A man has been arrested for setting fire to the interior of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Verona, New Jersey.
Elliot Bennett, 42, confessed to the crime; he had previously confessed to committing vandalism at the church.
“Unfortunately, the church is heavily damaged, and the parish community is heartbroken,” the Archdiocese of Newark said in a statement. “However, we have faith that we will get through this difficult time and request the community to keep those affected in their prayers.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has documented over 300 acts of vandalism, arson, and other destruction at parishes and other Catholic sites in the United States since 2020.