Vandals broke in the cathedral of Sarajevo and stole the chalices and other liturgical appointments.
St Mary’s Church in Heworth has been once more targeted by thieves and vandals.
The Christian Party office was vandalized days after the party launched a bus advertising campaign with the slogan, “There definitely is a God. So join the Christian party and enjoy your life.” The ad was a response to widespread atheist ads which carried the slogan, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The Metropolitan Police investigated the vandalism as a ‘religious hate crime’.
The pastor of Zion Baptist Church in Rochdale was attacked by a gang of up to 20 youths. Pastor Dennis Rigg and his brother were making preparations in the church building for their father’s funeral when the group attacked the pastor and shouted out abuse relating to their Christian faith.
Intolerance and discrimination manifests itself also as social exclusion and marginalisation of Christians. Stereotyping by biased media coverage is a familiar tool of furthering marginalisation. The following excursus to the New York Times of Feb. 26th, 09, is just one example.
Between 15 and 24 February 2009 two churches in the Oxford area were broken into and highly symbolic religious items were desecrated. Local police officers thought the two incidents were linked and were possibly religiously motivated attacks to make a point against the Church of England. In both incidents safes containing communion bread at the churches were forced open, but nothing was stolen in either case. It is estimated that there was £3,000 worth of damage at St James the Great, in West Hanney, and in St Nicholas Church, in East Challow.
Burning of Bibles reported in Israel; mockery of Christians on TV; Catholic bishops speak of a "low profile" form of Christ[ian]ophobia.
67% of French Catholic parents say that public schools do not respect the freedom of conscience of their children.
For the third time in less than a year, the cemetery of Saint-Laurent-des-Autels was vandalized on Sunday, February 14th, 2009. This time, tags were found on graves and on the door of the church. In the cemetery, one could see swastikas on trees.
A five-year-old girl was reprimanded for talking about her faith at school and her mother, Jennie Cain, who worked part-time at her daughter’s school, was investigated for professional misconduct and faced disciplinary action. The school has settled out of court.