An Iranian asylum seeker who converted to Christianity was returned to Iran on the 12th of August, after his asylum was rejected. According to the administrative law, he would be allowed to live a moderate Christian life in Iran. The community made a petition for Sardan to be able to stay in Finland, because of fear of persecution, but still he was deported. According to the Information, after the arrival he was arrested by the police, questioned about his faith and tortured until he renounced his Christian faith and returned to Islam. He refused and many attempt are taking place to get him to Finland.
On August 11th around 22:00 unknown perpetrators threw two large stones through the windows of the church hall at the Holy Trinity church in Kimberley. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.
The church of Saint-Éloi (parish of the Bienheureuses-Carmélites-de-Compiègne, diocese of Compiegne, Oise) was robbed, vandalized, and desecrated between the 3rd and 9th of August. Sound equipment, a ciborium, an aspergillum (a liturgical implement used to sprinkle holy water), holy water font, and other liturgical objects were stolen. The burglars forced open the tabernacle to steal the ciborium and stole consecrated hosts, as well. "The most essential thing for us is that the tabernacle was forced, and that the Blessed Sacrament, the presence of Christ was touched, stolen. Which is for us a desecration. The real presence of Christ has been stolen. It's something strong," said the communications director of the Oise diocese.
Unknown people vandalized the church of Saint-Mathieu in the Pays d`Iroise on August 7th. Burn marks were found on the altar and at a statue of the Virgin Mary, candles were broken, thrown on the floor and into the holy water tank and a rosary was burned. The church is now closed outside of services. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.
In Marq-Lambersart on the Weekend of 3rd August, around 225 graves were robbed at the Marquette-Lez-Lille Cemetery. The unknown perpetrators attacked the bronze vases, which were unsealed and stole the bronze crosses from the graves. Also, some graves were damaged.
During the night between August 4th and 5th 2019 firefighters from three towns intervened to extinguish a major fire in the annex of the rectory next to the Church Saint-Laurant in the Belgian town of Virton. The fire broke out in the small outbuilding adjoining the rectory, where a pile of wood and old planks were stored. The fire quickly spread to the roof of the left part of the rectory and the wall of an adjacent restaurant. The priest had just enough time to save his car, which was in the garage and was soon engulfed in flames.
Six windows were smashed and mysterious graffiti reading "BEAST" was written on the wall of St. Oswald's Roman Catholic Presbytery in Old Swan (Liverpool). Police began an investigation.
Irish police Gardaí investigated an attempted burglary at the Catholic St. Michael's Church in Shroid, Longford Co. after a passerby reported broken windows to the parish house. Unknown perpetrators smashed a few plain glass windows and a stained glass window depicting the Sacred Heart which was over the altar of the church between July 28th and August 2nd.
Protestant pastor Dr. Gottfried Martens, who ministers to over 1,600 people in his church, most of them converts and asylum seekers from Iran and Afghanistan, has said that whether someone is granted asylum or not is almost like a "pure gamble." The problem Martens sees in the administrative courts is how judges "verify" the earnestness of an asylum seeker's conversion to Christianity. Some trust a pastor's statement whether written or oral in court, while some ignore it and only focus on the short time they spend with the refugee in court. This fully depends on what kind of judge one gets appointed to, according to Martens, and there is no way to prepare well enough for a court date if there is no general regulation that a minister's statement be taken into account.
During the early morning hours of August 1st, unknown perpetrators vandalized the church of Sant'Antonio in Crebbio, Abbadia Lariana. They smeared excrement on the front door, staircase, lawn, and the cobblestones outside the church. Volunteers immediately began cleaning the heavily soiled area and found a yellow bowl with some dung residue. The parish priest of Abbadia and the community expressed deep shock and outrage. Police opened an investigation.
An unidentified person pried open the offertory box for candles on July 30th in the St. Pancratius Catholic Church in Körbecke, Möhnesee.
A Christian patient’s request to have Sunday worship services at a medium secure mental health unit in East London have finally been granted after a year-long legal battle with the NHS on the grounds of religious discrimination. As a result of his weekly requests falling on deaf ears, Freddie O'Neil turned to the Christian Legal Centre (CLC) for support. A pre-action letter was then sent to the East London Foundation Trust in October 2018 stating that, as a Christian, Freddie needed to attend Sunday Christian services each week as well as receiving Holy Communion. After a year, and further threats of legal action, the Centre finally began offering weekly Sunday Christian services on Sunday 7 July 2019.
