All cases

Attempted Arson and Vandalism at Notre-Dame de la Plaine in Billere

May 11, 2014, France

On March 11th the church Notre-Dame de la Plaine in Billère in Southwestern France was vandalised: The diocese of Bayonne, Lescar and Oloron said that „one or more persons burned the altar shrine and the cross in the sanctuary“. The police confirmed the vandalism and found some feces. The parish priest has filed a complaint and a police investigation is underway.

Bascilia of Saint-Sernin in Toulouse vandalised

May 10, 2014, France

The Basilica of St. Sernin was graffitied during the night by a group called G2M. The perpetrators sprayed on one of the portals on the court and on the wall of the Basilica. The CREW G2M is already known in Toulouse since 2010. The Basilica was also sprayed in March.

Left-Wing Local Government Removes Cherished Statue of Jesus

May 9, 2014, Spain

A statue of Jesus Christ was removed and damaged by the governing local left-wing Galician nationalist party BNG in San Sadurnino in La Coruna.

Arson Attack on Church in Vorarlberg

May 4, 2014, Austria

Unknown offenders started a fire at the entrance of the church in Vorarlberg. At 1:20 am people walking by discovered the flames and were able to extinguish the fire, but the two 52 year-old women had to be brought to the hospital as a precautionary measure. There were suspected injuries of smoke inhalation, however, they were soon discharged.

Karlskirche Vandalised in Vienna

May 4, 2014, Austria

During the night from Friday to Saturday unknown perpetrators vandalised the world famous Karlskirche in Vienna’s fourth district. The perpetrators threw several bags of paint on the stonework and some statues in front of the church. Also the words „on repression follows resistance“ were smeared on the walls. The police suspect several perpetrators. The incident was noticed Saturday morning. The damage is severe.

Chain Store Uses Christian Symbol With Offensive Twist

May 3, 2014, France

The chain store “Camping” (Camper) used a spin off of a traditional Christian symbol to advertise its new shoe line the “Sailing Collection.” As depicted in the picture taken from a storefront in Paris, the traditional image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is depicted with the astronomical sign of Venus in place of the cross. This symbol is often used by feminist movements.

Christian Conscientious Objectors to Morning-After-Pill Barred from Sexual Health Care Diploma

May 1, 2014, United Kingdom

British doctors and nurses who refuse to dispense the morning-after pill on grounds of conscience will be unable to receive a specialist diploma in sexual health care. Guidance issued by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare states that medical professionals who, for religious reasons, refuse to hand out "emergency" contraception cannot receive the qualification. The diploma is considered to represent the "gold standard" of sexual health care training.

Anarchist and Feminist Graffiti on Church in Beltinci

May 1, 2014, Slovenia

In the night of the 1st to the 2nd of May, 2014, unknown perpetrators graffitied the church of Saint-Ladislav, in Beltinci, a region in the northeast of Slovenia and close to the country’s border with Hungary. This is the fourth time in recent years that the church has been a victim of such vandalism.

Christian Worker in London Claims She was Fired for Refusing to Read Children’s Books About Gay Couples

April 30, 2014, United Kingdom

Sarah Mbuyi, 30 year-old nursery worker from north London will bring her case to court as she claims she was fired on the grounds of her religious beliefs because she said that she would have scruples about reading children’s stories involving same-sex couples.

Church of Saint-Michel Vandalised in Locmiquélic (Bretagne)

April 30, 2014, France

On the 30th of April, in the afternoon, the church of Saint-Michel in Locmiquélic was once again the victim of vandalism. The candles were broken into several pieces and a hymnal was ripped apart. It was reported that adolescents were identified as having committed the crime.

Muslim Interrupts Religious Remembrance Ceremony in Alfreton, Derbyshire

April 26, 2014, United Kingdom

In Derbyshire, England on the 11th of November, 2013, a 52 year-old Muslim man named Mohamed Dar entered New Life Church in Alfreton as the community was holding a remembrance service for English World War I soldiers. He was shouting "turn to Islam" while wearing a scarf tied over his face and a kind of turban on which was written in Arab, “Allah is great.”

Disney Excludes the Name of God in Movies

April 25, 2014, International

In an interview on a National Public Radio program called Fresh Air, one of the Oscar-winning songwriters of Let It Go, from Disney’s film Frozen, said that "one of the only places you have to draw the line at Disney is with religious things, the word God." According to The Guardian, “Lopez went on to say: ‘You can say it in Disney but you can't put it in the movie.’”

Two Catholic Parish Websites Hacked

April 24, 2014, International

Two Catholic parish websites, the parish of Saint Louis of the French in Madrid, and the parish of Notre Dame de Nazareth in Paris, were both hacked by the same perpetrator. The picture (see below) could be found when one tried to access the website. The site of Saint Louis of the French has been restored. Both website are hosted by the Conference of Bishops of France.

Memorial of John Paul II Vandalised in Krakow

April 24, 2014, Poland

The monument to John Paul II in Krakow was graffitied with a star of David during the week before the Sunday canonisation of the late pope. The police set up a perimeter while the monument was being cleaned, but rest silent as to the origin of this act of vandalism.

Article Questions Whether or Not Government in Ljubljana has Anti-Christian Agenda

April 22, 2014, Slovenia

A group called KUL, founded in 2009 by Christian youth in Slovenia concerned with defending life and fundamental human rights, posted an article on their internet site on the 23rd of April, 2014 called, “Christianophobia: Is Mayor Zoran Janković violating human rights and promoting intolerance against Christians in Slovenia?” after Zoran Janković’s municipality had forbidden a mass to be celebrated for unborn babies at the hospital center of the public university of Ljubljana.

Church in Villers-Cotterêts Robbed

April 21, 2014, France

On returning from the Easter Vigil, the local priest in Villers-Cotterêts discovered that someone had forced entry into the church. The sacristy was in disarray, and the poor box had been robbed. This box had already been padlocked because of an earlier theft, but the thief still managed to break in, leaving damages amounting to 80 euros. The box had been recently emptied.

Muslim Disrupts Easter Mass

April 20, 2014, France

In the region of Jura, France, during a celebration of Easter Mass in the community of Notre Dame de Dole, a Muslim entered, and, putting his carpet next to the altar, began to read parts of the Coran and then proceeded to write in Arab in the parish registry. The same man had already disturbed the Palm Sunday liturgy in two different places, so the police had been warned, and when they showed up on the scene on Easter they calmly asked the man to leave.

Insulting and Blasphemous Graffiti Near Entrance to the Chapel of Locmaria

April 20, 2014, France

Near the entrance to the chapel of Locmaria, which is part of the parish of Carnac, sometime during the night of Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday, graffiti was painted on a public signpost. This graffiti made blasphemous and insulting comments that made reference to Catholic fascists and a homosexual Jesus. The rector, Father Jérôme Sécher, filed a complaint with the local authorities.

Attempts to Prevent Palm Sunday Precession in Morbihan

April 19, 2014, France

The parishioners of the church of Saint-Gildas in l’île d’Houat were the victims of a failed attempt by members of the Association of Freethinkers of France to prevent the Palm Sunday procession. These protestors tried to work within the legal framework, saying that the procession did not have the correct municipal authorisation also claiming that it did not fall within any of the three categories of legal processions. Their attempt failed this year, but the question still remains whether or not such attempts will be successful in future years.

Catholic Lay Blog Attacked

April 18, 2014, France

The Catholic lay blog “Le Salon Beige” was put out of order by attacks against the server from an unknown source. This happened three times in four days, one time on Good Friday, the other times on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.