The stone with which the relic of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá was attacked hit the reliquary, but failed to affect the tablet and the damage was immediately repaired. The parish priest Nedward Andrade affirmed that they will increase security measures in the Sanctuary Basilica
A man attacked this Sunday, November 27, the relic of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá inside the San Juan de Dios basilica, located in the center of Maracaibo, Zulia state, where the Chinita altarpiece is venerated.
The event occurred during the patron saint festivities in honor of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, at a time of day in which the relic was exposed for the adoration of its faithful.
According to the account described by the parish priest of the Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá, Nedward Andrade, a 29-year-old man entered the sanctuary shortly after 1:00 pm and threw a stone with the intention of damaging the relic.
“Miraculously, the blunt object reached only one wing of the reliquary, without affecting the sacred tablet of our patron saint,” said the parish priest in a statement published on his social networks.
The Virgin was guarded by servants of María, representatives of the biosecurity group of the Sanctuary Basilica and officials of the National Guard, who arrested the attacker.
Immediately after the incident, restorers went to the site to assess the damage suffered by the relic and proceeded to repair the wing of the reliquary that was affected.
*Read also: Government of Zulia announces recovery of the monument to the Virgin of La Chinita
Andrade made a commitment to the parishioners to improve security measures in the Basilica Sanctuary, in order to “avoid future events that threaten the sacred relic, the physical integrity of the personnel who work and the parishioners who attend regularly.”
In addition, he confirmed that the relic of the Virgin is now exposed again so that it can be venerated by her faithful in the Sanctuary Basilica.
I’m sorry about what happened. Let us pray for peace and brotherhood. pic.twitter.com/xJ7Ddz5eP2
— Fr. José Andrés Bravo H. (@joseabh) November 27, 2022
As for the attacker, he was arrested and is in the hands of police officers, waiting for the respective criminal proceedings to proceed.
“He is a person who is apparently mentally disturbed. He says that he does not belong to the Catholic Church, but to some Protestant groups, and that God sent him to do that,” the priest told the whistle.
Father Andrade said a Bible with “images that appear to be demonic” was found in the man’s bag.
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