All cases
Door Set on Fire and Graffiti in Primary School Church: "I smell Christians"
July 2, 2018, ItalyAn unknown vandal set fire to the entrance door to the church of the nursery/primary school institute Paul VI in Castel Gandolfo and wrote graffiti reading "I smell Christians" in Norwegian. A complaint was filed and the police began an investigation.
High Court Upholds "Buffer Zones" around Abortion Clinic; Appeal Filed
July 2, 2018, United KingdomThe High Court of England and Wales upheld a “buffer zone” imposed by Ealing Council, west London, around a Marie Stopes abortion clinic. High Court Judge Mark Turner said that Ealing Council in London was justified in creating a 328-foot exclusion zone to prevent any pro-life gathering or speech, including prayer, within 100 meters of the clinic. Two women plan to appeal to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
Arson Attempt at Elche Basilica
June 30, 2018, SpainAn 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, FranceGraffiti 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, IrelandMary 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, GermanySt 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, GermanyJust 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 RepublicThree 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 KingdomA 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, AustriaAn 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.