SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Bankers Hill discovered four new graffiti tags on its outer walls Monday morning, marking the latest in a series of vandalism incidents that began in January.
The spray-painted tags included obscenities and references to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was shot and killed at an event in Utah last week.
"It's disappointing, saddening," said Reverend Penny Bridges.
The discovery made her heart sink.
Bridges, Dean of the cathedral, said the vandalism reflects broader societal tensions affecting places of worship.
"We are part of this world. Inevitably we get caught up in political viewpoints. To deface a place of worship is a symptom of the lack of respect that is part of this hostility we are seeing all over our country now," Bridges said.
This marks the fifth vandalism incident at St. Paul's since January, when ABC 10News first reported on anti-religious tagging found on the church's outer walls. A synagogue located a third of a mile away was vandalized with similar tagging on the same night as the initial incident.
Bridges believes the same person is responsible for all the incidents at her church.
"The handwriting similar every time and it's the same type of spray paint, so we're pretty sure it's the same person each time," Bridges said.
The repeated vandalism has left the church community frustrated as they work to serve their neighborhood.
"The frustrating part is we live to serve the community … It’s criminal damage and a hate crime against a place of faith," Bridges said.
Bridges says a police report has been filed after each incident. Despite the ongoing vandalism, the church maintains its commitment to forgiveness.
“We want to help this person. We pray for the people who do these kinds of acts. We hope they will see the error of their ways, and that they will be held accountable," Bridges said.
The graffiti discovered Monday has since been painted over.
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