All cases
Priest Assaulted and Spat on during 'Orange Walk'
July 7, 2018, United KingdomCatholic priest Tom White was spat on twice as he greeting parishioners outside St. Alphonsus' Church after Mass at the same time that an 'Orange Walk,' a procession by a Protestant fraternal order, passed by. He was also hit with a baton and verbally abused. A spokesperson for the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland has said that no one from the parade was involved. Police Scotland, who had been guarding the church but were called away before the parade passed by, began a hate crime investigation.
Church Door Set on Fire and Public Cross Toppled
July 6, 2018, ItalyThe door of the church Madonna della Cona in Piazza Battisti in Castel Gandolfo was set on fire during the night and the cross which stood in the square was toppled. Although the church has been deconsecrated, city authorities expressed concern about a series of destructive acts directed at Christian churches and symbols in the area.
Graffiti Sprayed on Town Church
July 6, 2018, United KingdomVandals sprayed "YNWA", "truth", and "greed" on the historic St. Nicholas Church. The reverend called it "disrespectful" and said people were upset about the damage. She said that although youths had been congregating in the area for some time, and leaving garbage in the churchyard, this was first time they caused damage to the building.
Degradations at the Church of la Collégiale Saint-Barnard
July 5, 2018, FranceOn the afternoon of July 5th, damage was discovered in the historic Collegiate Church of Saint-Barnard in the old center of Romans-sur-Isère. The cover of the baptismal font had been broken and found on the ground, and the finger of a statue of Saint John the Baptist was also broken. Police investigated.
Village and Church Tagged with Graffiti
July 5, 2018, FranceSometime during the night of July 5th, buildings in the small town of Saint-Alban-d'Ay were targeted with vandalism with anarchist and communist slogans in red and black paint. The church facade was sprayed with offensive slogans and the interior was ransacked.
Religious Flags Torn Down at "Campus of Religions"
July 4, 2018, AustriaUnknown vandals tore down the flags of the New Apostolic Church and the Vienna Jewish Community at the construction site for a "Campus of Religions" in the new housing complex 'Seestadt' in Aspern. The campus is supposed to become a place where different religions can coexist and meet each other peacefully. It is not the first time the site has been subject to vandalism. The Israeli flag had been attacked twice before, once at the start of the construction in 2015 and again in May 2018. Religious leaders of different Christian denominations have expressed their outrage about the act. The police began an investigation.
Demand for Apology after President of National Assembly Mentions God
July 3, 2018, SloveniaA left-wing member of the National Assembly, Franc Trček, demanded an apology from Matej Tonin, the President of the National Assembly, for concluding a speech with the words "Bog živi Slovenijo," which can roughly be translated to "God bless Slovenia." Trček argued that the words violated the constitution of Slovenia which requires a separation of church and state. Tonin responded that he had no intention of apologizing and that the constitution also protects freedom of speech.
Activist Graffiti found on Church Properties in Poland
July 3, 2018, PolandGraffiti was found on several church buildings in the wake of a discussion on stricter abortion legislation by the Polish parliament. The spray-painted slogans included “Behold my body, behold my blood, buzz off”; “women-murderers” and “We remember Rwanda.” The three damaged buildings included the curial offices of the Archdiocese of Warsaw, the rectory of the Church of St. John the Baptist, and the curial offices of the Diocese of Warsaw-Praga.
Statue Vandalized and Satanic Inscriptions Left in Church
July 3, 2018, FranceA priest discovered that statues in the nave of the church of Saint Jean-Baptiste de Bourgoin-Jallieu had been vandalized and that satanic inscriptions were left defacing a prayer book. The police were notified and opened an investigation.
Door Set on Fire and Graffiti in Primary School Church: "I smell Christians"
July 2, 2018, ItalyAn unknown vandal set fire to the entrance door to the church of the nursery/primary school institute Paul VI in Castel Gandolfo and wrote graffiti reading "I smell Christians" in Norwegian. A complaint was filed and the police began an investigation.
