All cases

Church in Abenheim vandalised and holy water font desecrated

July 19, 2026, Germany

On 19 July 2026, St Boniface Catholic Church in Abenheim was found to be vandalised by unknown perpetrators who urinated in the holy water font and damaged church furnishings. The vandalism resulted in the temporary closure of the church. According to parish representatives, the incident points to a wider problem of church vandalism in the area and increasing challenges to keep churches open.

Swiss Evangelical Leaders Challenge Geneva's Ban on Religious Symbols for Elected Representatives

July 17, 2026, Switzerland

Three Swiss evangelical leaders have filed a legal challenge against a constitutional amendment in the Canton of Geneva prohibiting elected representatives from wearing visible religious symbols while carrying out their official duties. The applicants argue that the measure violates freedom of religion and undermines democratic representation by requiring parliamentarians to conceal their religious identity.

Religious Statues Deliberately Damaged At Church in Deutschlandsberg

July 16, 2026, Austria

At the Parish Church of St Oswald in Deutschlandsberg, historic religious statues were found deliberately destroyed by unknown vandals. The vandalism caused extensive damage to religious heritage dating back around 200 years and deeply affected the local Christian community. The attack follows previous acts of vandalism targeting the church, including the insult "Shitty Church" carved into an interior wall of the church.

Man charged with insulting religious group after church vandalism in Poland

July 16, 2026, Poland

As reported on July 16, a 37-year-old man has been charged with insulting a group of people on religious grounds in connection with a series of offences that included vandalising a church and a parish cemetery in north-eastern Poland. According to police, the church was defaced with vulgar anti-Christian graffiti, while nearby memorials were also targeted.

Vandalism Forces Church in Bad Dürrheim to Close

July 16, 2026, Germany

On 16 July 2026, a man vandalised St. Johann Catholic Church in Bad Dürrheim, causing approximately €15,000 in damage, and leaving the building temporarily unusable for worship. As a result, the church had to be closed and scheduled services had to be relocated and a parish celebration was cancelled.

Bust of Pope John XXIII vandalised in Venetico

July 15, 2026, Italy

According to reports from 15 July 2026, a bust of Pope John XXIII in Venetico was deliberately vandalised and defaced by unknown perpetrators. The attack damaged the public monument dedicated to the Catholic saint and prompted condemnation from local authorities.

Vandals set fire to liturgical book at a church in Kelheim

July 15, 2026, Germany

On 15 July 2026, unknown perpetrators vandalised the Holy Cross Church in Kelheim by damaging the interior and setting a liturgical book on fire. The burned lectionary was rendered unusable, causing damage to an object used during Catholic worship. Reports indicate that this incident is part of a series of attacks against Christian places of worship seen in Germany in the past months.

French court orders removal of restored calvary cross from public land

July 15, 2026, France

According to reports from 16 July, the Rennes Administrative Court has ordered the municipality of Saint-Divy in Brittany to remove a restored replica of the historic centuries-old Kerdalaès Calvary cross from public land, ruling that its installation violated the French secularism laws of 1905. Its removal affects a site of longstanding significance for the local Christian community, and raises concerns about the reconstruction of religious symbols.

Repeated Sacrilegious Thefts Prompt Concern of Bishop

July 14, 2026, Italy

During the night of 13 to 14 July 2026, a sacrilegious theft occurred at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Porto Sant'Elpidio, when a tabernacle was stolen which contained the ciborium of consecrated hosts. The theft of the Eucharist constitutes a profanation that affected the local Christian community and marked the second incident of this kind in the Archdiocese of Fermo in two weeks.

Suspected Arson damages parish building at Munkshöjden Church

July 14, 2026, Finland

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack at the parish building of Munkshöjden Church in Helsinki which occurred on 14 July 2026. Firefighters took hours to extinguish the extensive fire, preventing it from spreading to the church building itself, however the parish hall sustained extensive damage.