LINZ, Austria (LifeSiteNews) — An anonymous faithful Catholic has destroyed a blasphemous and indecent depiction of “Our Lady” in a Catholic cathedral in Austria after the sculpture had sparked outrage.
“I did it first and foremost for the Mother of God!” the Catholic man who wishes to remain anonymous told his fellow Austrian Alexander Tschugguel.
In the context of an “art project,” a sculpture meant to depict the Blessed Virgin Mary was displayed in St. Mary’s Cathedral in Linz, Austria. The statue, designed by “artist” Esther Strauss, depicted the Virgin Mary in an obscene and heretical manner.
The statue was found beheaded on Monday, July 1. In a statement, the man claiming responsibility for the destruction of the blasphemous statue explained why he destroyed it.
“Although I started by sawing the torso, the noise level and limited time meant that I was unable to carry out this initial plan, so only the head was sawn off,” he wrote. “But without the head and halo, it could not be seen as a caricature of our Virgin Mary anymore.”
“In the end, the sculpture was just an immoral, tasteless statue without a head, which effectively ended the blasphemy and defamation of our Blessed Mother,” he continued. “Just as the Blessed Mother does everything for us in love, we must do everything for Her without hesitation. This begins with prayers and ends, if necessary, with giving our lives.”
The “art” display in St. Mary’s Cathedral was sanctioned by the bishop of the Diocese of Linz, Manfred Scheuer.
“[A]s a simple Catholic and sinner, it is of course not up to me to prevent the actions of our bishops,” the anonymous statue destroyer wrote. “But it is very much my and our task to prevent any defamation of GOD and His most holy Mother.”
“Just as the Virgin Mary protects us every day and is there for us, we must also be there for Her, the Mother of GOD, in the most severe afflictions, because that is what defines us as a Church.”
Explaining why he took matters into his own hands, he said, “Unfortunately, emails from the Diocese of Linz are ignored, telephone calls are abruptly ended when criticized, and there is no outlet for criticism or even intervention. Therefore, in view of this abominable and blasphemous caricature, urgent and decisive action was required!”
Previously, 8,000 people had signed a petition asking the diocese to remove the “pagan sculpture.”
The episcopal vicar for education, Father Johann Hintermaier, apologized if some people’s “religious feelings” were hurt, but condemned the destruction of the scandalous and obscene statue.
“We were aware that we were also provoking debate with this installation,” Hintermaier said. “If we have hurt people’s religious feelings, we are sorry, but I strongly condemn this violent act of destruction and the refusal to engage in dialogue as well as the attack on the freedom of art.”
Sculptor Theresa Limberger, who created the statue, admitted that she purposefully depicted the Virgin Mary contrary to the Catholic faith.
“The intolerance, backwardness, and lack of enlightenment in the Catholic Church is shocking,” Limberger claimed to local news outlet Oberösterreichische Nachrichten.
Strauss, who designed the statue and commissioned Limberger to create it, said, “Whoever removed the head from the sculpture was very brutal.”
Repeating typical feminist, pro-abortion talking points, she added that “this violence is an expression of the fact that there are still people who question women’s right to their own bodies.”
In one of Strauss’ “performance artworks” featured on her website, she excavated her grandfather’s grave with her bare hand, undressed, and “washed” herself in the earth, which she described as her “grandfather’s home since 1993.”