Vandals have torn the right arm from a figure of Christ on the cross outside a Catholic Church.Human excrement was also smeared on the doorstep of St Mary's RC Church in Stirling some time between 0900 BST on Thursday and Friday morning.
The damage to the outdoor crucifix was spotted by a boy who had gone to the church with his grandfather.
The Austrian-made crucifix has been in the same position outside the 105 year-old church for 60 years.
Parish priest Father Kenneth Owens said the arm had been torn off with such force that splinters could still be found around the site. The arm is still missing.
Father Owens said: "People arriving for Mass on Friday morning thought a dog had been on the doorstep of the church - but it turned out to be human excrement.
"Two of the ladies got buckets to clean up the mess and as they did so, one of the ladies' husbands took their grandson to say a prayer at the crucifix.
"It was then the little boy called out 'Jesus has lost an arm'.
"There are splinters all around, but I've looked around the grounds for the arm and there is no sign of it. They must have taken it away with them."
'Very distressing'
The priest said the crucifix had blown down in the storms in 2008, but had never been vandalised before.
He said: "I've been in this parish for seven years and seen very little vandalism at the church - the odd beer bottle or a pint glass left behind at our bench by someone thrown out of one of the local pubs.
"But this is saddening."
Father Owens said a specialist ecclesiastical restorer would probably need to take the whole body of Christ off the Cross and and make a new arm before remounting it.
He added: "It will be repaired. You can't give in to vandalism."
Central Scotland Police have appealed for information about the vandalism.
Constable Anton Stephenson said: "This type of crime can have a serious impact on the local community and can be very distressing to the people who use the church.
"We urge anyone who knows anything about this incident to contact us as soon as possible."
SIC: BBC