On Friday the 8th of April, a cross made of bronze was stolen from an Augustinian church in Mainz. A nun noticed that the cross was missing from the altar and, upon reviewing video, the police were able to recognize a 51 year old man who had previously stolen goods. They were then able to locate the cross, along with three alter candles, and return them to the church. The man was convicted of the theft.
The Redeemer church of Halstenbek was the victim of a targeted attack on April 8th that left the church a mess. The rioters destroyed alter candles, scattered sand in the worship place, burned pages of the Bible, and took metal letters from the "song display." Due to the severity of the act, police were investigating and wanted witnesses who might be able to give them information about who committed the crime.
The church of San Gottardo in Vittorio Veneto has been once again vandalized in an attack that was described as blasphemous and brutal. The incident was reported on the 7th of April. Unknown perpetrators inscribed Insults and phallic symbols in black on the walls of the sacred temple. Due to the lack of surveillance cameras, those who did it will be hard to find but after this act, the Municipality was considering putting some in.
Two men were taken into custody by the police on April 6th as they were expected to have committed multiple thefts and sacrilegious acts at Catholic churches in the Paris region. The churches included the Saint-Pierre Church in Bondy and the church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois in Romainville, in which the tabernacle and consecrated hosts were vandalized, as well as thefts in the Grenoble Cathedral, and churches located in Val-de-Marne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Paris. The total damage amounted to several tens of thousand of euros.
The letter Z was painted several times on the entrance of the Russian Orthodox Church in Strasbourg on April 6th. This letter is a symbol that has been associated with the Russian Army and the attack was obviously hateful. A complaint has been filed and the parish commented: "We mourn what is happening and wish a quick return of peace to Ukrainian land."
Russian troops vandalised a large cemetery near Mariupol on March 4th by repeatedly driving over crosses and tombstones with tanks. The necropolis is one of the largest in Europe and those who witnessed the event called it sacrilege. The cemetery was entirely destroyed in this unnecessary, sacrilegious, and inhumane destruction.
A meter-high painted wooden statue of the Madonna of Fatima, along with a small crucifix, was stolen from the Church of the Company in Cerreto Guidi. The sacrilegious theft happened Tuesday, April 7th and greatly upset the people of the town. The statue was of "great emotional value" to the town said archpriest, Father Alessandro Locatelli, and "the Christian people of Cerreto have been deprived of a dear image." The incident was reported to the local police station.
It was only noticed on April 2nd that objects of worship had been stolen from the church in Rouillé, Vienne. The last event there was on March 19th so the theft of ciboriums, chalices, and patens, which had all been locked in the sacristy, could have happened any time. This was one of many similar thefts that have recently happened in the area so churches are considering options to prevent such acts in the future.
Stones were thrown at a picture of Christ in Via Merlo in what could only be described as a hateful act. The incident happened on March 31st and resulted in the glass that was covering the picture getting broken. The vandals also stole candles and flowers and left inscriptions around the sight.
Two religious paintings and tens of euros were stolen from the Santissima Annunziata church in Marian San Nicola on March 31st. The money was from the offertory which got damaged during the theft. Don Saji, the parish priest, reported the incident to the carabinieri who were investigating it.