A Virgin Mary statue was reportedly set on fire outside of a church in Boston, Massachusetts last weekend, and police are still looking for the perpetrators.

The incident took place at the Saint Peter Parish Church in the neighborhood of Dorchester, where the vandals set fire to the plastic flowers that were being held in the statue of the Virgin Mary’s hands. The act of arson reportedly left the statue’s upper body and face completely scorched.

“I was shocked,” Father John Curran, the church’s pastor, told WCVB-TV. “[There’s] disappointment, sadness. The image of Our Lady is so important for us and our faith. It’s such a contradiction to her love. Mary would never desecrate anyone, never hurt anyone, only offer them the peace and love of Jesus. I think that’s where it really hits us in our hearts.”

“I was shocked. Shocked,” he added to WBTS-TV. “This is obviously someone disturbed, someone who has a lot of trouble, a troubled soul. But I know our Lady in heaven is looking down on the soul, or whoever it might’ve been, and saying, ‘I love you! If you need help, come get help. We’re here for you.'”

The Virgin Mary statue was put up outside the church just after World War II ended, and it had been beloved by parishioners and Boston locals alike ever since.

“Whoever is responsible for the desecration of the Holy Mother’s statue is clearly a troubled soul,” Terrence C. Donilon, secretary for Communications & Public Affairs for the Archdiocese of Boston, told the Daily Caller. “Mary represents all that is good and pure in our world. We have confidence in local law enforcement to investigate this matter. We pray for the person or persons responsible.”

The Boston Police Department said that this incident is currently being investigated, and that anyone with any information can either call detectives directly or call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line anonymously. At a time when anti-Christian sentiment seems to be on the rise in the United States more than ever, it’s crucial that the sick people behind this hateful arson be caught and held responsible.