Men armed with axe break in to church and parochial house in Belfast

By Hannah Spratt

A priest has been left shaken after a group of men armed with an axe have broken in to a Parochial house in Belfast.

It happened in the grounds of St.Vincent De Paul Church in Ligoniel - around 2 this morning.

It's understood the church itself was also targeted.

Shock and revulsion as parish priest’s home & church broken into in Ligoneil are of Belfast. pic.twitter.com/FlY0ssXwaX

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) 1 October 2018

(Councillor Ryan Murphy)

The thieves stole the priest's car keys a minibus used by the local community - aswell as a sum of cash.

Councillor Murphy has been speaking with Q Radio:

Ryan Murphy said: “The Parochial House and the church at St Vincent de Paul were broken into around two o’clock this morning.

“The raiders ran off after being disturbed by the priest who had wakened during the break in.

“The thieves stole car keys for the priest’s vehicle and a minibus used by the local community and a sum of money.

“This was a terrifying incident for the priest and I’m relieved that he wasn’t hurt in the incident.

“Breaking into someone’s home is always traumatic for the victim but is even more shameful that anyone would break into an amenity widely used by the local

community. “I am appealing to anyone with information on this incident to bring it to the police so these individuals can be taken off the streets.”