All cases
Burglaries in Churches and Parish Buildings
August 24, 2012, GermanyThe parish building in Klotten and Pommern and the sacristy of the church in Bremm were broken into by burglars looking for money.
Vandalism in Naklo
August 22, 2012, SloveniaOn 22nd August 2012 unknown perpetrators desecrated a chapel of Saint Anthony in Naklo, Slovenia. They wrote the word "Satan" on the floor and words like "You worship the wrong God" on one of the frescos with a black grafitti. On another fresco they drew a cross turned upside down.
Jewels of Image of Mary Stolen at Sanctuary in Rijeka
August 21, 2012, CroatiaOn August 21, 2012, the Holy See National Contact Point of the Apostolic Nunciature in Croatia reported that in the sanctuary of the Madonna of Trsat, Rijeka, golden jewels of the image of Mary, the mother of Jesus were stolen.
Burglars in Church Sacristy in Treis
August 20, 2012, GermanyAn unidentified perpetrator broke into the sacristy of a Church in Treis and attempted to steal money. The police did not release the amount of the damage.
Vandalism at the Cemetery in Spišské Vlachy
August 16, 2012, SlovakiaOn August 16 six graves had their graves stones displaces, vases and candleholders broken by unknown intruders. This was discovered by a town employee who notified the police.
Catholic Church in Bötzingen Broken Into and Defiled
August 16, 2012, GermanyIn Bötzingen (Freiburg) on the 16th of August one or perhaps more perpetrators broke into the Catholic Church on the main street in Bötzingen, destroying the decorations around the church. The perpetrators also defiled the sacred space by urinating and splashed holy water on an open torn up bible. More damage has also been detected in several pipes of the organ.
Chapel of Saint-Sébastien Set on Fire
August 8, 2012, FranceThe chapel of Saint-Sébastien in the region of le Gard, France, suffered an arson attack which partially destroyed the wooden part of the altar. This was not the first attack on the chapel.
Desecration of Graves in Lithuania
August 6, 2012, LithuaniaOn August 6th, 2012, graves in Balbieriškis were vandalised.
Church in Sachsen Broken Into
July 31, 2012, GermanyIn Angel (Sachsen), the church of St. Pancras was desecrated, sacred chalices and alms for the poorest were stolen.
Westphalian Church St Ida Broken Into
July 27, 2012, GermanyIn Münster-Gremmendorf (Westphalia) the church of St. Ida was desecrated. Sacred vestments were thrown into the gutter, the sacred space was desecrated and the Sacristy broken into. Donations for the poor stolen as well.
Christian Cemetery Devastated
July 27, 2012, GermanyIn Herzberg a Christian cemetery and place for the exhibition of the dead was devastated.
Desecration of Graves in Herzberg
July 27, 2012, GermanyOn the 27th of July 2012, graves and mourning areas in Herzberg, Germany were desecrated. This was reported by the Apostolic Nunciature of Germany.
Violence and Damages in Aggressive Disruption of a Pro-Life Manifestation
July 24, 2012, AustriaMore than 80 pro-abortion-activists attacked the pro-life manifestation “1000 Crosses-March” organized by the Youth for Life and Human Life International in Salzburg-City. Blockages, insults and windows smashed kept a large number of police busy.
Burglary in Church of the Holy Cross in Meiningen
July 12, 2012, GermanyUnidentified perpetrators broke into the church of the Holy Cross through a broken window. They stole a donation box with a few euros. Police are investigating.
Plundered Donation Boxes in Churches in Euskirchen
July 8, 2012, GermanyBurglars forced their way into churches in Kirspenich, Schönau and Nemmenich and plundered the donation boxes.
Desecration of Church in Eckerförde, Offertory Box Robbed
July 6, 2012, GermanyA robber broke into the church in Eckerförde and stole the money being collected for the poor out of the offertory boxes. He left an apologetic message in the visitors book.
Burglars Caught in the Act in the Church of Holy Spirit in Flensburg
June 25, 2012, GermanyTwo young men, 18 and 22 years old, known to police from past attempted burglaries in St. Nicolas church and the church of St. Mary; were caught in the act of burglary in the Holy Spirit church. They cracked several donation boxes and stole the coins.
