Thieves cut $50K bronze statue out of California church

The Santa Ana Police Department on Wednesday asked the public for tips about the theft of a bronze statue worth about $50,000 from a local Catholic church. Surveillance video taken in the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 30, appeared to show two male suspects in dark clothing entering Christ Our Savior Catholic Church, police said. The church has been targeted before, according to the police statement.

The church’s statue was supposed to depict Jesus Christ standing on a large rock, alongside another statue of John the Baptist. The suspects used an electric cutting tool to cut off the Jesus statue’s feet, which were anchored to the rock, and then dragged the body toward a high school campus neighboring the parish, police said. The pair loaded the statue into a parked vehicle waiting nearby and drove off, according to the police statement and surveillance video.

Has the church said anything about the theft? The church released a statement two days after the theft, calling for parishioners to respond to the theft with faith and prayer. The church asked the community to join in praying for those who stole the statue, and ask God to give them repentance. The parish also called for prayers of protection over the church, and hoped that the crime would somehow draw the community closer to Christ. The statement concluded with Matthew 5:44: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”