A statue of the Virgin Mary outside the Cathedral of the Holy Cross was defaced with graffiti in the South End this week, prompting a Boston city councilor to call for the incident to be investigated as a hate crime.

Councilor Ed Flynn posted an image of the vandalized statue on social media, comparing it to similar incidents in other states and writing that he contacted the Boston Police Department about the matter.

The Blessed Mary statue at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross was vandalized last night with graffiti. The incident is similar to other attacks on statues in New York and Florida. I contacted @bostonpolice and recommended the vandalism be investigated as a hate crime. #bospoli pic.twitter.com/sAgD8HTex1 — Ed Flynn 愛德華費連 (@EdforBoston) August 14, 2025

A BPD officer respo

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