Halifax-area church, cemetery vandalized over weekend

Two churches in Halifax Regional Municipality were vandalized over the weekend.

Religious statues in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in west-end Halifax received “extensive” spray paint damage sometime during the evening of June 17 or early hours of June 18, said the Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth in a release on Monday.

READ MORE: Church vanadalized over Easter weekend

The cemetery’s columbarium — used to publicly store funerary urns — along with the signage was also spray-painted.

“Mount Olivet has been sacred ground for more than 120 years,” said Archbishop Anthony Mancini.

“It is not only the physical damage done which is upsetting, but the expression of anti-Christian feelings and hate which is most worrisome.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It is not only the physical damage done which is upsetting, but the expression of anti-Christian feelings and hate which is most worrisome."

St. Theresa’s Church on North Street in Halifax was also damaged.

Symbols similar to the ones used to deface the Mount Olivet Cemetery could be found on the doors to the church on Monday afternoon.

A request for comment from the Halifax Regional Police was not immediately returned.