All cases

Bulgarian Justice Ministry Proposes Ban on Foreign Financing of Religious Groups

April 4, 2017, Bulgaria

The Justice Ministry of Bulgaria has presented a draft bill that would ban foreign countries from financing religious groups in the country, unless an inter-state treaty is in effect. The bill would require that foreign citizens serving as religious workers be fluent in Bulgarian and that no Bulgarian citizen can do the work. This could affect Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, as well as Islam and Judaism.

Church Leaders and Prime Minister Criticized National Trust

April 4, 2017, United Kingdom

The Church of England accused the National Trust of “airbrushing” Christianity out of Easter festivities, after it renamed “Easter Egg Trail” as the “Great British Egg Hunt.” Cadbury, which sponsors the event, said it wanted the event to appeal to non-Christians, saying: “We invite people from all faiths and none to enjoy our seasonal treats.” The Prime Minister said “[Easter is] a very important festival for the Christian faith for millions across the world. So I think what the National Trust is doing is frankly just ridiculous.”

National Police Investigate Hacking of HazteOir.org

April 4, 2017, Spain

HazteOir.org, the group behind a Christian anti-gender ideology publicity campaign using a bus, suffered a computer attack on some of its old accounts and social networks on April 4, 2017. The self-identified "cybercriminals" attempted to use the stolen information to blackmail and extort the president of the group on social networks.

At Least Four Shrines Vandalized in Saint-Expédit

April 4, 2017, France

On April 4, 2017 a witness reported the disappearance and decapitation of several religious statuettes in roadside shrines in Saint-Expedit, in the east of Réunion. This comes two days after the devastation of the site of the Black Madonna. In a shrine at the exit of the village of Bois-Blanc, the body, foot, and head of a statuette were left broken and scattered on the altar. The other statues had been taken, but offerings remained untouched. Nearby, at a shrine on the way to Cambourg in Saint-Benoît, four statuettes were decapitated. On the route de la Plaine, the well-known shrine, all statues were missing, and an auditor confirmed that this was also the case in the shrine located in the Jamaican sector in Saint-Denis.

Church Vandalized by Youths

April 4, 2017, France

In the afternoon of April 4th, two adolescents entered the Church of Saints Pierre-et-Paul, emptied the fire extinguishers and broke several candles.

Motion Filed for Catholic Church to Pay Property Tax

April 4, 2017, Spain

The political party "Ahora Getafe" has filed a motion for the Catholic Church and other religious entities to pay property taxes, despite its exemption. Due to the Concordat Agreements of the Spanish State with the Holy See in 1979, the Catholic Church was given a variety of privileges including not having to pay property taxes.

Statue of the Virgin of Lourdes of Higuera de la Sierra Found Decapitated

April 3, 2017, Spain

On April 3, 2017 neighbors discovered that the head of statue, which sits at the opening of a cave of the Paraje de las Tobas, in the region of the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche, had been removed. The Civil Guard investigated.

Verviers Church Targeted with Graffiti

April 3, 2017, Belgium

The Sainte-Julienne church in Verviers (province of Liège) was sprayed with black paint on the walls and the side door of the building with messages such as: "Welcome to Hell" and "Apocalypsy".

Multiple Attacks against Christian Statues in the Münsterland Region

April 3, 2017, Germany

Six statues were vandalized from March 22 - 29, 2017, bringing the total number of incidents to 62 since the end of October 2016.

Statue of Our Lady of Lourdes Decapitated in Spain

April 3, 2017, Spain

The statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in a cave of the Paraje de las Tobas, a natural area of ​​the Sierra de Huelva, was decapitated and its hands were broken off. The head was found, but the civil guard continued to search for the hands as well as the perpetrators.