Catholic Church Broken Into and Desecrated in Lübeck
June 23, 2012, GermanyIn Bergtheide (Lübeck) the Catholic church has been broken into, the Altar was completely desecrated. Donations for the poorest were stolen and sacred artifacts defiled and partly destroyed. Church had to be ritually cleansed and blessed anew.
Vandalism and Burglary in Catholic Church of St. Bernard in Bad Herrenalb
June 22, 2012, GermanyUnknown perpetrators broke into the church of St. Bernard and caused serious property damage. A candlestick was dragged from the side chapel and used to break the offertory box and the money inside was stolen. The money box under the statue of Saint Anthony was torn out of the wall. Many doors were damaged and the cupboards in the sacristy were opened, searched and turned upside down.
„Youth Defense“ Posters Devastated and Sprayed With Offensive Graffiti
June 21, 2012, IrelandPosters of an Irish organisation that opposes legalisation of abortion „Youth Defense“ were devastated and sprayed upon with offensive graffiti all around Dublin. The posters were covered with paint and torn down and the video of that act appeared in social media.
Protestant Church Vandalised For a Second Time In This Year
June 12, 2012, GermanyIn Haltingen in Weil am Rhein, for the second time this year, a Protestant church was desecrated - the police expressed their surprise as there is not much to gain by breaking into a church. According to the police, there must be other motives than robbery as statistically this has not happened as much in others houses of prayer, such as mosques or synagogues.
Graves Plundered in Osijek
June 3, 2012, CroatiaThe Apostolic Nunciature of Croatia reported that over an unknown period of time, graves were plundered by chapel workers in Osijek, Croatia.
Vienna Church St. Johann the Evangelist Vandalised
June 1, 2012, AustriaOn June 1, an unknown person entered the parish church of St. Johann Evangelist on Keplerplatz and destroyed several windows in the second entrance doors located inside the church.
Burglars Steal Monstrance and Altar Cross from Church in Krefeld
May 30, 2012, GermanyUnidentified perpetrators broke into the parish office of the Church of Our Lady. There they took a key of the church opposite which they entered and ransacked. They caused damage in the church sacristy, broke a cabinet and stole a monstrance and an altar cross.
Windows Broken at Catholic School Centre
May 27, 2012, Bosnia and HerzegovinaWindows were broken by someone throwing stones at them in the gym of the Catholic School Centre in Travnik, Bosnia-Herzegovina, between the 27th and the 28th of May 2012.
Burglary in the Church of St. John in Petersberg
May 20, 2012, GermanyA unknown perpetrator broke through a window into the Petersburg church of St. John. All the rooms were searched and eventually he fled with only five Euros from the church.
St. Martin's Church in Bürstadt Desecrated
May 19, 2012, GermanyIn Bürstadt (Idstein) the St. Martin's Church was desecrated. The offertory for the poor was torn down and the holy sanctuary desecrated.
Local Church in Bispingen Desecrated
May 19, 2012, GermanyIn Bispingen (Walsrode) the local church was desecrated. There were anti-Christian graffiti sprayed across the walls and satanic symbols drawn on the dais in the sanctuary. Also, the outer wall was ruined.
Statue of Jesus Beaten and Beheaded
May 12, 2012, GermanyA 2-meter-tall statue of Jesus was attacked at a cemetory in Pausa/Saxony. The vandals beheaded the statue and hit the head until it broke into pieces. They left with the face. Pastor Frank Pierel is shocked and saddened and reports that such attacks take place rather frequently in his area. The material damage amounts to 3000 Euro.
Church Broken Into in Dolina
May 12, 2012, Bosnia and HerzegovinaBetween the 12th and 13th of May 2012, someone broke into a church in Dolina, Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina. While doing so, the perpetrator(s) caused significant damage to the front door.
Church Set on Fire in Lithuania
May 9, 2012, LithuaniaOn May 9th 2012, a church in Pastuva was set on fire and burned to the ground.
Christian Graves Vandlised in Canohès
May 4, 2012, FranceFour Chrisitan graves were vandalised and tagged with anti-Christian wordings the cemetery of Canohès in the Easter Pyrenees.
Church Set on Fire and Vandalised in Clouzeaux
April 18, 2012, FranceThe Church of the 'Bon Pasteur' was visited by vandals who tried to put it on fire after having done much damages.
