A man used construction equipment to severely damage a sculpture that stands for 25 years in front of the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis, the police said, the Associated Press reported, cited by BTA.
It was not clear whether the "Angel of Harmony", which is 4.3 meters tall and depicts a black angel protecting three children of different races, will be saved. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper; reported that part of one of the children was broken off and the angel's wings appeared to be damaged.
The motive for the vandalism is unknown, said police, who arrested a 35-year-old suspect.
The Angel of Harmony, created by Polish sculptor Wiktor Szostalo, was installed in 1999, months after Pope John Paul II visited St. Louis. Angel wings include more than 100 wind chimes and children play instruments. Inscribed on the pedestal are quotations from the New Testament, from Pope John Paul II and Martin Luther King Jr.