All cases
Tabernacle in Loire Church Vandalized
April 13, 2018, FranceThe tabernacle in the church of Saint-Jean-Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire, 15 kilometers from Roanne, was vandalized on April 13th. The intruders perhaps expected they would find ciboria and chalices by breaking the marble door of the tabernacle, but long ago liturgical objects of high value were moved to a more secure place. A complaint was lodged with the gendarmerie of Villerest.
Fire Set Behind Altar; Excrement Left in Confessional
April 12, 2018, ItalyAn intentionally-set fire burned a curtain and part of a chair behind the altar of the church of San Giuseppe in the town of Torre del Lago Puccini on April 12th. Feces was later discovered in the confessional.
Theft in Torás Church
April 11, 2018, SpainA band of thieves entered the church of Santa Quiteria during the night of April 11th, opened the tabernacle and stole a golden chalice containing consecrated Hosts, the most precious item for its religious value. They also destroyed donation boxes and took all the money.
Saint-Rémi-des-Monts church Victim of Burglary
April 11, 2018, FranceThe Basilica of Mézières, Saint-Rémi-des-Monts was the victim of several attempts of burglaries on the night of April 11 to 12. The door locks of the sacristy and the reception (where the postcards are sold) were broken, while the trunk of the candles was forced with hammers.
UK Council Bans Pro-Life Vigils outside Abortion Clinic
April 10, 2018, United KingdomA London local council voted unanimously on April 10th to ban pro-life vigils outside a local abortion center that have been taking place without incident for 23 years. The Ealing council voted to use a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to stop pro-life advocates from praying outside the Ealing Marie Stopes abortion clinic and offering help to women as they enter or exit the building. Pro-lifers must now stay 100 meters away from the abortion center. It will be the first "buffer zone" in the United Kingdom.
List of Churches Removed from Granada's Website
April 10, 2018, SpainOn April 10th, the municipal government removed the list of churches and parishes that appeared on the City of Granada's on-line resource guide after an IU (United Left) councilman demanded their removal five days earlier. The twenty churches, all Catholic, appeared in a section with the title "Places of Worship." The deputy mayor responsible for communication announced that since the churches do not offer any municipal, public or administrative services, the entire "Places of Worship" section was deleted.
Unknown Perpetrators Vandalized Church in Straubing
April 10, 2018, GermanyThe church of St. Stephan, in the Alburg district of Straubing, suffered various acts of vandalism on April 10th. They threw a figure of a saint from the altar, ripped out a microphone, threw a candle to the ground, spilled holy water, and destroyed an umbrella. They also smoked in the confessional, filling the interior with ashes and extinguishing the butts against the wooden door. The damage to the property was estimated at 3,000 euros.
BBC Scotland Posts Video Mocking Catholics
April 9, 2018, United KingdomThe Bishop of Paisley criticized BBC Scotland for encouraging anti-Catholic prejudice. It posted a short film entitled ‘Homophobia in 2018, Time for Love’ on its Facebook page which depicts a priest holding a Mini Cheddar in a parody of the Host, and giving it to a woman who makes the sign of the cross, with a voice-over saying, “tastes like cardboard and smells like hate.” Bishop Keenan described the content as “beyond the pale, and unworthy of the BBC as a public service broadcaster.” The Archdiocese of St. Andrew's and Edinburgh also criticized the video for suggesting that Christianity fosters public hatred toward homosexuals. It was also said that "recent government figures on crimes with religious aggravations showed that 57% of these are now directed to Catholics, an increase of 14%.
15th Century Tomb of Fra Angelico Attacked in the Center of Rome
April 8, 2018, ItalyThe marble tomb of the Italian Renaissance painter Fra Angelico was vandalized in the church of S. Maria sopra Minerva in the center of Rome, one of the most famous churches of the Italian capital. Vandals chipped off several parts of the marble tomb, carved by the fifteenth-century sculptor Isaia da Pisa.
Woman Stabbed Outside Coventry Church after Service
April 8, 2018, United KingdomA woman in her 30s was stabbed after attending the Eritrean community's Orthodox Easter midnight service at St. Margaret's Church in Coventry early on the morning of April 8th. The mother of three was found with a puncture wound in the abdomen at approximately 3:15 in the morning and taken to the hospital where she was listed in critical condition. The attacker, who reportedly fled on a bicycle, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder the following day.
Intentional Fires in Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais Church in Langon
April 8, 2018, FranceA passerby saw flames coming from the church and rushed in to extinguish the fire. Firefighters arrived quickly and were able to prevent the fire from causing extensive damage. Fires had been set in two different places: one at the candlesticks where the alter of the Virgin is situated, and the other at the entrance where leaflets and informational flyers are displayed.
Oil Poured Down Church Steps
April 7, 2018, ItalyOn April 7th unidentified vandals poured frying oil down the grand stone steps in front of the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Modica.
Saint-Michel Church in Holque Vandalized
April 7, 2018, FranceSaint-Michel Church in Holque, a small French commune in northern France was vandalized.
Poulseur: Statue of Christ Shattered
April 7, 2018, BelgiumOn the morning of April 7th, the sacristan of the church in Poulseur discovered it had been vandalized. A statue of a crucified Jesus Christ had been taken down from a hook and shattered into pieces. The extensive damage to the statue suggested that the perpetrators climbed onto the choir screen and threw it down to the ground from above. Other vessels with flowers were also knocked down and broken. The damage was reported to the police.
Catholic College Vandalized in Vendée
April 6, 2018, FranceA day before about fifty students from Notre-Dame de l'Esperance College were to leave for a trip to England, they found their trip cancelled. All of the students' identity papers, which had been stored in a locker at school, were discovered cut in half and thrown into a garbage bin.The director of Notre-Dame de l'Esperance College sent a letter to the parents explaining that the trip was canceled and turned to the British Embassy for assistance. Police began an investigation.
Vandalism and Theft at Warmifontaine Church
April 6, 2018, BelgiumUnidentified perpetrators looted the church of Saint-Martin in Warmifontaine, breaking open the tabernacle with a crowbar, and stealing ciboriums containing consecrated Hosts, chalices, and hand-carved statues.
German Public Broadcaster Replaces Jesus Christ with Easter Bunny
April 6, 2018, GermanyA German satire TV recreated the Passion of Jesus Christ with a crucified Easter plush bunny in lieu of Jesus. Photomontages included the toy animal, among other things, on the cross and sitting among the Apostles for the Last Supper. The Christian Media Association KEP immediately filed a complaint to the broadcaster saying that it made "the central religious content of Christianity literally a joke."
Relic Stolen from Saint-Étienne de Toul
April 5, 2018, FranceOn April 5th, a student who works as a summer guide of the Toul Cathedral, Saint-Étienne, discovered that pieces of the relic belonging to the first bishop of Toul, St. Gerard, was missing. The relic is about twenty centimeters long and was pulled out from its holster.
Host Desecration in Spain: the Case before the ECHR
April 5, 2018, SpainThe Spanish Association of Christian Lawyers – Asociación de Abogados Cristianos – lodged an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) with the help of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), following the host desecration by the “artist” Abel Azcona.
Fires Set at Three German Churches in Ostholstein District
April 4, 2018, GermanyFrom April 1st to April 4th, fires were set in front of the wooden entrance doors of three churches in Heiligenhafen by unknown perpetrators.