Feminists in Latin America attack Catholic churches on International Women’s Day
Feminist groups attacked the metropolitan cathedral in Mexico on March 8, 2023. / Credit: Catolin / Paintings of feminists in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and Communication Commission of the Archbishopric of Cochabamba ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 10, 2023 / 16:30 pm (CNA).
Various marches were held on March 8 for International Women’s Day in Latin America. Some feminist groups, however, used the occasion to vandalize Catholic churches and public buildings.
Mexico was one of the countries where the most violence took place. In the country’s capital, Mexico City, protesters attacked the metropolitan cathedral located in Constitution Plaza.
Faced with the fences protecting the church, they opted to tear down a nearby traffic light. In images shared by local media, several women can be seen hitting part of the fence attempting to destroy it, while the police try to disperse them by firing tear gas.
In Puebla, about 80 miles southeast of Mexico City, local feminists tried to destroy the angel statues that sit on top of the fence in front of the cathedral. City hall was also hit with graffiti and vandalism.
Something similar was experienced in Mérida, where feminists tagged the St. Ildefonsus of Yucatán cathedral with graffiti. One of the messages read: “Abort the Church.”
Aggressive and violent messages
In Xalapa, Mexico, a woman protected by other feminists, threw paint at the police and the faithful who were guarding El Beaterio church.
According to the local Catholic media outlet Catolin, among the slogans they chanted were “get your rosaries off our ovaries” and “death to pro-lifers.”
Future priests weren’t spared either, as the walls of the Xalapa Minor Seminary were tagged with graffiti and some windows were destroyed.
Police officers beaten
Similar situations were experienced in Salta, Argentina, where feminist groups carried out excesses near the basilica cathedral, which is also the Shrine of the Lord and the Virgin of the Miracle. The women broke down fences set up to protect the church and beat the policewomen who were guarding it.
The radio station Cadena 3 reported that an officer was injured and was taken to a health care clinic.
Attacks disguised as ‘justice’
In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, feminists came to St. Lawrence Martyr minor basilica, listed as a national monument, and vandalized its columns and doors with paint.
According to the Archdiocese of Santa Cruz, the intervention of the neighbors and faithful who were in the atrium prevented further damage to the church.
In the city of Cochabamba, St. Sebastian cathedral was also attacked by radicals.
Archbishop Óscar Aparicio expressed his rejection of the attacks.
“In the name of respect and nonviolence, violence is done to us and we are insulted. I think this is unacceptable for all of us,” the prelate pointed out in a statement to the press.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
