All cases
Man Attacked Priest During Mass and Torn the Pages of the Bible
August 30, 2020, GermanyOn the 30th August, during a Sunday Mass in St. Joseph's Church in Berlin, a man attacked a priest and desecrated the church. The witnesses recalled that the man was sitting quietly, until he stood up and spat on the ground. He then walked towards the sanctuary of the church while murmuring anti-religious statements and punched the 61-year-old priest, who was knocked to the ground. The attacker took the Bible afterwards and torn several pages from it. While the brother of the priest tried to aid the victim, he was also knocked down with the Bible. The attacker fled unrecognized and the crime is being investigated by the police.
Attempted Burglary in Church
August 30, 2020, GermanyBetween Friday night and Saturday morning, unknown persons tried to break into a Catholic Church. They unlocked a glass panel with a cobblestone. The burglars realized afterwards that they would not be able to enter the church any further this way and got away.
Wayside Cross destroyed in Colmar
August 30, 2020, FranceDuring the night of 30 to 31 August, the wayside cross in rue du Logelbach in the city of Colmar was destroyed. Prior to the attack, plans had already been made to restore the cross and set it up in the presbytery park. The priest of Saint-Joseph parish, François Martz, filed a complaint online.
Statue of Armenian Priest Smeared by Turkish Genocide Deniers in Paris
August 30, 2020, FranceCCAF (Council for Coordination of Armenian Organizations in France) reported on their Facebook page on August 30th, that a statue of the Armenian priest Komitas Vardapet, symbol of the Armenian Genocide, had been smeared with graffiti. The nature of the incident hints at a motive coming from Turkish genocide deniers. The message read "c'est faux", which can be translated as "This is not true". CCAF expressed their concerns regarding this attack on the dignity of the descendants of the victims of the Armenian genocide.
Old Wooden Cross Vandalised in Mount of Calvary
August 30, 2020, ItalyOn an unknown time before the end of August, unknown vandals removed the arms of the wooden cross, which was placed on Monte della Croce in Carpineti. Another unidentified pilgrim, replaced the damage with a wooden rod and tied it with iron wire. A formal recovery of the Cross was celebrated as part of the San Vitale Fair.
Statue of Saint Thomas Targeted For Attempted Robbery
August 30, 2020, FranceOn the 30th pf August, a statue of Saint-Thomas, which was on the porch of the church in Plounéour-Ménez in Finistère, was targeted by robbers or vandals. Three individuals inside a car pulled a rope around the statue to get into into their vehicle, witnesses saw them and scared the perpetrators away. The robbers fled the scene leaving the statue toppled over and damaged.
15 Pieces of Art Stolen from Basilique Saint-Mathurin in Larchant
August 29, 2020, France14 paintings and a statue of Christ on the cross were stolen from Basilique Saint-Mathurin in Larchant. While the financial loss was estimated at 25.000 to 30.000 euros, the community also mourned the loss of heritage. The theft could have taken place between August 20 and 29. La Chapelle-de-la-Reine brigade initiated an investigation, supported by the research department of Fointainebleau police.
Anti-Christian Graffiti on Tour de France Course
August 29, 2020, FranceSpectators of the Tour de France race, which started on August 29th in Nice, discovered large anti-Christian messages painted on the road of Col de Glières pass, which was part of the race course. The images consisted of a cross inserted into a large prohibition sign and a slogan saying "Bad religion", accompanied by the painting of a red devil on turquoise background and a message saying "Pleased to meet you."
Cemetery and Village Hall Vandalized in Saint-Urbain
August 29, 2020, FranceDuring the night from August 29th to 30th, the cemetery and the village hall in Saint-Urbain (département de Finistère) were vandalized. Several crosses on private tombstones were broken, ornamental shells were taken off a monument dedicated to war victims in the community, and windows of the village hall Ti-Kreisker were smashed. Plougastel police began an investigation.
Sacred Objects for Worship Stolen from Five Churches in Jura Region
August 28, 2020, FranceA series of thefts occured in the French region of Jura during the period of August 16th to 28th: A monstrance and a chalice were stolen from both the church in Nevy-sur-Seille and Monteney. In Saint-Etienne Church in Rans, three golden chalices, a small golden ciborium and a silver cup, listed as part of the heritage of sacred arts, were stolen. In addition, a chalice, a ciborium and a paten were missing in Rochefort-sur-Nenon and the collection box in Baume-les-Messieurs was plundered. The police in Dole began investigations and suspected that most of the cases were linked.
