All cases

Christian Cemetery Vandalised in Villecien, Yonne

September 26, 2013, France

In Villecien an old Christian cemetery was vandalised in the afternoon of September 26th. 61 graves were vandalised and inscriptions and religious statues were destroyed or removed.

Two Statues Destroyed at a Church in Haan

September 25, 2013, Germany

During a fair in Haan (North Rhine-Westphalia), unknown perpetrators tore the cross with the figure of Jesus off the church of St. Chrysanthus and Daria, beheaded the figure and took the head away. The perpetrators also tore an arm off the figure of a bishop and threw the arm into the garden of the kindergarten next door. In the last ten years, the figure of Jesus has been destroyed three times.

Statue Vandalised in Church in Sassari

September 25, 2013, Italy

The historic statue of Our Lady of Hope (1934) in Sassari was taken down from its stand and broken into pieces.

Church and Bust of Pope Benedict XVI Spray Painted

September 22, 2013, Germany

St. Oswald church - the church in which Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his first mass - was spray painted with large letters. Local sources suspect radical left wing forces behind the incident. A bust of the former Pope in front of the main entrance was spray painted twice. In the first case the delinquent was identified, the second case remains unclear.

Dublin Church Bells Silenced After 130 Years

September 21, 2013, Ireland

Due to complaints, the clock and bells at the Church of St. Bartholomew, Dublin, Ireland are temporarily out of service. The church is required to find a solution to stop the bells from ringing at night, or they will have to be switched off permanently.

Fire Damage in Church in Reggio Emilia

September 21, 2013, Italy

The shrine of Our Lady in the church of St. Augustine in Reggio Emilia was set on fire. Fortunately the statue was unharmed but everything around it was destroyed.

Vandalised Madonna in Bari

September 10, 2013, Italy

The Madonna in the Parish of St Nicholas in Bari was decapitated by vandals. The statue was carved in the rock at the base of a large crucifix and was probably broken by being thrown against the crucifix.

Government Takes Children From Christian Community

September 5, 2013, Germany

In the early morning of September 5th, a massive police raid of 100 police and 60 social workers descended on two of the Christian Twelve Tribes Communities of Klosterzimmern and Wörnitz. The police seized 40 children from 16 families and took them away in 25 vans on allegations of physical abuse.

Vandalism in Church in Bologna

September 5, 2013, Italy

Vandals broke in half the ceramic statue of the Madonna in Caserme Rosse. This statue had been vandalised two years ago as well.

Berlin Bans Public Christmas Celebrations

September 3, 2013, Germany

Berlin politicians and officials of Berlin-Kreuzberg banned the celebration of Christmas in public places or roads, as well as decorations and Christmas fairs, in order not to discriminate against the Muslim minority. A tree may only be placed in specific places, previously assigned by the authorities.

Stations of the Cross Vandalised in Traunstein

September 3, 2013, Germany

Local faithful discovered grafitti on stations of the cross. Unknown perpetrators had spraypainted "God is dead", "boozing" and an anarchy symbol on the small buildings.

Pope John Paul II Commemoration Monument in Rijeka Thrown into the Sea

September 1, 2013, Croatia

A monument commemorating the visit by John Paul II to Rijeka, which had been erected in June 2013 on the pier Gat Karoline Riječke, was thrown into the sea by unidentified vandals. Divers from the Rijeka Fire Department pulled it out from a depth of approximately six meters. The incident was recorded by the police who conducted an investigation.

Satanist Symbolism on Garage in Traunstein

August 30, 2013, Germany

Various acts of vandalism with clear anti-Christian symbolism have been reported in in Traunstein/Southern Germany: The exterior wall of a small church belonging to a parish in Traunstein (in the South of Germany) was spray painted with anti-Christian symbols and had to be repainted. Close by, the pedestal of a St. John Nepomuk figure was disfigured with the painting of a satanist cross. On a private garage, two big satanist crosses and the letters “GOD free“ were spray painted. Local sources suspect radical left wing groups are behind these acts.

Christians Hurt by Theatre Performance in Former Church Building

August 30, 2013, Germany

Local Christians reported to the Observatory that they felt offended by a play with the title, “Empathy to the Devil” which was performed in a secularised church in the south of Germany. The poster of the event featured a silhouette of the devil. Earlier productions from the same theatre-group have shown a big red cross being used as a hat stand on stage.

Church Vandalised Overnight in Loire-Atlantique

August 24, 2013, France

In the night perpetrators broke down the door and entered the church of Notre Dame in Loire-Atlantique, Bretagne, where they destroyed several more items. A lawsuit was filed and as a consequence the town decided to close and lock the doors of the church, which are normally open.

Exhibition in Church Damaged by Fire in Chatellerault

August 17, 2013, France

An exhibition of pilgrims financed by the Friends of Santiago de Compostela was on display in the St. Jacques church in Chatellerault, France. Several times someone tried to set the laminated panels of the images on fire using a candle. The panels were covered with burn holes from the candle. Police in Chatellerault have opened an investigation.

Burglary at Church in Wesel

August 15, 2013, Germany

Perpetrators broke through a basement window in the rectory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Wesel, Germany. They damaged several doors including the door to the sacristy and stole two boxes of donated money.

Vandalism and Burglary in Church in Lünen

August 14, 2013, Germany

Thieves broke through the roof into St. Joseph’s church in Lünen, Germany. All cabinets and boxes were opened. A large cross in the sacristy was thrown on the floor and a chandelier used as a crowbar. Police estimated a damage of at least 8000 euro.

Plan to Ditch God From National Anthem

August 13, 2013, Switzerland

Switzerland is holding a competition to rewrite its national anthem in 2014 because it currently focuses on God. Over £7,000 is being offered as a prize for rewriting the song, which is called the Swiss Psalm. Competitors are asked to include values from the Swiss constitution such as democracy and solidarity.

Government Says No Opt Out Of Performing Abortions for Faith-Based Hospitals

August 12, 2013, Ireland

The Irish government has told a Catholic hospital that there will be no opting out of the new law legalising abortion, and which requires hospitals to do the procedure. The health minister was responding to comments by a board member of Dublin’s Mater Misericordiae University Hospital that the hospital would not be complying with the new abortion law.