All cases
Altar Among Targets: Two Fires Are Set Inside Huttenheim Church
January 28, 2026, GermanyOn Wednesday afternoon, 28 January, two deliberately set fires were discovered inside St Peter’s Church in Huttenheim, a district of Philippsburg, including one fire lit directly on the altar. Thankfully, the fires were extinguished before causing major damage.
Church Vandalised With Blasphemous Graffiti
January 28, 2026, PortugalA historic church in Viseu was targeted by vandals who painted an offensive message on the exterior wall of its mortuary chapel.
Bergisch Gladbach Church Closed After Arson and Vandalism
January 27, 2026, GermanySt Laurentius Church in Bergisch Gladbach was closed following repeated acts of vandalism, including arson, damage to pews, and theft of items from the interior.
Third Attack Hits Feldkirchen Church
January 26, 2026, AustriaVandals left a trail of destruction in the Maria im Dorn church in Feldkirchen, Austria, where the interior was found heavily damaged, leading to its temporary closure.
San Giacomo Church Evacuated After Nativity Scene Set on Fire
January 25, 2026, ItalyA fire that broke out on 25 January 2026 inside San Giacomo in via del Corso in Rome, initially believed to have been caused by a technical malfunction, has since been linked to deliberate arson. Investigators now attribute the fire to a suspect later arrested for attempting to carry flammable materials into St Peter’s Basilica.
Arson At Basilica of San Lorenzo
January 25, 2026, ItalyA fire that broke out on 25 January 2026 in the courtyard of Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome, initially investigated as a separate incident, has since been linked to deliberate arson.
Man Attacks Woman and Sets Fire to Church in Brasov
January 25, 2026, RomaniaA 29‑year‑old man attacked a woman selling candles and set fire to a church in Braşov, Romania, in an incident reported late January.
Sviatohirsk Lavra Skete Targeted in Theft and Vandalism
January 25, 2026, UkraineIn Donetsk region, Ukraine, a skete of the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra was targeted in a theft and act of vandalism during the night of 24–25 January 2026, resulting in the theft of bells and sacred objects from the religious site.
Main Altar Cross Stolen at Saint‑Winoc Church
January 25, 2026, FranceA theft at the Église Saint-Winoc in Plouhinec, Finistère, was reported on 25 January when the cross from the church’s main altar was removed by unknown perpetrators, parish authorities confirmed.
Roadside Shrine Targeted In Theft
January 24, 2026, PolandA statue of the Virgin Mary disappeared from a small roadside shrine in the Bródno district of Warsaw, Polish media reported. The figure was taken from a chapel located on Syrokomli Street, where it had been kept behind glass.
Freshers’ Fair Ban on Church Successfully Challenged
January 24, 2026, United KingdomA Christian church, Grace Church Greenwich, was denied the chance to book a stall at Goldsmiths University’s Freshers’ Fair because the booking contractor, Native, stated it could no longer “facilitate bookings for religious groups at these events.” Grace Church challenged the policy as discriminatory, and the company subsequently suspended the ban, allowing bookings from the church and similar groups.
Vienna Court: Prayer Vigil Outside Abortion Facilities Permitted
January 23, 2026, AustriaIn January 2026, the Vienna Administrative Court ruled that a peaceful prayer vigil held in the proximity of an abortion facility in Vienna falls within the scope of the constitutionally protected freedom of assembly. The decision overturned an earlier prohibition issued by the Vienna police authorities.
UK Police Ban Christian March Over Fear of Muslim Community Reaction
January 23, 2026, United KingdomThe Metropolitan Police blocked a UK Independence Party “Walk With Jesus” march scheduled for 31 January in Whitechapel, east London, citing fears it would provoke a hostile reaction from the local Muslim community and lead to “serious violence and disorder.”
Vandals Damage Religious Statue Inside Church
January 21, 2026, FranceA statue of the Virgin Mary was found to have been deliberately knocked over and damaged on 21 January 2026 inside the Église Saint-Sylve in Toulouse, where the parish priest discovered the overturned figure after the morning Mass.
Graffiti and Damage Reported at Emden Church
January 21, 2026, GermanyBetween 16 and 21 January 2026, the Martin Luther Church in Emden was vandalised with graffiti, and its lightning rod wire was deliberately damaged by unknown individuals.
Nativity Scene Theft Reported at Church in Grone
January 19, 2026, ItalyA theft occurred at the church of Santa Maria Nascente in Grone in mid-January, when two individuals from the Milan area stole a ceramic statuette of the infant Jesus from the church’s nativity scene.
Missal Set Ablaze in Alessandria Chapel
January 19, 2026, ItalyOn the morning of 19 January 2026, an unknown individual set fire to a liturgical missal inside the Chiesa del Monserrato in Alessandria.
Zamora Suffers Another Vandal Attack on Church
January 18, 2026, SpainOn 18 January 2026, vandals defaced the rear façade of the Iglesia de Santiago el Burgo in Zamora with a slogan: “More housing and fewer churches”.
Buncton’s 11th‑Century Church Attacked
January 18, 2026, United KingdomAll Saints Church in Buncton, West Sussex, suffered extensive damage after almost all of its windows were smashed and fixtures vandalised between 13 and 18 January.
Sacred Objects Damaged During Prayer in St Peter Basilica
January 17, 2026, ItalyAn incident took place inside the Cappella del Santissimo Sacramento at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome, where a man threw several sacred objects from the altar to the ground during Eucharistic adoration.