Several swastikas were spray-painted on the oratory and a cross in the Comeragh mountains overlooking Clonmel by unknown vandals sometime before July 30th. A team of volunteers of the Holy Year Cross Committee in Clonmel had come up to the site to prepare it for the annual August bank holiday Monday mass when they discovered the graffiti. Gardaí investigated the incident.
Construction workers noticed the smell of burning wood and smoke when they arrived at the Nikolaus-Kirchlein ("little church") in Buchenberg, Königsfeld in the Black Forest in the morning of the 30th of July. They alerted firefighters who were able to extinguish the fire before too much damage was done. The more than 800-year-old church remained mostly unscathed, as only one pew was damaged by the fire. Police are estimating a property damage of 5,000 euros and speculate that the fire began in the area of the altar, but an investigation was opened.
An unknown arsonist set fire to a cloth in the St. Magnus church of the Schussenried Abbey in Bad Schussenried on July 29th. The fire then extended to pictures and a wooden cross nearby. A witness noticed the fire and was able to extinguish it. Police are investigating.
On Sunday 28th July, the Church of Corlay was looted and vandalized by unknown perpetrators. The vandals tore out a sealed trunk from the altar and emptied the contents, they also ripped off a painting and soiled the interior of the church, including the furniture, paving and choir floor, with a chemical fire extinguisher. In the region, there have already been a series of burglaries to churches, including Plélo, Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Quay-Portrieux, Uzel and Merdrignac.
A Catholic priest was beaten up just before celebrating Mass by three men in the sacristy of the Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Szczecin. One of the perpetrators apparently used a rosary as a "brass knuckle."
Unknown perpetrators set a row of hymnals on a shelf on fire in the St. Mauritius Catholic Church in Kippenheim in the early evening of July 27th. Witnesses noticed the fire and notified the police who were able to extinguish the fire and are now investigating.
Four of the 14 chapels of the Valinhos Way of the Cross or the Shepherd's Way in Fatima were vandalized with yellow spray paint during the night between July 25th and 26th. The unknown perpetrators sprayed the heads and intimate areas of the figures, along with obscene words. The Shrine of Fatima covered the chapels and will carry out the extensive cleaning work required to remove the paint.
Unknown burglars forcefully opened a door of a church in Augustdorf and stole the money from the offertory box for candles between July 26th and 27th.
"Pure," a Belgian [French-speaking] public service radio station run by the RTBF, promoted a pop music festival with poster campaign with a sexualized image of a man and a woman, dressed with priest's collar and nun's head covering.
The Spanish Association of Christian Lawyers has sought a court order to shut down an artist’s installation entitled "Pederoclastia" that contains "ornaments used in Catholic worship" and "figures of children in explicitly sexual postures." The Association also said on July 19 that it would file a criminal complaint against artist Fernando Barredo de Valenzuela (who is also the coordinator for Toledo Laica) for offending religious sentiments and inciting hatred, and may take steps against the Círculo de Arte de Toledo for "attacking the feelings of Catholics." On July 25, Toledo’s Court of First Instance No 2 opened a preliminary investigation into the possibility that the case constituted corruption of minors but had not ordered the exhibition to be shut down.
At 4:30 pm on July 22th, a parishioner noticed the smell of smoke emanating from the Notre-Dame church in Autun. When she entered the church, she discovered that two people were already there extinguishing the fire with their feet. The police reportedly found that there were two distinct fires set: one near the altar and the other near prayer chairs. An investigation is under way.
Unknown vandals vandalized large areas of St. Paulus Protestant Church's exterior in Heiden between July 21st and 22nd. They targeted a park bench, the church wall, six windows, and the surrounding bricks.
A 46-year-old man was charged with spray-painting the number ‘666’ on 87 tombstones in a church cemetery in North Jutland, Denmark. Staff from the Hadsund Church noticed the damage on Sunday morning, July 21st. After an investigation, the man was arrested on July 24th after witnesses came forward. The man, who had been convicted of similar vandalism of a cemetery in 2016, denied responsibility for this incident.
