A historic Catholic church located in West Virginia has been completely destroyed by an arsonist in what may be the latest act of post-‘Roe’ domestic terrorism.
“St. Colman Catholic Church was already a smoldering ruin when firefighters from the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department arrived to the scene Sunday morning. The church was built in 1878 and was declared an official historical site in 1984,” Fox News reported, adding that so far, authorities have not publicly identified any suspects.
“The alleged arson comes as Catholic churches across the U.S. and in Canada have faced a spate of vandalism and arson attacks in recent years,” the report added.
Photo: Beaver VFD
It’s not clear whether this incident is linked to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Friday decision overturning Roe. v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling legalizing abortion across the country. The Catholic Church has always vehemently opposed abortion.
But there has been an uptick in such attacks by left-wing organizations such as Jane’s Revenge and others, some of whom have posted manifestos warning of continued attacks on churches and pro-life pregnancy centers.
Earlier this month, a memo from the Department of Homeland Security to law enforcement around the country warned of another summer of potential violence due to a number of domestic issues including the high court’s overturning of ‘Roe.’
The memo warns of a “heightened threat environment” over the next several months, adding that the department will be monitoring for risks of domestic terrorism and foreign actors attempting to disrupt the country and promote acts of violence.
“The United States remains in a heightened threat environment, as noted in the previous Bulletin, and several recent attacks have highlighted the dynamic and complex nature of the threat environment,” DHS said in a new bulletin from the National Terrorism Advisory System.
“In the coming months, we expect the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets,” DHS said.
Potential targets listed in the bulletin include “public gatherings, faith-based institutions, schools, racial and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, U.S. critical infrastructure, the media, and perceived ideological opponents.”
“Threat actors have recently mobilized to violence due to factors such as personal grievances, reactions to current events, and adherence to violent extremist ideologies, including racially or ethnically motivated or anti-government/anti-authority violent extremism,” said the warning.
The department stressed that “foreign adversaries—including terrorist organizations and nation-state adversaries—also remain intent on exploiting the threat environment to promote or inspire violence, sow discord, or undermine U.S. democratic institutions.”
“We continue to assess that the primary threat of mass casualty violence in the United States stems from lone offenders and small groups motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances,” the bulletin adds.
Fox News added:
The update from DHS Tuesday reiterated from its previous bulletin that individuals both for and against abortion online have advocated for violence against government, religious, and reproductive healthcare personnel, and facilities in response to the high-profile U.S. Supreme Court case.
“Chinese, Iranian, Russian, and other foreign malign influence actors have sought to contribute to U.S. internal discord and weaken its focus and position internationally,” the DHS said. “As the U.S. 2022 mid-term elections approach, malign foreign actors could bolster their messaging to sow discord and influence U.S. audiences in keeping with practices during previous election cycles.”
