CCTV footage captures the moment a tourist who appears to be British smashed a stolen statue of Jesus Christ on the pavement before fleeing the scene.
The video shows two men laughing in a Vilnius street, Lithuania, as one of them lifts the golden statue and poses with it for a photograph.
While one man takes pictures, the other—who appears to be intoxicated—grips the figure by its arms. The arms suddenly break away, sending the statue crashing to the ground.
The religious statue shatters on impact. The man responsible appears to exclaim, “Oh my God,” before running off into the night as his companion follows, laughing.
The person recording the incident also leaves moments later. A passing car then drives over several of the broken pieces scattered across the road.
The footage appears to show the culprit under the influence of alcohol. Both men are believed to be British, although their identities and nationalities have not been confirmed.
The statue was taken from the area outside the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Vilnius’ Old Town, which is also home to the celebrated 1934 painting Divine Mercy.
The church’s priest, Elijas Anatolijus Markauskas, turned to social media to appeal for information that could help identify the suspect.
A tourist who appears to be British allegedly smashed a sacred statue of Jesus in Vilnius, Lithuania
The statue broke into pieces when it hit the ground, prompting the man to cry, ‘Oh my God,’ before he fled laughing
The statue was taken from near the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Vilnius’ Old Town, home to the famous 1934 painting Divine Mercy
Broken pieces of the statue and flowers now lie at the foot of the wooden cross where it once stood
“During the night of November 11 to 12, near the Vilnius Divine Mercy sanctuary, a statue of Christ was torn from the cross and broken,” he said.
“I am deeply saddened because this is not merely a sacred object. It is an image of the one we love, to whom we pray and entrust the world, our homeland, our loved ones and ourselves.
“When I saw the broken figure of Christ, I thought of His suffering. Jesus was rejected, beaten and nailed to the cross.
“Yet even then, He continued to love. He asked the Father to forgive those who tormented Him and promised paradise to the repentant criminal.
“He cared for His Mother, strengthened His beloved disciple and, after fulfilling the Father’s will, said: ‘It is done.’
“I honestly admit that today I find it difficult to pray for those who did this. But God sees things differently from me. He loves them too.”
Fragments of the statue and flowers have since been placed at the foot of the wooden cross from which it was taken.
A spokesperson for Vilnius Police said: “At around 9pm on November 11, an unidentified person broke a golden sculpture of Jesus hanging on a wooden cross in the inner courtyard of a church on Dominikonų Street in Vilnius.
“The extent of the damage is currently being assessed.
“A pre-trial investigation has been opened under Article 284 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania.”