All cases

Arson Attempt at Elche Basilica

June 30, 2018, Spain

An unknown person attempted to set fire to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Elche while Mass was being celebrated inside. By using paraffin from a chandelier, the perpetrator set a fire between two wooden doors. Fortunately a parishioner noticed the smoke and the flames could be smothered in time.

"Satan Punishes Homophobes" on Wall of Toulouse Chapel

June 30, 2018, France

Graffiti was discovered on the walls of the Saint-Roch-du-Férétra chapel in Toulouse. Slogans included "Church on fire", "Dirty priest" and "Satan punishes homophobes." An investigation has been started. It is suspected that the slogans were left by LGBT groups and anarchists.

Ex-President of Ireland calls Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality 'Evil'

June 29, 2018, Ireland

Mary McAleese, the former President of Ireland said that, in her view, the Church's teaching on homosexuality is "evil" and leads to homophobia which has caused people to commit suicide and live in "dark shadows." She said that the behaviour of the church towards the LGBT community was "unchristian" and "worse than uncharitable" and that the only person to change this is the pope.

Repeated Vandalism at Church in Forst

June 29, 2018, Germany

St Nikolai, the main church in Forst, was repeatedly vandalized. During several weeks in June 2018 the facade on the side of the church was chipped at until the perpetrators were able to pull away the paint coating. Countless graffiti and a hole in the wall were also found. In addition to that, 18 glass windows which are located in the doors to the tower entrance were smashed. The church was left with uninsured costs to repair the 10 square meteres of facade were estimated at 2,000 euros and a further 300 euros to repair the windows.

Coalition Withdraws CDU Candidate for Constitutional Court Due to Criticism of Sex Ed

June 29, 2018, Germany

Just days before the parliamentary vote on the election of a judge to the state constitutional court, the CDU, Greens, FDP and SSW withdrew their nomination of Hamburg lawyer and law professor Christian Winterhoff due to his conservative views on the sexual education of children.

Convictions in Czech Church Arson Case

June 28, 2018, Czech Republic

Three young men were convicted of arson for setting fire to the 16th century Božího Těla (Corpus Christi) church in Guty, Třinec. The regional court of Ostrava sentenced them to 9, 8, and 3.5 years in prison for setting fire to the church in August 2017. The Roman Catholic church had been listed as a cultural and historical monument and was among the oldest preserved wooden churches in the Czech Republic. The August 2017 fire caused damage of over 20 million korun. The historical value of the building and its artifacts, however, is not quantifiable.  

1 in 10 Gay Christians Report Discrimination by other LGBT People

June 28, 2018, United Kingdom

A report by the LGBT-rights organization Stonewall found that nearly 1 in 10 gay Christians have experienced bullying from other LGBT people because of their faith.

Two Fires Set in Neunkirchen Parish

June 27, 2018, Austria

An unknown person set fire to the tablecloth on the altar of the "Allerseelen" chapel in the church in Neunkirchen, but went out on its own. The incident was suspected to have happened just after the church opened as the priest noticed it and immediately reported the incident to the police. Two days later, a similar fire was set.

Theft and Vandalism for Weeks in French Cemetery

June 26, 2018, France

For several weeks, the Vallongue cemetery in the city of Bandol, was repeatedly vandalized and various objects were stolen. Relatives observed with dismay as plants, ceramics, figurines, and other decorative objects were disappearing.

Church Suffers Repeated Thefts and Vandalism

June 26, 2018, France

From the beginning of March until the end of June 2018, the alms box of church of Saint-Thomas-de-Cônac was repeatedly broken and emptied by unknown thieves. Despite new measures to prevent further thefts in the alms box, the perpetrators continued to attempt to get the money. In the end, after having installed a safe on the ground, the constant thefts were replaced with acts of vandalism: candles lit and broken on the floor, trash and papers thrown around, holy water spilled, and indecent comments written in the guestbook.