog.
