Pride flag ripped down from Catholic Church in Syracuse and burned, priest says

Syracuse, N.Y. — On the first weekend of Pride month, the Pride Progress flag was stolen from the All-Saints Roman Catholic Church in Syracuse and later burned, church officials said Friday night.

The flag was stolen from the flagpole at the church, according to Meg Ksander, a pastoral associate. The church is at 1340 Lancaster Ave., within the Syracuse University neighborhood.

The American flag, which was flying above the Pride flag, was lowered to half-staff, she said.

The man who took the flag sent an anonymous email to the parish later saying he burned the Pride flag, Rev. Fred Daley said.

The man responsible for the vandalism said in the email that he believes the church’s support of the LGBTQ+ community is immoral, Daley said.

Daley said he has been emailing back and forth with the man to try and change his views on the community but has been largely unsuccessful.

The man is a new convert to Catholicism and continues to send the parish emails saying the church’s stance on the LGBTQ+ community is wrong, Daley said.

“God calls on us to welcome all people, especially marginalized communities,” Daley said.

The parish said they would like to meet and have a conversation with him, rather than holding him legally accountable for the vandalism. The parish would also like for him to pay for its new Pride flag, Daley said.

At this time, the church has not reported the incident to police, Daley said.

On Saturday, the church will hold “Flag Day,” at 11 a.m. to gather and re-raise both the Pride and American flags, Ksander said.

The parish will gather outside of the church, across from the north entrance to the Bishop Harrison Center, for the flag raising before heading to the “No Kings” Rally in Syracuse.

The rally to protest President Trump and his policies is being held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Saturday at Solar Street and Hiawatha Boulevard in Syracuse.