Clean, green, bubble tea and long queues.
Those are some words that might come to mind when thinking of Singapore.
But of course, we cannot forget some super important ones: multi-racial and multi-religious.
So you can bet that if something happens that pushes the barriers of the last two, news travels fast.
Statue Of Mary At Hougang Church Defaced
On the morning of 12 Nov, a statue of Mary at a church in Hougang was vandalised.
More specifically, this occurred at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
On Facebook, they released a statement regarding the incident.
The church mentioned that the statue was defaced on Thursday morning, at around 8.30am.
A police report has also been filed and investigations are currently ongoing.
Not To Spread Unofficial Information
The church understands that its members and parishioners concerns.
However, they also urged them not to spread unofficial information and to keep updated over at the church’s Facebook page.
A picture of the statue was posted in another Facebook group and circulated via Whatsapp on Friday afternoon, 13 Nov
The photo has yet to be verified, and it comprises eyes with marbles stuck with some white paint on its forehead.
Police have been notified of this incident and responded on Friday, at 10.50am.
According to Section 295 of the Penal Code, those who destroy, damage or defile any place of worship with intent to insult the religion may face a fine, up to five years of jail or both.
Good luck to whoever gets caught for this.
Church Has Been Around For A Long Time
Like, over a hundred years kind of long.
It was built in 1901, for the Teochew Catholics in Serangoon.
This makes it one of the older Catholic churches here, though not older than the Cathedral Of The Good Shepherd.
It was even once used as a hiding place during World War II.
The statue, “The Immaculate Conception of Mary”, was presented by Sultan Ibrahim of Johor.
So yes, it’s a very important place of worship for Catholics in Singapore.
Other Churches In News
Unfortunately, most haven’t been in for good news.
Several police reports have been filed against the Pentecostal Church of Singapore over the misuse of church funds.
Paster Thiagarajan apparently had access to several accounts of the clergy and withdrew S$250,000 from them.
In another case, 21 members of the Singapore chapter of South Korea cult, Shincheonji (SCJ) were arrested.
They apparently resumed church activities despite being told not to and are being investigated under the Societies Act.
They could be jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both for being part of an unlawful society.
Image: Google Maps
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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