All cases
Desecration at Church in Les Herbiers
July 18, 2016, FranceFour young men broke into the church of Saint-Pierre and overturned benches, broke vases, and emptied a fire extinguisher. They urinated and defecated in the holy water on the altar and on the altar itself.
Street Preacher Arrested for Hate Crime for Quoting Bible to Gay Teenager
July 17, 2016, United KingdomGordon Larmour, a Christian evangelist, was charged with behaving in a "threatening or abusive manner aggravated by prejudice relating to sexual orientation" and "assault", after he referred to the Book of Genesis and stated that God created Adam and Eve to produce children in response to a 19-year-old's question about God's views on homosexuality. He spent one night in prison. Six months later, a court in Kilmarnock, Scotland acquitted him of all charges.
Two Churches Targeted during Attempted Coup
July 15, 2016, TurkeyTwo churches in cities in eastern Turkey infamous as the sites of historic killings of Christians were vandalized during the attempted coup on 15 July, 2016.
Church in Toulouse Profaned and Vandalized
July 14, 2016, FranceThe church of Saint-Pierre des Chartreux was vandalized: The tabernacle door was torn off and part of the book collection of the prayers of the faithful was burned. Other objects were overturned. A police report was filed.
Order of Nuns Fined for Firing Lesbian Teacher
July 14, 2016, ItalyAn order of nuns was ordered to pay 25,000 Euros to a teacher for discontinuing her employment based on the incompatibility of her sexual orientation with the Catholic school’s ethos.
Arson in Cemetery and Church in Nice a Day Before Bastille Day Attack
July 13, 2016, FranceA fire was set in the cemetery of Caucade in Nice West, where three tombs were blackened. One hour later, a fire was discovered in the church of Saint-Marc and a door was damaged.
Evangelical Church Burned in Calais
July 12, 2016, FranceNo casualties were reported, but the damage was considerable: the roof collapsed and the building was destroyed. The cause of the fire is being investigated and arson has not been ruled out.
Man Burst into Church and Smashed Ancient Crucifix to the Ground
July 12, 2016, ItalyThe young man of North African origin rushed into the church of St. Jeremiah, in Cannaregio, Venice and threw a large crucifix to the floor, heavily damaging the religious artifact.
German Bishops Conference and Protestant Evangelical Church in Germany Issue Joint Statement
July 12, 2016, GermanyCardinal Marx, chair of German Bishops' Conference and Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, head of the Protestant Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), united to condemn the attacks on Christians and other religious minorities in camps.
Arsonist Arrested for Abbey Fire
July 10, 2016, FranceA 42-year old man confessed to setting at least fifteen fires including one that damaged the Abbey Saint-Austremoine in Issoire on July 3. The blaze, which destroyed a confessional, a table and some chairs, was quickly extinguished. The fire caused great upset among the population. The suspect was indicted for "intentional damage by dangerous means to people."
Four Churches Tagged with Offensive Messages
July 10, 2016, FranceThe churches of La Motte, Lauren, Loudéac, and Lachèze in the region of Côtes-d'Armor were painted with the word "Pédophile."
Religion Classes in Belgium to be Replaced with Citizenship Classes
July 7, 2016, BelgiumThe country's religious education classes in French-speaking primary and secondary schools will be cut in half in October 2016 and replaced with a weekly hour of citizenship classes, over the objection of students and teachers.
Russia's Anti-Terrorism Law Restricts Missionary Activities
July 7, 2016, RussiaThe new law bans preaching, praying, proselytizing, and disseminating religious materials outside of officially-designated sites, and authorizes fines for these activities conducted in private residences or distributed through mass print, broadcast or online media.
Church Desecrated in Messina
July 3, 2016, ItalyThe church of Santa Elena was the victim of desecration, theft, and vandalism on July 3rd. The parish priest discovered the tabernacle completely emptied, smashed and detached from the wall. A statue of the Virgin Mary was decapitated, and a ciborium full of consecrated Hosts was stolen, along with an ancient reliquary containing a fragment of the Holy Cross.
Statue of Virgin Mary Decapitated in Vineyard
July 1, 2016, FranceThe statue, located on private property in Chadenac and surrounded by a wrought iron fence, was vandalized and its head was broken off.
Belgian Nursing Home Fined €6,000 for Refusing to Allow Euthanasia on Premises
June 30, 2016, BelgiumJudges in Belgium fined a Catholic nursing home after it prevented doctors from giving a lethal injection to a 74-year-old lung cancer sufferer on its premises.
Lay Association Calls for Mayor's Resignation for Assisting in Catholic Blessing
June 29, 2016, SpainThe president of Asturias Laica, Jose Luis Iglesias, has formally requested that the Mayor of Gijon, Carmen Moriyón, resign from office for assisting in the Catholic ritual of the blessing of the waters in the feast of San Pedro, the city’s patron saint, which was celebrated on June 29.
