On the afternoon of 7 January, unknown perpetrators broke into the church of St. Francis Hochdahl in Erkhart. A leg of a religious figure, one of the Three Magi, disappeared and the burglars knocked over several other figures. Police are now investigating and looking for suspects.
The Rheinische Post noted that church parishes in the region continue to report vandalism to their places of worship, which is why most churches are locked outside service times. The Neanderkirche, however, is one of the churches that is still open every day.