A church in Krefeld was damaged after a confessional was set on fire. While the cause was initially unclear, the incident has since been confirmed as arson.
The incident occurred on 25 June 2025 at the Church of the Holy Guardian Angels, where a fire broke out inside the building, destroying a confessional. A staff member attempted to extinguish the flames before emergency services arrived and brought the fire under control.
At the time of the initial investigation, authorities had not determined the cause and did not exclude technical failure, though deemed unlikely. Subsequent reporting confirmed that unknown perpetrators had deliberately set fire to the confessional, establishing the case as arson. The confessional was completely destroyed, and smoke damage affected the interior of the church, with uncertainty about the impact on the organ and stained-glass windows.
The damage was significant enough to force the temporary closure of the church, with services relocated elsewhere during cleaning and restoration works. The church reopened only months later after repairs were completed.
Churches in Krefeld have become repeated targets of vandalism in the past years.