Man Attacked Malmö Church
June 26, 2016, SwedenA man broke into St. Paul's Church in central Malmö and vandalized it, including breaking the stained glass windows. According to the police, it will be investigated as a hate crime as they suspect that the man attacked the church because it is a symbol of the Christian faith.
Statue of Saint Petronio Defaced by Vandals
June 26, 2016, ItalyThe statue, the civil and religious symbol of the city of Bologna, was defaced with "Allah Akbar" painted on the base. The Archdiocese of Bologna condemned the act and police are investigating.
Christian Convert Attacked at Asylum Home in Halbe
June 25, 2016, GermanyTwo young Afghan men severely attacked a woman from Iran because she converted from Islam to Christianity, according to police.
Co-Workers Found Not Guilty of Religiously Aggravated Offense
June 24, 2016, United KingdomA York jury heard evidence about sustained bullying of a teenage apprentice, a Catholic, by tying him to a cross in a mock crucifixion, among other acts, during a trial. They found the accused guilty of assault, but not guilty of religiously aggravated assault.
Valencia Cardinal Accused of Hate Speech for Homily Criticizing Gender Ideology Legislation
June 23, 2016, SpainCardinal Antonio Cañizares was accused of hate speech by the Feminist Platform of Alicante, along with 55 other LGBT organizations. They alleged that his homily was "full of hatred, homophobic and sexist." On June 23, 2016 he was cleared of the charges.
Bonn Basilica Vandalized
June 21, 2016, GermanyA 24-year-old man was arrested after he entered the crypt of the shrine to the city patrons Cassius and Florentius and caused extensive damage to the crypt, tabernacle, and the sarcophagus in which the relics of the saints are held.
Arson in Swiss Confessional
June 21, 2016, SwitzerlandOn July 2, Swiss police arrested a 51-year old suspected of intentionally setting fire to a confessional in the St. Gallon Cathedral.
Large Pentagram and 666 Painted on Church Graveyard
June 19, 2016, United KingdomA vandal sprayed satanic symbols, a large pentagram, and the number 666 onto the lawn of the graveyard at All Saints Church in Hull, Yorkshire.
German Newspaper: Orlando Shooter Could Just as Well Have Been Christian
June 16, 2016, GermanyGerman newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung a published commentary on the Orlando shooting in which it said the crime had nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with “homophobia” and that the shooter could just as well have been an Evangelical Christian.
Church of England Accused of Discrimination
June 16, 2016, United KingdomThe Church of England has been accused of discriminating against a lesbian couple by refusing to conduct their wedding.
Two Men Arrested for Vandalizing Cathedral
June 16, 2016, FranceThe cathedral Saint-Julien du Mans was spray painted with a dozen messages including "Ni dieu, ni maître", "Anti autorité", "belle porte", and "Le Mans zone pacifiée". Police caught the perpetrators in the act and took them into custody.
Vandals Deface Church in Slovenia
June 15, 2016, SloveniaA Catholic church in Celje was defaced with satanic words and symbols, resulting in 3,000 euros in damage.
Beloved Shrine Vandalized
June 15, 2016, SpainThe statues of the Virgin of Candelabra and Santo Herman Pedro were beheaded by unknown vandals in a sanctuary in the mountain town of Cabo Blanco in Tenerife.
Christian Converts in Hamburg Threatened
June 14, 2016, GermanySecurity guards at refugee camps in Hamburg have reportedly told the Christian residents to keep their faith a secret, claiming they cannot protect them if their secret is revealed.
Christian Refugees Attacked by Muslims during Ramadan
June 12, 2016, GermanyA Christian refugee family of four was attacked by Muslims in their shared refugee accommodations for not participating in Ramadan. The family members were taken to a hospital in Seligenstadt due to their injuries. The mother and two sons were attacked with chairs and one of the sons was struck in the arms with a sharp object. The father suffered from arrhythmia due to the attack. During the attack the radical Muslims stated "Let us kill the unbelieving Christians, punish!" ("Lasst uns die ungläubigen Christen abschlachten, bestrafen!"). Police were able to intervene and the Christian family has been moved to a different refugee accommodation.
Two Church Fires in a Weekend in Narón
June 11, 2016, SpainIn the early hours of Friday, June 10th to Saturday, June 11, two clearly intentional fires were discovered in two different churches in Narón. Each resulted in significant damage to the religious buildings. Incendiary devices were found in both churches. The fires were investigated by agents of the state security forces, as well as the local Narón police.
