Two men have been arrested after priest was held at gunpoint during a robbery at a Merseyside church.
The raid took place at Vincent de Paul Church in St Helens on Tuesday after knocking on the priest’s residence and forcing him to take them to the parish.
One of the three thieves was believed to be holding a handgun throughout the incident, which took place at around 6.25pm on Derbyshire Hill Road.
The priest was then ordered to empty the contents of the safe, which contained charity donations to a children’s orphanage, before making off on foot.
Officers carried out an extensive search of the area but were unable to trace the three men. While the priest was not assaulted or injured during the incident, he was left extremely shaken.
CCTV from the area is currently being examined in a bid to identify the offenders and are carrying out house to house enquiries.
The offenders are described as being white, with two of the men taller than the third. All three had their faces covered and were described as being aged between 17 and 21.
Police have confirmed that two men, aged 27 and 34, from the St Helens area have since been arrested on suspicion of robbery.
The pair have been taken to a local station where they will be questioned by detectives.
Detective Sergeant Chris Burrows, from St Helens CID, said: “I am sure the people of St Helens will be shocked and saddened to discover the church has been targeted in this way.
“It is a focal point for many in our community, particularly at this time of year, and it is heart-breaking to think the offenders have taken money which we understand was a charitable collection intended for a children’s orphanage.
“While he was thankfully not injured this would have been a very frightening incident for the priest.
“I would like to reassure people who live locally that we are doing everything we can to trace the offenders.
“Religious leaders provide an invaluable service in our local communities and I would urge anyone who lives locally and has any information which could help us with our enquiries to call us.”
Anyone with information can contact detectives at St Helens CID on 0151 777 6811, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.