Currents News Staff
Parishioners with power washers and paint rollers worked all afternoon on Sept. 26 at Saint Peter’s Chaldean Cathedral in El Cajon, CA – covering and cleaning a confusing mix of graffiti.
Father Daniel Shaba shared video of swastikas, white power slogans, pentagrams, Black Lives Matter and Biden 2020 – all mixed together on the walls and ground.
‘It was very confusing when I saw the graffiti because it had things that didn’t have to do much with each other,” said Father Shaba.
Father Shaba says he arrived Saturday morning and saw the first swastika near the entrance, on a plaque at the convent. Then he saw the cathedral with nearly every wall covered.
“It’s very devastating. We’re a very small minority, Chaldean community. We fled persecution in Iraq and here we are facing it again, in a place where we thought we wouldn’t,” he said.
Word spread fast, and the response from the community came faster.
“I’m very proud of them, because we had an enormous amount of parishioners come and want to help out, see how they could help us in any way shape of form. But to also hold tight to Jesus,” Father Shabba told Currents News.
Father Shaba says the church has surveillance footage of the crime which they’ve shared with law enforcement.
They will seek justice. But they also have a message for the vandals.
“I would say to the people who did this, we will pray for you. We will pray for your conversion and repent,” said Father Shaba.