The new owners of a former Catholic church remove the artwork, and ignite anger

THE SALEM NEWS
By Tom Dalton

One of the many hand-painted murals that
were at the former St. Mary's Italian Church in Salem

MASSACHUSETTS - When a neighbor poked his head inside the former St. Mary's Italian Church to check on ongoing renovations, he noticed that religious murals painted by Italian artists more than 60 years ago were missing. That discovery on Tuesday set off a small firestorm that drew the attention of city officials and rekindled bitter memories of the Archdiocese of Boston's decision to close the church in 2003, and of the more recent, failed efforts to convert the building to housing. They were given away by the Christian evangelical church that bought the building last week. The church has already begun renovations and is removing artwork and religious objects that do not reflect its own beliefs. [link]