All cases

Confessionals Burnt in Cathedral

July 8, 2018, Italy

A 58-year old man from the area set fire in one of the four confessionals of St. Peter's Cathedral in Frascati, near Rome, by igniting the padded seat. The perpetrator was caught due to the footage of 12 surveillance cameras in the cathedral. The man was described as mentally disturbed and was known for vandalizing places of worship in the past. He was arrested by the local police for arson and damaging a place of worship.

Government Fired Doctor for View that Gender is Determined by Biology

July 8, 2018, United Kingdom

Dr David Mackereth was deemed "unfit" to work as an assessor at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over his refusal to use transgender patient's preferred pronouns because of his view that gender is defined by biology and that God made humans male and female. The Equality Act identifies those undergo or who propose to undergo gender reassignment as part of a protected class. Failure to use preferred pronouns is interpreted as unlawful discrimination.

Priest Assaulted and Spat on during 'Orange Walk'

July 7, 2018, United Kingdom

Catholic priest Tom White was spat on twice as he greeting parishioners outside St. Alphonsus' Church after Mass at the same time that an 'Orange Walk,' a procession by a Protestant fraternal order, passed by. He was also hit with a baton and verbally abused. A spokesperson for the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland has said that no one from the parade was involved. Police Scotland, who had been guarding the church but were called away before the parade passed by, began a hate crime investigation.

Church Door Set on Fire and Public Cross Toppled

July 6, 2018, Italy

The door of the church Madonna della Cona in Piazza Battisti in Castel Gandolfo was set on fire during the night and the cross which stood in the square was toppled. Although the church has been deconsecrated, city authorities expressed concern about a series of destructive acts directed at Christian churches and symbols in the area.

Graffiti Sprayed on Town Church

July 6, 2018, United Kingdom

Vandals sprayed "YNWA", "truth", and "greed" on the historic St. Nicholas Church. The reverend called it "disrespectful" and said people were upset about the damage. She said that although youths had been congregating in the area for some time, and leaving garbage in the churchyard, this was first time they caused damage to the building.

Degradations at the Church of la Collégiale Saint-Barnard

July 5, 2018, France

On the afternoon of July 5th, damage was discovered in the historic Collegiate Church of Saint-Barnard in the old center of Romans-sur-Isère. The cover of the baptismal font had been broken and found on the ground, and the finger of a statue of Saint John the Baptist was also broken. Police investigated.

Village and Church Tagged with Graffiti

July 5, 2018, France

Sometime during the night of July 5th, buildings in the small town of Saint-Alban-d'Ay were targeted with vandalism with anarchist and communist slogans in red and black paint. The church facade was sprayed with offensive slogans and the interior was ransacked.

Religious Flags Torn Down at "Campus of Religions"

July 4, 2018, Austria

Unknown vandals tore down the flags of the New Apostolic Church and the Vienna Jewish Community at the construction site for a "Campus of Religions" in the new housing complex 'Seestadt' in Aspern. The campus is supposed to become a place where different religions can coexist and meet each other peacefully. It is not the first time the site has been subject to vandalism. The Israeli flag had been attacked twice before, once at the start of the construction in 2015 and again in May 2018. Religious leaders of different Christian denominations have expressed their outrage about the act. The police began an investigation.

Demand for Apology after President of National Assembly Mentions God

July 3, 2018, Slovenia

A left-wing member of the National Assembly, Franc Trček, demanded an apology from Matej Tonin, the President of the National Assembly, for concluding a speech with the words "Bog živi Slovenijo," which can roughly be translated to "God bless Slovenia." Trček argued that the words violated the constitution of Slovenia which requires a separation of church and state. Tonin responded that he had no intention of apologizing and that the constitution also protects freedom of speech.

Activist Graffiti found on Church Properties in Poland

July 3, 2018, Poland

Graffiti was found on several church buildings in the wake of a discussion on stricter abortion legislation by the Polish parliament. The spray-painted slogans included “Behold my body, behold my blood, buzz off”; “women-murderers” and “We remember Rwanda.” The three damaged buildings included the curial offices of the Archdiocese of Warsaw, the rectory of the Church of St. John the Baptist, and the curial offices of the Diocese of Warsaw-Praga.