Baby Jesus Statue Beheaded on Christmas Eve

A Christmas Eve meant for peace turned to chaos inside one of Scotland’s most storied Catholic churches when the statue of baby Jesus was found beheaded in a disturbing scene that parish leaders are calling a “desecration.”

The incident unfolded at St. Patrick’s Church in Edinburgh’s Old Town, a 250-year-old parish long known as a refuge for prayer and one of the most visited Catholic sites in the city. The church had been left open on Dec. 24 so parishioners and tourists could stop in before midnight Mass.

When Father Gerard Hatton, one of the church’s priests, returned from a Christmas dinner, he was stunned to find five police officers and blood on the floor.

“I came back from dinner to find a man kneeling at the crib with his hands up,” Hatton told The Times. “There was blood on the floor. One of the police officers said, ‘It’s more complicated than you think.’”

According to Father Hatton, a young woman known to the clergy suffered a mental health episode inside the sanctuary. Witnesses said she lifted the baby Jesus statue from the Nativity scene and began hurling it around. Another visitor—a man described by Hatton as “aggressive” and “angry at the church”—allegedly intervened and threw the statue into a bin.

“He was very rude and angry at priests and the church,” Hatton said. “He fought with the young woman and then threw the statue away.”

The statue’s head was later found separated from its body. Police confirmed that the incident involved two individuals and that early reports suggest it was not a hate crime, but rather linked to a mental health crisis.

In a somber Facebook post, church officials described the event as an “attack upon the Child Jesus” and asked parishioners to join in “prayers for reparation.”

They also reported “blood spilled in the sanctuary, side chapel, and nave” and noted that relics inside the Lady Chapel were damaged. “We will bless the church again after cleaning up the desecration,” the statement read. “Encouraging all souls to turn to our patron, that St. Patrick’s prayers will protect this oasis of prayer in the Old Town.”

On Christmas Day, the parish shared another message thanking supporters for their prayers and clarifying that “this is not sectarian in nature and requires spiritual medicine.” The church is now accepting donations to replace the destroyed statue.

Police Scotland confirmed that officers responded around 6:40 p.m. on Dec. 24 to reports of vandalism. A spokesperson said investigators have determined the act was “not targeted” and that inquiries remain ongoing.

Founded in 1771, St. Patrick’s Church has a long and colorful history—originally Episcopalian before being acquired by the Catholic Church in 1856. One of its former priests, Canon Edward Joseph Hannan, went on to found Hibernian Football Club in 1875, a soccer team that remains one of Scotland’s most beloved institutions.

As parishioners returned to pray on Christmas morning, the message from clergy was simple: forgiveness and faith must prevail, even in desecration.

“We ask everyone to pray for those involved,” Fr. Hatton said quietly. “Christmas is about healing—even when the world seems broken.”