During the night of Thursday to Friday, one bell of the chapel of Saint-Damase and another one from the 12th century of the chapel of the Penitents, which was renovated only two years ago, were stolen. Both bells weight at least 300 pounds each. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.
In the early hours of July 19th, a passer-by notified the fire department that the warehouse of the Old Church in Hyvinkää was in flames and the church building itself was also on fire. Due to the results of the preliminary investigation, the chief inspector suspected the fire was set intentionally and opened an arson investigation. The wooden church itself remained mostly intact, however, the storage facility housing gardening tools was completely destroyed by the fire.
The monument, known as Reformation Wall, depicting Calvin, Farel, Bèze and Knox was covered in paint with the rainbow colors by unknown vandals on July 15th. The city filed a criminal complaint complaint.
During Sunday Mass on the 14 of July, parishioners learned of vandalism in both the church and chapel of the Saint-Mathieu parish in Pays d'Iroise (diocese of Quimper, Finistère). In the church of Saint-Budoc à Porspoder damage included a vandalized offertory box, cigarettes left in front of the altar of the Blessed Virgin, the door of the sacristy obstructed by the insertion of gravel in the lock, and vomit in the holy water stoups. In the Chapelle Saint-Samson à Landunvez, the most photographed chapel in France, an offertory box was vandalized and a cross thrown in the trash.
On July 12th, firefighters were called to a fire at St. Margaret's Ruined Church in Hopton after a motorbike was set on fire underneath the 13th century building. While the incident was ruled an arson by officials, the investigation was closed in October due to lack of evidence.
The parish church in Ingelheim has repeatedly been the target of severe vandalism, as reported on the 12th of July 2019. The acts included cigarette ash in the confessional, holy water basins filled with urine, candles lighted on the altar. The church was closed because of this abuse.
An unknown person intentionally set off the alarm in the church of Saint-Hippolyte in Paris around 9:30 am on July 11th and once the church was evacuated, took the opportunity to vandalize the payment terminals for church contributions (Denier de l’Église). As a result, the church restricted its opening hours to afternoons in July and August.
A man in his thirties was arrested on July 8th at around 7 pm, after he entered the cathedral of Sées with several cans of gasoline. Witnesses apprehended him and handed him over to the police. According to reports, the man, who suffers from psychological problems, was taken to the psychotherapeutic center of Orne for compulsory hospitalization. However no criminal prosecution will be launched against him. According to the public prosecutor, "there is a total absence of discernment. He is totally irresponsible ... No criminal action may be taken."
Between June 26th and June 30th, two fires were discovered in the 13th century église Saint-Lô in Bourg-Achard (Eure). According to the police in charge of the investigation, there is a high probability that these two fires were deliberately set.
A juvenile court has sentenced a 16-year-old boy to six months in custody for racial slurs and for threatening to kill the parish priest, a native of India, in the Malaga provincial town of Benajarafe.
Sometime between June 26th and 27th, unknown perpetrators beheaded the marble statue of former archbischop Patrick Leahy that is only a few meters away from the main entrance of the Cathdral of the Assumption in Thurles, County Tipperary, which is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The statue was 'an integral part of the heritage and fabric of the town of Thurles' according to superintendent Pat Murphyand and Irish police Gardaí, who are investigating and appealing for witnesses, described it as a 'wanton act of violence' to decapitate it and then steal the head.
The crucifix monument on the grounds of the church of Saint-Patrice in the Croix-Rouge district was discovered defaced with red paint on June 26th. The Christ figure had been previously painted with blue paint twice in May.
Red "satanic crosses" were sprayed on graves and a church door and the words "God does not love you" were left on a wall at St Andrews Church in Evesham.
Around the 19th June, four arson attacks occurred in East London. On the 18th of June, the front door of the St. John's Church was set on fire. On the 19th June, the Baptist Church in Leytonstone has been attacked. In a Church in Ramsay Road was the same scene as in the Baptist Church at night of the same day, the church had two arson attacks and was severely damaged. On the 20th June, the police were called to a fire in St Matthew's Church, West Ham. On each church, graffiti was found on the main door with occult symbols and messages including pentagrams, spirals, the number 666 and the word "hell”. On June 25th, a 27-year-old was arrested for suspicion of the arson along with other criminal acts.
