Jan 13, 2004 / 22:00 pm
A small parish of 300 families is still picking up the pieces after vandals tore up prayer books, knocked over icons and set fire to their church last week, devastating the community.
"What happened is clearly diabolical," Peter Howard, executive assistant to Bishop Michael Sheridan of the Colorado Springs Diocese told the Associated Press.
The fire at St. Catherine Roman Catholic Church was reported at 4 a.m. Jan. 9 when a seminary student in the adjacent rectory smelled smoke.
Fire destroyed a few pews but the building had no structural damage. Investigators are still trying to determine whether the fires were set to cover up a robbery and to establish a motive.
Investigators are expected to complete their interviews this week. There are still no suspects in the case, however, they expect more than one person is involved.
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