Mount Carmel/Pottsville, PA – Ramzi R. Musallam, Archbishop of the Arabic Catholic Church says some Arabic Catholic parishes have been victimized by vandalism. 

Rev. Ramzi R. Musallam, Archbishop of the Arabic Catholic Church, PA.

At one church the marquee outside showed signs of having been beaten with a heavy object before it was thrown to the ground. The U.S. and cathedral’s flag were desecrated. 

Archbishop Musallam isn’t certain whether the act was a result of contempt for religion or hate towards the Arabic Catholic Church.

“The sight of the flag of our country and the flag of the Church strewn onto the sidewalk in front of the cathedral amid broken pieces brings sorrow to the soul,” Musallam said.

“I think of how the United States has always been a haven for faith, for religion…Then I saw our church sign smashed, and our flags on the ground of the Cathedral Church of Saint Ann, willfully damaged by human hands,” he said.

Musallam is concerned about religious freedom being attacked and limited in the United States. 

Recently legislation was introduced mandating the Catholic Church to provide health coverage for contraceptives.

He says the church is also being driven out of adoption services in different regions. “Why?  Because we will not place children with same-sex or unmarried opposite-sex couples who cohabitate, because we believe that a marriage with a father and a mother is the proper home for a child or children.”  

“Our beloved country, America, is the land of the free.  Our right to worship and our right to religious liberty should not be infringed upon by anyone, let alone the government we have elected to protect those rights,” he said.