Two months after the sacrilege that shocked Guitiriz, the Lugo church remains without a tabernacle. The Blessed Sacrament is provisionally reserved in a side altarpiece while the priests of the Pastoral Unit, which serves twenty-six parishes in the area, try to raise the necessary funds through donations to commission a new one.
The events date back to September 19, when the tabernacle was torn from its place, forced open and emptied, and the consecrated hosts ended up scattered across the town square, as InfoVaticana reported at the time. The Diocese of Mondoñedo-Ferrol responded with several acts of reparation, the most solemn presided over by the diocesan bishop and accompanied by various sections of the Nocturnal Adoration.
The perpetrator, identified
The priests of Guitiriz have shared firsthand information about what happened with this publication. According to their account, the Civil Guard identified the perpetrator, a man unrelated to the community who had already interrupted a Mass the previous day and caused various disturbances, and who has not returned to the town since. The parish filed the corresponding complaint with the armed institute at the time, although with little hope that the punishment would be proportionate to the damage caused. Nothing indicates, in the priests’ view, that he acted in coordination with others, although they note with concern the increase of this type of profanations in Galicia.
A lawsuit they learned about through the press
This week it became known that the Court of First Instance of Vilalba has opened proceedings following the complaint filed by Christian Lawyers. The news has caused some bewilderment in the aggrieved parish itself, which was not informed of the initiative nor consulted about the state of affairs before the foundation went to court.
The legal defense of the sacred deserves all respect, and no one in Guitiriz disputes the gravity of the offense. Nevertheless, it is striking that those who appear before the judge in the name of the offended faithful did not pick up the phone beforehand to speak with the priests who collected the hosts from the ground. Nor has the media coverage of the complaint been used for something as simple as reminding people that the church still lacks a tabernacle. Lawsuits generate headlines; tabernacles, on the other hand, must be paid for.
How to help
The material repair remains pending. To the restoration of a large crucifix, planned before the sacrilege, is now added the cost of a new tabernacle. The priests will appreciate any contribution from readers who wish to help return to the Lord a worthy dwelling in Guitiriz.
Parish of San Juan de Lagostelle
IBAN: ES78 2080 0122 4130 0006 1557
Reference: New tabernacle
Donations are managed with full legality and may be deducted from income tax returns. Those who wish to receive the corresponding certificate may request it from the parish.