A Czech village priest who went on a Halloween-hating rampage smashing pumpkins designed by children has apologised.
Father Jaromir Smejkal wrote an open letter to the local mayor after receiving “verbal abuse” from some citizens for his destructive outburst in Kurdejov, a small community in the South Moravia region last weekend.
The Catholic priest said he attacked the “satanic” Halloween symbols because they had been placed close to a holy shrine and they were representative of “spirits (evil)”.
Over two days Fr Smejkal smote the large orange carved objects because he said he was acting “according to my faith and duty to be a father and protector of entrusted children ‘souls’ and removed symbols.”
However, after outrage at the vandalism Fr Smejkal wrote that he has since realised the pumpkins had been created as part of a community event he was not aware of.
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His letter continued: “Only the next day I learned that it was a communal event and children’s creations.
“If I knew that, despite my duty to act decisively and radically against evil, I would have considered touching the feelings of my loved ones, especially, children, and I would adapt an external expression of my action to that.
“I don’t like hurting anyone, especially children, and therefore I apologise.”
The BBC reports Fr Smejkal, who preaches at the Roman Catholic Church of St John the Baptist, also added in his letter that the Halloween is something born in a “contemporary world as a counterweight” to the Christian holidays of ‘All Saints’ and ‘All Souls’.
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After Fr Smejkal’s rampage the Village of Kurdejov Facebook page posted this statement before he was identified: “Yesterday’s Pumpkin and Lantern Parade had a great atmosphere full of fun, children’s enthusiasm and we think the adults also had a great time seeing the enthusiasm in the eyes of their children and grandchildren.
“How much worse is this morning. We probably won’t find the vandal in question who ruined the children’s enjoyment, but we believe that he is reading this post and is sick of himself.”
The pagan festival of Halloween is seen by some conservatives in the Czech Republic as eroding the values of the church. But Czech newspaper iDNES reports officials above Fr Smekal did not condone his actions.
Pavel Kafka, vicar general of the Brno diocese, said in a statement: “I spoke with the parish priest and pointed out to him the inappropriateness of his behaviour. The leadership of the diocese does not agree with this behaviour and will resolve the issue.”
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