Peter and Paul Catholic Church prior to the fire Facebook / Megan Scragg
CV NEWS FEED // A historic Catholic church in Saskatchewan, Canada, burned down the night of Feb. 21 in what locals and police suspect to be an arson attack.
The Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, also known by locals as “The Polish Church,” has stood since 1910, according to local outlet 980 CJME. Although it has been abandoned for decades, the Garden River church north of the city of Prince Albert has remained a landmark for the surrounding community for years.
The fire department was made aware of the blaze around 11 p.m. Friday night. However, Rebel News reported that nothing is left of the church except for “charred remains.”
According to SaskNOW, Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that they are currently investigating the fire as suspicious.
Local official Reeve Ryan Scragg also suspects arson, 980 CJME reported.
“To think that someone would indiscriminately destroy this piece of our heritage is beyond frustrating,” he stated, according to 980 CJME. “Whether you had a personal connection to the church or simply appreciated it as part of our landscape, its loss is deeply felt. If anyone has information about what happened, I encourage you to come forward.”
Rebel News reported that “The destruction follows a wave of more than 100 church burnings and acts of vandalism that began after the widely publicized but unverified claims of mass graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in 2021.”
>>READ: Nearly 100 Churches Attacked in Canada Following ‘Mass Graves’ Hoax<<
However, an official link between the mass grave incident and the latest church fire has not been established.
