Fla. church suffers second fire in 16 months, arson investigation underway
A facility set up as a temporary worship space for a Florida Catholic church destroyed by a fire last year has been targeted in what is being investigated as arson.
In a statement posted to its website Wednesday, Incarnation Catholic Church in Orlando, Florida, announced that “a fire was started on and around the temporary altar at Incarnation.” The parish said “this incident is being investigated as arson.”
The church noted that as a result of the fire, “all masses, appointments, events and gatherings are currently canceled through Saturday.”
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Wednesday’s fire at Incarnation comes just over a year after the church was destroyed in a fire in June 2023, on the first anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationdecision that determined the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion.
Following the 2023 fire, masses at Incarnation Catholic Church were moved into the nearby Royal Hall. This is the facility that was engulfed in flames Wednesday.
The fire at Royal Hall comes as Incarnation Catholic Church is working to build a new facility to replace the one destroyed in the fire. Construction on the new church, which is expected to cost $5.7 million, is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025.
This week's fire at Incarnation Catholic Church occurred as Florida voters decide the fate of Amendment 4, which would establish a right to abortion in the state constitution. A poll of 622 likely voters conducted by The New York Times and Siena College from Sept. 29-Oct. 6 found that 46% of respondents plan to support the proposed constitutional amendment, while 38% intend to vote against it. The measure must secure the support of 60% of voters to pass.
Although a motive was never formally established, the fire that destroyed Incarnation Catholic Church occurred on the first anniversary of the Dobbs decision that outraged pro-abortion activists nationwide, leading to a long list of churches and pro-life pregnancy centers being vandalized in the form of pro-abortion graffiti, firebombing and other types of property destruction.
The acts of vandalism began in 2022 after Politico published a leaked draft decision in the Dobbs case showing that the U.S. Supreme Court justices were prepared to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The attacks continued as pro-abortion activists launched a “summer of rage” targeting pro-life organizations and churches following the Dobbs ruling and throughout the year after the landmark decision.
While the targeting of Catholic churches has received particular attention following the Dobbs decision, the advocacy organization CatholicVote first began expressing concern about the violence and vandalism directed at Catholic houses of worship and facilities in 2020. CatholicVote attributed the attacks to a “climate of hate” against Catholics perpetuated by the Democratic Party.
CatholicVote has kept track of the attacks on Catholic churches and facilities since May 2020, when unrest first broke out in the U.S. following the death of George Floyd in police custody. The advocacy group has identified 459 attacks on Catholic churches and symbols, although the spreadsheet does not include the most recent fire at Incarnation Catholic Church.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
