The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has expressed his prayers for the parishioners of St. James’ Church in Leyland after the church fell victim to an apparent hate crime, believed to have been committed by one or more atheists.
On Good Friday morning, congregants discovered their church vandalized with graffiti, including sexual graphic images and expletives. The outer wall of the church bore the words “god is a lie” accompanied by an obscene image.
The gravestones of parishioners' family members were also defaced, prompting an ongoing police investigation.
The Rev. Marc Wolverson described the vandalism as the worst he had seen in his 28 years of ministry, commenting to BBC, “I think the kind of people who would do this are just very sad, broken people. I don't know what would motivate someone to act this way. I feel very sorry for them.”
In his message of support, Archbishop Cottrell stated, “For this precious holy ground to be so appallingly desecrated is deeply shocking. Easter should be a time of celebration and joy. It saddens me greatly that this Easter your own celebrations may feel a little muted. Yet, of course, the story of Easter is the story of God’s triumph over sin and darkness. Because God raised Jesus from the dead, we know that no power on Earth can undermine his mercy and love.”
The Bishop of Blackburn, Philip North, condemned the act as “the most disgraceful attack on a Christian community on the most solemn day of the year” and described it as “such a sad end to Good Friday.”
On Easter morning, the Bishop of Burnley, the Rt. Rev. Joe Kennedy, joined the congregation at St. James’ Church to rededicate the church to the worship of God.
