In the past year, the door of the Saint Joseph church in Stadthagen was smeared with faeces, the holy water font was filled with urine, and now the sanctuary was found urinated as well. Due to these attacks, the church has decided to close its doors to the public during the day, says Father Markus Grabowski: "For months our church has been urinated in, multiple times. We're tired and don't know what else to do but to close."
In February 2022, the door was smeared with faeces. The church hoped it was only a one-time crime, but in the middle of January 2023, the priest found the holy water font filled with urine. At the beginning of July, he found damp patches on a painting on the wall and on the cross in the sanctuary, which smelled of urine. Regarding the monetary damage, the priest commented: "Not high...but I ask myself, where has the respect for faith and houses of worship gone? It's completely incomprehensible."