All cases
Profanation of Church in Provins during Festival
June 14, 2025, FranceDuring the medieval festival Médiévales, held on 14–15 June 2025, the Collégiale Saint-Quiriace in Provins was desecrated. This Gothic collegiate church, which is a historic landmark in the Diocese of Meaux, was open to both pilgrims and festival exhibitors. However, several stalls displayed occult and neo-pagan items, including books on Satanism, inside the sacred space. Witnesses also reported seeing a shirtless man dressed as a satyr, wearing horns, parading through the nave, alongside erotic imagery placed among the church’s pillars. The local bishop denounced this violation of the church's spiritual dignity.
Arson Attack at Market Drayton’s St Mary’s Church
June 9, 2025, United KingdomSt Mary’s Church in Market Drayton, Shropshire, was the target of a deliberate arson attack. Firefighters from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service were alerted on the morning of 9 June, arriving to find the large oak rear door of the church engulfed in flames. The fire was threatening to spread to nearby curtains and wooden roof timbers. Thanks to their swift emergency response, firefighters contained the fire before it could cause more extensive damage.
Vandals Cause Extensive Damage to Great Yarmouth Minster Windows
June 9, 2025, United KingdomAccording to a BBC article, published on June 9th, the historic Great Yarmouth Minster, the largest parish church in England, was targeted by vandals who hurled stones at its leaded windows, shattering dozens of diamond-shaped panes and severely damaging one large stained-glass window. The attack occurred in broad daylight, while church wardens were still cleaning up earlier damage. During the cleanup, another stone was thrown through a window, prompting staff to run outside and spot two teenage boys fleeing the scene.
Vandalism St. Anna Basilica in Altötting: Pentecost Service Relocated
June 8, 2025, GermanyOn the night before Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2025, a 19-year-old man vandalised the pilgrimage church of St. Anna in Altötting, damaging and soiling numerous sacred objects. Police estimate the resulting property damage to be in the mid-five-figure range. The violent incident disrupted morning Pentecost services.
Church in Sindelfingen Vandalised
June 7, 2025, GermanyA church situated on Liebenzeller Straße in Sindelfingen, Baden-Württemberg, was targeted in a spree of vandalism. The damage was discovered later that day, with police confirming that unknown individuals had overturned liturgical furnishings, breaking off several candle holders, removing floral arrangements, plant pots, shelving, and other church fixtures, and relocating them to the building’s entrance vestibule.
Germany: Anti-Christian Hate Crimes rise by 22%
June 6, 2025, GermanyThe German Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) recorded 337 politically motivated anti-Christian hate crimes for 2024, an increase of 21.66% from 277 crimes in 2023. This represents a continuation of the negative trend observed in the previous year, during which anti-Christian hate crimes increased by 100%.
Desecration of Crucifix in Rudy Raciborskie Forest
June 5, 2025, PolandA wooden roadside crucifix in Rudy Raciborskie, Poland, was deliberately vandalised in a shocking incident. The perpetrators sawed off the arms of the figure of Jesus, turned it upside down and draped rubbish over the desecrated image. Locals say this was timed to coincide with a significant celebration at the nearby sanctuary marking the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Our Lady of Pokorna. Residents described the incident as a deeply symbolic and intentional assault on their place of prayer.
Spanish Evangelicals banned from using funeral chapels
May 31, 2025, SpainIn May 2025, the Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain (FEREDE) filed a formal complaint with the Spanish ombudsman, denouncing discrimination against the evangelical community in Spain, including a ban on using funeral chapels.
Vandals Assault Parishioner And Destroy Church Window During Choir Practice
May 30, 2025, United KingdomOn 30 May, 2025, a choir member was physically assaulted and a historic stained-glass window was broken during an evening rehearsal at St. Mary the Virgin Church in West Derby, Liverpool. This attack deeply shook both the choir members and the wider parish and raises concerns about personal safety in this sacred space.
Chapel and cemetery in Levens damaged by fires
May 26, 2025, FranceThe commune of Levens in the Alpes-Maritimes region of southeastern France experienced a series of deliberate fires targeting sacred sites. The Chapelle des Pénitents Noirs and the adjacent cemetery were both affected, with fires being started on the altar cloths in the chapel and in plastic flower pots in front of several graves. These acts of vandalism have left the local community in shock and mourning, particularly as some of the incidents occurred during visits to the cemetery on Mother's Day.