Toronto police arrest suspect in Archdiocese chancery break-in; laptops stolen from multiple floors, items recovered. Building reopens after weekend closure.
Newsroom (10/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) Toronto police have arrested a suspect following a break-in at the Archdiocese of Toronto’s chancery building over the weekend, where laptops and other items were stolen from multiple floors.
The incident occurred Friday night at the Toronto Catholic Pastoral Centre, which serves as the headquarters for the archdiocesan chancery offices. An intruder forced entry through the back of the building and ransacked several offices, according to a Nov. 8 internal memo from Neil MacCarthy, the archdiocese’s director of public relations and communications.
“An individual forced their way into the back of our building and proceeded to remove a number of items from several offices,” the memo stated. It specified that most stolen items, including laptops, were taken from the 1st and 6th floors, with additional disturbances such as items thrown to the floor and disrupted workspaces.
The archdiocese immediately provided security footage to Toronto police and instructed staff to avoid the building over the weekend while repairs were made to the damaged back entrance.
In a follow-up memo on Sunday, MacCarthy announced the arrest of a suspect. “Our understanding is that the suspect is alleged to have been involved in some residential break-ins in the area,” he told The Pillar. Several stolen items, including computer equipment, have been recovered, though archdiocesan officials continued working with police and staff as of late Monday morning to catalog and return them.
Further inspection revealed that items from the 5th floor were also stolen, expanding on the initial reports limited to the 1st and 6th floors. The pastoral centre reopened Monday for regular hours, with staff urged to check their areas for missing items or signs of disturbance.
The break-in comes amid broader trends in Toronto property crime. In 2024, police recorded 6,861 break-and-enters, with slightly more than one-third classified as commercial. However, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw noted last week that overall crime levels have declined this year, including a 12% drop in break-and-enters compared to the previous year.
No further details on the suspect or potential charges have been released by police.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from The Pillar
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