Anti-Christian Graffiti on Christian Bookstore in Lyon
August 28, 2020, FranceEmployees of the CLC Christian bookstore, situated on the quai Tilsitt in Lyon, found red and white graffiti painted on all of their shop windows in the morning of August 29th. The messages included "Christianity is a sect that succeeded" or "Up there, God doesn't exist". A complaint was filed.
The Statue of Christ of The Po Destroyed
August 28, 2020, ItalyOn the night between 28th and 29th August, the Statue of Christ of the Po was destroyed. The statue was inaugurated in August, made by the sculptor Mario Spadari. The unknown vandals threw stones at it and then destroyed and mutilated it. The local police started an investigation, but there were neither witnesses nor security cameras.
Car Used by Malmö Church for Charitable Causes Burned
August 28, 2020, SwedenIn the night of August 28, the car used for social welfare causes by Hyllie Church in Malmö was burned down. The car was not in the vicinity of the riot that happened in the same night, however, the perpetrators remain unknown.
Dozens of Graffiti on San Maurizio Church in Monza
August 28, 2020, ItalyDuring the night of 28 to 29 August, vandals sprayed dozens of graffiti onto the San Maurizio Church in Monza, including the main portal, the granite pillars and the wall with the commemorative plaque of Monsignore Luigi Talamoni. Experts will be required to restore the damaged decor. The people responsible for Monza Church have filed a complaint.
Sold Christian Cemetery Planned to Become Holiday Retreat Area
August 28, 2020, PolandIn the North of Poland, in the city of Bialogóra, the cemetery where about 400 Christian believers are buried, is threatened with plans of turning it into a holiday retreat area. Many of the descendants of the buried now live in Lithuania. The community was not warned about the construction plans. The government representatives says they didn't know the history of the property and sold it to a private enterprise, which is continuing their plans in spite of the protest from the community.
Statue of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus Decapitated
August 27, 2020, ItalyOn the 27th August, it was reported in the district of Alcara Li Fusi that the terracotta statue of the Madonna was vandalized for a second time. The head of the Madonna and of the Baby Jesus in her arms were both missing, the perpetrators have not been identified.
Man Destroyed Angel Statue in Church
August 25, 2020, PolandOn the 25. August, a 32-year-old man destroyed the figure of an angel with a stoup in the historic church of the Salesian priests dedicated to St. Joseph in Przemysl. This happened just before Mass, during the adoration service of the Blessed Sacrament. He turned out to be intoxicated by alcohol. Apparently he also was offending the priest verbally.
Thieves Stole Around 500 Euros From Offertory Boxes From Churches
August 25, 2020, GermanyOn the 25th August, it was reported that in the past month in Grafenwöhr, three churches were ravaged by thieves, who stole the offerings. The empty boxes were found by the respective sacristan. The total amount of money stolen was around 500 Euro. The churches were the Friedenskirche, where the perpetrators used a tool with magnets to fish the coins. The cemetery Church and the old parish Church were also robbed. The sticks were damaged and plucked up. In top of the stolen cash, the churches suffered damage in amount of 450 euros. The police is investigating and asking the parishes to be attentive.
Dubious Acts of Vandalism in Church in Mur-de-Sologne
August 24, 2020, FranceUnknown perpetrators tore two paintings, broke a few vases as well as two statues made from plaster, moved a statue of the Virgin Mary and destroyed its pedestal. They re-arranged chairs in a semi-circle in front of the altar and lit candles, creating the impression of a production of some sort. Investigators suspected vandalism rather than Satanic or anti-religious motives. The village filed a complaint.
Opening Hours of Parisian Church Limited Due to Repeated Incidents of Thefts
August 24, 2020, FranceL’Immaculée-Conception parish in the 12th district of Paris announced on August 24th that for the rest of August, they would limit the opening times of their church to a few short periods of time per day. The reason were repeated thefts, concerning some Way of the Cross stations, collection boxes and the sacristy. Therefore, the church felt compelled to open only when they could provide sufficient supervision. Regular opening times will be resumed in September.