An asylum seeker has caused a riot in Einsiedeln, Switzerland. He is said to have burst into the church service in the parish chapel on Saturday and attacked the statue of the Virgin Mary, as reported by the Tagesanzeiger newspaper.
In the process, the Afghan allegedly hit the Black Madonna and stripped her of her clothes. According to reports, he completed his attack by placing the crown of the statue of the Virgin Mary on his head.
Priests and police are said to have finally stopped the young migrant. The officers from the canton of Schwyz took the Afghan into custody, who is now in a psychiatric ward.
Markus Bernet, CC-BY-SA-2.5
The monastery has since responded to the attack on its website. However, there is no information about the alleged perpetrator. Instead, there is talk of an ‘unfortunate incident’ by a ‘confused person’.
The monastery also said: ‘We deeply regret this incident and think of the many people who have had their religious feelings hurt on site. Our prayers and thoughts are with them, as well as with the person taken into custody by the police.’ The motive for the attack is still unclear.
In response to the attack, the monastery called for a rosary prayer on the following day. This would be in the spirit of ‘peace and reconciliation’.
Meanwhile, the Black Madonna is said to have suffered only minor damage. The late Gothic image of grace made of lime wood dates back to the 15th century and is also venerated by numerous pilgrims in the pilgrimage church.