Holy See Urges OSCE and Council of Europe to Pay Attention to Discrimination Against Christians
June 9, 2016, European Institutions (EU, ECHR, et.al.)The Holy See’s Permanent Representative to UN offices in Vienna, Msgr. Janusz Urbanczyk, has urged the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe to pay greater attention to discrimination against Europe’s Christians.
Parliamentary Report Finds Inadequate Assessment of Religion-Based Asylum Claims
June 7, 2016, United KingdomThe All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief released a 35-page report in which it said the questions used to assess conversion asylum claims demonstrated a "lack of understanding and misperceptions of religion."
Christian Union Banned From Holding Meetings on College Premises
June 7, 2016, United KingdomA Christian union has been banned from holding meetings on college premises, as a result of the government’s counter-terrorism strategy "Prevent".
Islamists Attack Christian Refugees
June 7, 2016, GermanyA group of 30 thirty people, led by a self-proclaimed imam, attacked a Syrian Christian and his roommate at the Rottach-Egern refugee accommodation.
Relic of Pope John Paul II Stolen from Cologne Cathedral
June 5, 2016, GermanyGerman police report that unknown perpetrators stole a small piece of fabric with a drop of the Pope's blood.
Christian Refugees in Austria Harassed and Threatened
June 5, 2016, AustriaChristian refugees in various accommodation centers in Austria endured abuse at the hands of Muslim fellow refugees, including being forced to wake early in the morning to pray, being told they were impure, having belongings stolen, and instances of physical violence.
Court Case begins for Norwegian Doctor Fired for Exercising Right to Conscience
June 1, 2016, NorwayKatarzyna Jachimowicz, a Polish family physician working in Norway, became the first medical professional in the country fired because she exercised her conscience rights by refusing to administer abortifacients.
Church the Victim of Two Fires in One Day
May 24, 2016, BelgiumIn Mont-Sainte-Geneviève, two fires significantly damaged an historic church. The first started in the sacristy. The fire fighters had just left the scene after managing to control that fire when another much bigger fire in the church roof was reported.
European Court of Human Rights Finds Turkey Interfered with Freedom of Religion
May 24, 2016, TurkeyThe case concerned the inability of Mersin and Izmir Jehovah's Witnesses in Turkey to obtain an appropriate place to engage in worship due to restrictive laws. The ECtHR held that such restrictions amounted to a direct interference with their freedom of religion.
Three Incidents in Churches in the Same Region in Just Two Weeks
May 22, 2016, FranceIn a press release Father Benoît Delabre reported that on May 15th the altar in the Church of St. Madeleine-de-l'Île was set on fire in Martigues, about 800 kilometers south of Paris. On the same day, another unknown person desecrated the tabernacle which contained the consecrated hosts in the church at Jonquières in the same region. Additionally, Father Delabre himself was attacked a week later by a man he caught at the church door who appeared to be “trying to steal something.”
Green Party a Threat to Religious Liberty in Australia
May 21, 2016, InternationalArchbishop Anthony Fisher warned that religious liberty is at stake in Australia's national elections because of the Green's proposed $32 million "Safe Schools" Program which would charge parents, schools, and churches with discrimination if they fail to conform.
Catholic Pensioner Murdered in her Sleep; Left with Crucifix in her Hands
May 19, 2016, GermanyA 27-year old Muslim man was found guilty and given a life sentence for the murder of a 70-year-old woman in Bad Friedrichshall on May 19, 2016. After strangling the woman with a telephone cord, Abubaker C. left writing on the wall "It's payback time" and put a cross in the woman's hands. He then stole valuables and fled. The prosecution argued that the murderer's motive was both theft and to kill a "disbeliever".
Catholic Nursing Home to Stand Trial for Denying Active Euthanasia
May 18, 2016, BelgiumIn 2011, after initially agreeing to euthanasia for a 74-year-old cancer patient, a Catholic nursing home denied the physician access to the patient. The patient had to be taken home where she could receive the doctor.
Evangelical Church Attacked in Manosque
May 18, 2016, FranceAn Assemblies of God church in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azurin was the victim of arson. Bibles and other books inside the church were stacked up and burnt, according to Pastor Alain Denizou.
Catholic and Protestant Churches Protest Exclusion from Population Information
May 17, 2016, NetherlandsLegislation puts an end to a program that helped churches keep track of their local memberships using data provided by the municipal administration.
Christian Refugees Face Discrimination in Austria
May 13, 2016, AustriaAccording to the NGO "Christian Solidarity International" (CSI), Christian refugees are being repeatedly discriminated against in Austrian refugee centers.
Greens Demand Ban on Pro-Life Presentations at Schools
May 12, 2016, AustriaIn April 2016, members of the Green Party in Austria submitted a Parliamentary Question to evaluate possible actions to stop “pro-life” workshops in religious education.