The doors of four churches in East London have been nearly destroyed by criminal attacks. Within two days vandals set fires at the outside of four church doors, including one where a children's playgroup was taking place. Occult symbols and messages like pentagrams, spirals, the number "666" and the word "hell" were written in the doors of each of the four churches. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.
Many Christians complained about being offended and insulted for their religious faith after verbal attacks by Rudi Fußi on the Austrian talkshow "Fellner! Live: Rudi Fußi vs. Andreas Mölzer" which aired on June 17th on OE24.TV. As a guest on the program, Fußi launched into a tirade calling the estimated 10,000 Christians gathered at an evangelical event “lunatics” and mocking the act of praying for the Republic of Austria and the former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, calling it "completely cuckoo, totally sick" after the show host had introduced the topic.
The national bomb protection agency was called in to investigate an explosion at an events hall at the St. Afrem Syrian Orthodox Church in Södertälje in the early morning hours of June 14th. The blast was reportedly strong enough to be heard 100 meters away. The same building, owned by the church, was the target of an explosion in September.
The Virgin of Cambes statue was discovered stolen from outside the Church of the Saint-Maurice de Cambes on June 13th. The inhabitants of the small village of Figeacois, where the statue has been visible since the 19th century, were outraged and upset by the disappearance.
On the night of Friday 13th to Saturday 14th of June, one statue of Saint Barbara and another statue of Saint Christopher were destroyed in Hombourg-Haut near St. Catherine`s Chapel and the cemetery. The statue of Saint Babara was beheaded and the other one was damaged too. The head of the statue is still missing. A complaint was filed and the police are investigating.
A tourist discovered that fires had been set in confessionals in the Dominican church of St. Rotunda during the afternoon of June 12th and extinguished them with holy water. This incident was announced on June 19th, the same day as a series of arson attacks in Graz, including at the city hall, courthouse, district administration building, and the main station. A 45-year-old Iraqi was arrested by police after the fire at the station.
On June 11th, unknown thieves targeted the church of the convent of São Domingo in Viana do Castelo (Minho) and stole a gilt metal reliquary containing the bones of Blessed Bartholomew of Braga (Bartolomeu dos Mártires) who was a former Archbishop of Braga and is well known and greatly revered in Portugal. The bishop of Viana do Castelos called the theft an "attack on the feelings" of Catholics. The parish priest of Igreja de São Domingos said the stolen gold-plated reliquary "does not have great commercial value, but what was in it, the bones of Bartolomeu dos Mártires, is of incalculable value."
A Wroclaw priest, Fr. Ireneusz Bakalarczyk was attacked by a a 56-year-old man and stabbed with a knife on his way to the morning Mass on Pentacost Monday. The attacker, identified as Zygmunt W., was arrested and on June 11th he was brought before a court. News reports indicate that the man confessed to the crime and was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. Prosecutors have not released any details about his motive. A spokesperson from the Archdiocese of Wrocław said there was no indication that Fr. Bakalarczyk was personally targeted, but that the suspect likely intended to attack any "man in a cassock."
The websites of HazteOir (a Christian advocacy group) and its international platform, CitizenGO, were the victims of a cyber attack on Monday, June 10th. The Spanish hackers were explicit about their ideological reasons for the attack, saying: “Are you enjoying the web attack? Delete all your content... related to LGBT. Delete also the sexist content and the content against abortion. If you don’t do it before the weekend, this will be a war and you will regret it.”
During the night between June 8 and 9, a hundred graves in the Terre-Cabade cemetery, the largest cemetery in Toulouse were damaged by vandals. According to reports, crucifixes and crosses on the graves were broken and scattered, as well as flowers and planters. Jewish and Muslim graves in the cemetery of 300,000 graves were unharmed.
Unknown offenders unskrewed the outside barring of a window of the Protestant Johannes Church in Tostedt in the night of June 9th, Whitsunday to Whitmonday. They then broke the window by throwing a manhole cover at it, however, they were not able to gain access due to another set of window grills on the inside of the window.