Vandals targeting churches

Two recent vandalism incidents in churches have prompted authorities to call on parishes to close their church doors after service.

Someone recently went into the Christianskirkjan in Klaksvík and broke the church collection box, taking out the cash. The person also broke into the church office and stole the cash. No other valuables in the office were stolen, according to Uni Næs, the Dean of the Church of the Faroe Islands.

And earlier this year, vandals broke the outdoor lights at the Fríðrikskirkjan in Toftir, Eysturoy. The damage was estimated at DKK 100,000.

 >> SEE ALSO Church finances looking good

Three years ago, parishes were also encouraged to close their church doors following a spate of vandalism against churches.

This led to a change in the tradition of keeping churches open outside of service hours. But since then, some parishes have decided to open up their church doors again.

When a church is open outside of service hours, the parochial church council is responsible for having a person present while the church doors are open.

Members of the public who wish to enter their church outside of service hours can contact the head of the church council in their parish. A list of contact persons is available here. .

Translated by prosa.fo