'Precious' items stolen from altar at Wellington church
Two churches in New Zealand's North Island have reported the theft of religious icons, which clergy describe as precious community artifacts. The incidents have prompted concerns about the impact of local social and economic hardships on the safety of public spaces.
Why it matters
The theft of cultural and religious artifacts reflects broader social tensions and the vulnerability of community institutions during economic downturns.
Two North Island churches have been robbed of "precious" taonga over the last week. Clergy at St Peter's on Willis in Te Aro, Wellington, first noticed two "precious" icons, which sat on the church's high altar, were missing on Tuesday. They have no idea how the pieces disappeared. As a way of mourning their loss and violation of hospitality, the church plans to close its doors for a day if the icons aren't returned. One of the icons depicts a mother and son and is called Mother of Mercy and Compassion. It was created by the church's Reverend Jean Malcolm, who is an iconographer. The other is a copy of the Icon of Christ and Abbot Mena, a Coptic painting depicting Jesus with his arm around Abbot Saint Menas – its original hangs in the Louvre.
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