Tolerance to a Fault

Standing outside the Catholic Cathedral in Dallas Texas is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, patroness of this great church. At least there was until it was pried off its base and smashed for the second time since it was brought there by the people of Dallas' "Little Mexico." This statue is more than a sacred icon. It has deep cultural and religious significance for all Catholics, both Mexican and non-Mexican alike. While the event itself is shocking to anyone who is sensitive to and respectful of the many cultures and peoples that make up the nation that is the United States, what is more shocking is the response of Dallas' law enforcement who claim it is not a hate crime.

One need only look at the evidence to see that this was not a random act of violence. Our Lady of Guadalupe is and has been a rallying point for the poor and marginalized since the sixteenth century, and more recently for the Hispanic immigrants to the United States. The Dallas Cathedral was the headquarters for a massive demonstration for the rights of immigrants last year.

Other statues, much more accessable were located next to the statue of the Virgin had random vandalism been the intent. Clearly this was a hate crime. Clearly this wasn't random. This was a premeditated act. The vandals had to bring tools with them that would allow them to chip away at the base of the statue and separate it from its pedistal, free it from its rebar support, and then smash it. Someone was sending a message, and it wasn't "we love you."

Had this vandalism taken place at a synagogue or mosque it would immediately have been labeled a hate crime. There would have been an outcry from religious and civil leaders against the heinousness and evil of the desecration of a religious symbol. Some of the loudest voices would have been Catholic. Instead the only response was, "this isn't a hate crime." Where are the voices of our Jewish brothers and sisters? Where are the voices of our Moslem brothers and sisters? Where are the voices of good and decent people who decry all forms of hatred and bigotry?

The statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe will be repaired. Once again she will stand on her pedistal in front of the Cathedral that bears her name. As the Mother of the Americas she will watch over the people of Dallas, indeed over her children, whatever their faith, whatever their nationality. And she will love them all with a mother's love. Even those who vandalized her statue. Especially those who vandalized her statue.