All cases
Thieves Steal money and Break icons of Church in Serbia
November 6, 2022, SerbiaThe Church of St. George in Bor was ransacked, and thieves took the money that the faithful left in boxes under the benches. They also broke several icons in the church. Furthermore, they broke into the church's souvenir shop and took all the money they found there. The police are looking for the perpetrators.
Unknown persons vandalize and set fire to church in Germany
November 2, 2022, GermanyAn employee of the parish had unlocked the 700-year-old house of worship on Wednesday morning (2.11.2022), 8 o'clock. When he returned to the church around 11 a.m., he noticed that several stacks of brochures on a table in the church were on fire. "It was only by chance and the quick and courageous intervention of a church employee that the church in Helmstedt did not go up in flames". The regionalHeute.de news source reported the incident.
Arson to Church in Russia
October 30, 2022, RussiaOn Sunday, October 30, the rector of the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called on Vuoksa (Vasilevo village, Priozersky district of Leningrad region) contacted the police. He reported that unknown perpetrators tried to set fire to the structure of a wooden church. The fire burned part of the outer wall of the church. The vandals also broke down the gate to the bridge leading to the temple. The rector of the temple said that he had not had conflicts with anyone.
Vandalism and theft in a church in Chuvashia
October 30, 2022, RussiaOn the morning of October 30, the police were contacted by of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Churachiki, who discovered the loss of silver jewelry from a casket in a church shop and an opened donation box. The attacker entered the temple by breaking a window.
Windows of Protestant church damaged
October 28, 2022, GermanyBetween the 22. and 28. of October, the windows of the Protestant church in Urspringen were damaged by unknown perpetrators. An employee of the church filed a complaint for damage to property. She had found four small holes in the windows of the church. According to the police, the affected panes are at a height of three metres. The damage amounts to about 500 euros.
Violent Man Vandalises church in Switzerland
October 27, 2022, SwitzerlandIn the morning of October 27. a man vandalised the church of San Carlo in Lugano. First, holding a vase of flowers, he hit the protective glass of the statue of the Virgin above the altar. Then he used a candleholder to destroy other statues and objects in the church, including decapitating a plaster statue of Padre Pio. The sacristan's wife, assisted by another person, locked the intruder in the church and called the police. The sacristan, who arrived at the church shortly after, tried to stop the intruder, who then attempted to assault him.
Arsonist sets fire to a church in Transcarpathia, Ukraine
October 27, 2022, UkraineOn October 27 a 61-year-old man set seven buildings on fire, included the local church, in Dyula, a Ukrainian village near the border with Romania with about 1,500 inhabitants. He was later arrested and faces up to 10 years in prison.
Perpetrators Vandalise Church, Steal Altar Cross And try to Burn Church
October 25, 2022, GermanyOn the night of the 25. Oktober, unknown burglars entered the Evangelical Lutheran Emmaus Church in Leipzig by smashing a window. They damaged parts of the furnishings and the organ room, causing considerable damage mostly to the sanctuary. Among other items, the altar cross was stolen, leaving toilet paper instead. The perpetrators also set fire to the church. The amount of damage could not yet be quantified.
Unknown vandals destroyed a crucifix in Ukraine
October 25, 2022, UkraineOn October 25, unknown vandals broke the crucifix at the entrance to the village of Pryvitiv in the Zhytomyr region and damaged the crucifix, according to the press service of the Zhytomyr diocese. The rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (UOC-MP), Fr. Alexander Litvinyuk, said that the cross had been installed by the care and guardianship of the community of this temple, located inside the village.
Unknown Vandals Damage Bible, Candles and Hymn Books in German Church
October 22, 2022, GermanyOn the 22. October, vandals entered a church in Nidda (Germany) and threw down hymn books, damaged candles and spilt candle wax on the altar and on a Bible. The damage of the church took place during the opening hours in the afternoon and the damage amounts to about 150 Euros. The police in Büdingen are asking for information from witnesses.
Church Tagged with Graffiti in Belgium
October 20, 2022, BelgiumIt was reported on the 20. October that the walls of the Sint-Elisabeth Church in Kortrijk were vandalized with crossed-out crosses and the word "F*CK" written with black spray paint. This is not the first time the church has faced vandalism. The pastor of the church, Guido Cooman, said that he is going to file a complaint with the police.
Stained Glass Windows of Church Broken by Vandals in France
October 19, 2022, FranceAirsoft bullets damaged the stained glass windows of a church in France, as Actu France reported on the 19. October. The windows of the church Saint-Ténénan, in Guerlesquin, show notably significant damages following airsoft shootings.
Destruction of a cross at a forest in Poland
October 18, 2022, PolandOn October 18, 2022, local Polish media reported the destruction of a cross in the Rudki forest. An unknown perpetrator cut down a century-old wooden cross located in a forest complex on the edge of Lublin and Krężnica Jareja.
Vandal destroys statue of Pope John Paul II in Poland
October 17, 2022, PolandOn the 17. October, the police in Lubasz were notified that an unknown vandal had severely damaged the statue of John Paul II, which was estimated at a loss of PLN 1,500. The 20-year-old perpetrator has been caught by the police and now faces up to 5 years imprisonment for the crime he committed. However, the final punishment will be decided by the court.
Repeated Vandalism to a church in Spain
October 10, 2022, SpainThe mayor of the municipality of Ponte Caldelas, Andrés Díaz, has denounced through his social networks several acts of vandalism committed in a Chapel of the town. In the photos he posted it can be noticed that the saints of the church have been painted black as well as signatures that the vandals left all over the building.
Several Baroque Church Windows Damaged by Vandals in Austria
October 8, 2022, AustriaBetween the 7. and 8. October, unknnown perpetrators threw apples at the hexagonal baroque windows of a collegiate church in Klagenfurt. The police has to quantify the amount of the damage to property.
Cathedral of Lugo Vandalized by Young People and Posted on TikTok
October 4, 2022, SpainA TikTok video shows how a large group of young people vandalize the Cathedral of Lugo – declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015 – by climbing up and down its facade in a kind of competition. Earlier this year, in March there was another incident of vandalism at the cathedral, as three young men urinated on its facade. The damage done was estimated around 900 Euro by the police.
Vandals Throw Eggs at Church in Germany
October 3, 2022, GermanyIn the city of Vöhringen, unknown perpetrators threw several eggs at the façade wall of the front side and the main entrance of the church in the Roselfelder Straße between 31 October and 3 November. After it was cleaned, not all residues could be removed, according to the police report, which estimates the damage caused at several hundred euros.
Extreme Vandalism to Saint-Joseph Chapel in France
October 3, 2022, FranceDuring the week of the 3rd of October, the Saint-Joseph chapel in Saint-Pol-de-Léon was vandalised by unknown perpetrators. The door was smashed with an axe and the cupboards were searched. The perpetrators also broke windows, dishes and kitchenware. Some electronic devices were stolen and the library was ransacked. On top of that, inside the tabernacle, the vandals smashed crucifixes and other sacred symbols. A case has been filed with the police.
Bleach thrown at an image of the Virgin of the Rosary during a procession in Spain
October 2, 2022, SpainOn the Sunday night of October the 2nd, an unidentified person threw bleach from a balcony at the image of the Virgin of the Rosary when the statue was in procession near the Cathedral. The Local Police were immediately informed and are trying to identify the perpetrator of this hate crime.