High Court Upholds "Buffer Zones" around Abortion Clinic; Appeal Filed
July 2, 2018, United KingdomThe High Court of England and Wales upheld a “buffer zone” imposed by Ealing Council, west London, around a Marie Stopes abortion clinic. High Court Judge Mark Turner said that Ealing Council in London was justified in creating a 328-foot exclusion zone to prevent any pro-life gathering or speech, including prayer, within 100 meters of the clinic. Two women plan to appeal to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
Arson Attempt at Elche Basilica
June 30, 2018, SpainAn unknown person attempted to set fire to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Elche while Mass was being celebrated inside. By using paraffin from a chandelier, the perpetrator set a fire between two wooden doors. Fortunately a parishioner noticed the smoke and the flames could be smothered in time.
"Satan Punishes Homophobes" on Wall of Toulouse Chapel
June 30, 2018, FranceGraffiti was discovered on the walls of the Saint-Roch-du-Férétra chapel in Toulouse. Slogans included "Church on fire", "Dirty priest" and "Satan punishes homophobes." An investigation has been started. It is suspected that the slogans were left by LGBT groups and anarchists.
Ex-President of Ireland calls Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality 'Evil'
June 29, 2018, IrelandMary McAleese, the former President of Ireland said that, in her view, the Church's teaching on homosexuality is "evil" and leads to homophobia which has caused people to commit suicide and live in "dark shadows." She said that the behaviour of the church towards the LGBT community was "unchristian" and "worse than uncharitable" and that the only person to change this is the pope.
Repeated Vandalism at Church in Forst
June 29, 2018, GermanySt Nikolai, the main church in Forst, was repeatedly vandalized. During several weeks in June 2018 the facade on the side of the church was chipped at until the perpetrators were able to pull away the paint coating. Countless graffiti and a hole in the wall were also found. In addition to that, 18 glass windows which are located in the doors to the tower entrance were smashed. The church was left with uninsured costs to repair the 10 square meteres of facade were estimated at 2,000 euros and a further 300 euros to repair the windows.
Coalition Withdraws CDU Candidate for Constitutional Court Due to Criticism of Sex Ed
June 29, 2018, GermanyJust days before the parliamentary vote on the election of a judge to the state constitutional court, the CDU, Greens, FDP and SSW withdrew their nomination of Hamburg lawyer and law professor Christian Winterhoff due to his conservative views on the sexual education of children.
Convictions in Czech Church Arson Case
June 28, 2018, Czech RepublicThree young men were convicted of arson for setting fire to the 16th century Božího Těla (Corpus Christi) church in Guty, Třinec. The regional court of Ostrava sentenced them to 9, 8, and 3.5 years in prison for setting fire to the church in August 2017. The Roman Catholic church had been listed as a cultural and historical monument and was among the oldest preserved wooden churches in the Czech Republic. The August 2017 fire caused damage of over 20 million korun. The historical value of the building and its artifacts, however, is not quantifiable.
1 in 10 Gay Christians Report Discrimination by other LGBT People
June 28, 2018, United KingdomA report by the LGBT-rights organization Stonewall found that nearly 1 in 10 gay Christians have experienced bullying from other LGBT people because of their faith.
Two Fires Set in Neunkirchen Parish
June 27, 2018, AustriaAn unknown person set fire to the tablecloth on the altar of the "Allerseelen" chapel in the church in Neunkirchen, but went out on its own. The incident was suspected to have happened just after the church opened as the priest noticed it and immediately reported the incident to the police. Two days later, a similar fire was set.
Theft and Vandalism for Weeks in French Cemetery
June 26, 2018, FranceFor several weeks, the Vallongue cemetery in the city of Bandol, was repeatedly vandalized and various objects were stolen. Relatives observed with dismay as plants, ceramics, figurines, and other decorative objects were disappearing.