Catholic priest rages and tramples pumpkins carved by children

A Catholic priest has apologized to local children after repeatedly stepping on ‘satanic’ Halloween pumpkins left near his church.

Father Jaromir Smejkal destroyed the carved pumpkins two days in a row after discovering them in a park in Kurdejov, a village in the Czech Republic.

However, in an open letter to the town’s mayor, posted on a local Facebook page, the priest apologized for the vandalism and said he would have acted differently if he had known they had been cut by children.

“As I left the rectory on Sunday evening, I saw numerous symbols of the Satanic Halloween festival displayed in front of our sacred grounds,” he wrote.

“I have acted in accordance with my faith and my duty to be a father and protector of the children entrusted to me and have removed these symbols.”

Father Smejkal claimed that the modern Halloween tradition was invented in a “pagan contemporary world” as a counterpoint to the Catholic festival of All Souls’ Day.

But he added that he never intended to harm anyone, especially children.

“Remember that it is my duty as an authority figure and a priest to protect children and families from hidden evil,” he said.

Local media reported that the pumpkins had been carved by children as part of a Halloween festival.

But the youngsters are said to have been moved to tears when they heard their creations had been destroyed.

Fresh pumpkins were later left in the park, but were also found scattered and trampled the next day.

The Czech Republic is considered one of the least religious countries in the world, although some traditions, such as All Souls’ Day, are still widely celebrated.

Some locals have previously complained about the introduction of commercialized foreign holidays, with Halloween being a prime example.

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