German Bishops Conference Warns of Rising Church Vandalism

Posted on: October 16, 2025

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“All taboos have been broken when it comes to church vandalism.” With this statement, the German Bishops’ Conference has warned of a rise in church vandalism in Germany. It is not only the number of cases, but also their severity, that raises concern.

According to observations by the German Bishops’ Conference, acts of vandalism in Catholic churches have become increasingly severe. A spokesperson for the Bishops’ Conference stated that arson attacks had been carried out in sanctuaries, excrement had been left in confessionals, and statues of Christ had been decapitated. He spoke of an “escalation” in recent years, during which “all taboos have been broken.”

The spokesperson also referred to a “dark field of church vandalism not recorded in police statistics,” noting that many incidents are registered merely as cases of property damage. The scale of this under-reporting in Germany was highlighted in OIDAC Europe’s previous report.

The German Bishops’ Conference is now calling on the government to “take a closer look” at vandalism against churches, liturgical objects, sacred statues, and devotional images.

Sources: Vatican News, Katholisch.de