Vandalism in a Church in Haute-Savoie
April 7, 2012, FranceOn Good Saturday, just a few hours before the Easter Vigil, three men entered the Church of Cruseilles (Haute-Savoie) and set fire to leaflets, prayer and singing books. An altar’s tablecoth was also burnt and the main altar damaged.
Churches Tagged in Couvin
March 26, 2012, BelgiumThe doors of seven churches of Couvin, in the diocese of Namur, Belgium, were targeted by vandals. The front door of the church of Couvin was marked in white paint saying "Religion is the opium of the people".
Cemetery Vandalised in Suhopole
March 20, 2012, CroatiaOn the 20th of March 2012 the Apostolic Nunciature in Croatia reported that a cemetery in the city of Suhopole, Croatia, had been vandalised.
Church Property Damaged in Pozor
March 18, 2012, Bosnia and HerzegovinaOn the 18th of March, 2012, a church in Pozor, Bosnia Herzegovina, noticed that some of its inventory had been damaged, as well as some of its money stolen.
Church of Herblay Targeted by Criminal Fire
March 8, 2012, FranceThe Church of St. Martin, in Herblay, was the target of an arson attack on Thursday, March 8th, 2011. The fire was started in three different areas of the church but was stopped in time by a parishioner.
Christian Church Targeted in Turkey
March 4, 2012, TurkeyOn Sunday, March 4, police notified the pastor of Samsun Agape Church that someone had attacked the church building. The attacker kicked in the church door to get inside. He also damaged the church sign before being detained by police and a neighbor.
Constant Vandalism against Christian Churches
February 29, 2012, GermanyIn Duisburg a group of migrant youths, aged between 10 and 14, keeps destroying the windows of Catholic and Protestant churches, disturbing services (eg. with firecrackers), write hate slogans on the church wall and insult the clergy. So far the police had only investigated one of the numerous cases of vandalism directed against churches in the area.
Church in Turkey Vandalised
February 25, 2012, TurkeyOn February 25th 2012 a man vandalised the agape church in Samsun. He was soon identified, confessed and was released.
Cemetery Vandalised in Boué
February 20, 2012, FranceUp to 100 graves were the target of vandals in the cemetery of Boué. Ornaments, crosses, plaques and flower pots and vases were broken. The cemetery had to be closed for the police’s investigation.
Church Vandalised and Holy Sacrament Descrated in Châtillon
February 15, 2012, FranceOn Wednesday, February 8th, 2012, at about 1:30 p.m., the chapel of Saint Joseph in Châtillon was vandalized and the Holy Sacrament stolen.
Church in Tuzla Broken Into
February 15, 2012, Bosnia and HerzegovinaBetween the 15th and 16th of February 2012, a church in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, was broken into. The cross was thrown down, and prayer and song books for the service were torn.
Hinckley United Reform Church Windows Vandalised
February 12, 2012, United KingdomThe Reverend Malcolm Clarke, minister at Hinckley United Reform Church, said two large "historic inscribed" windows had been completely smashed. The minister said he was shocked and saddened by the attack: "I feel sad and let down," Mr Clarke said.
Church of Épiais Completely Ruined by Criminal Fire
February 4, 2012, FranceThe church of Épinais had just been restored when it was completely destroyed during the night from February 4th to 5th, 2012. Five young men were arrested by the police.
Cemetery in Istres Vandalised
February 3, 2012, FranceOn the 3rd of February 2012, the Apostolic Nunciature in France reported that a cemetery in Istres, France, was vandalised.
Church in Aplerbeck Broken Into, Offertory Boxes Robbed
January 9, 2012, GermanyOn January 9th the protestant church in Aplerbeck was broken into. The offertory boxes were robbed and the money, which was meant for a good cause, was stolen.
Attempted Burglary and Vandalism in Görlitz
January 5, 2012, GermanyBurglars tried to break into the Görglitz Peterskirche. They broke an ornamental glass window and the damage adds up to at least 1000€ even though nothing was stolen.
Vandalism Against a Church in the North of Duisburg
January 4, 2012, GermanyA Church in Duisburg was badly vandalised on New Year's Eve by unknown perpetrators who used stones and fireworks. Many windows were broken including those with security glass. Fireworks were fired through the holes made in the windows. Damage to property was a minimum of 15 000 Euros.