All cases

Woman attacked by burglar during mass

March 16, 2024, France

A woman was attacked by a burglar when entering Saint-Étienne Cathedral for mass on March 16.

Vicar Offers Aid After Church Theft

March 15, 2024, United Kingdom

While the choir was practising in the early evening of March 15, various donated items worth £1,000 were stolen from the St Matthew’s Church in Burnley. However, the vicar Father Alex Frost, reaches out to people in need offering help in response to the theft.

Excrements found in St Michael the Church in Marktrodach

March 15, 2024, Germany

The pastor of the Protestant church in Marktrodach discovered human excrement behind the altar in the afternoon of March 15. The perpetrator is unknown, but it appears to be a repeat occurrence. The police reported that this was not the first instance of such an act in the church.

St John's Church in Herford remains closed due to vandalism

March 15, 2024, Germany

For the past few months, incidents of vandalism and damages have occurred in the Neuer Markt church in the Herford district. The pews have repeatedly been pushed and knocked over, a curtain has been torn down, a large sign reading 'open church', which is usually located at the back of the church, has been removed and placed on the altar and leaflets removed from their displays and scattered around the room. Furthermore, there have been complaints in the past about unknown individuals leaving their excrement in the church. Although the number of incidents has decreased, faeces are unfortunately still occasionally discovered in the church.

South Korean pastor arrested for missionary work in Russia

March 15, 2024, Russia

Baek Kwang-Soon, a South Korean pastor was detained in Russia on espionage charges after being found to have been working with North Korean fugitives in Vladivostok. According to Lee Seong Gu, head of the Global Love Rice Sharing Foundation, Baek had been doing missionary work and providing clothes, food, and the Gospel to Russian, Thai, and North Korean workers in need. Baek was arrested earlier this year by Russian law enforcement authorities, as reported by Russian state news agency Tass on Monday, March 11.

Statue of Mary damaged by gunshot

March 14, 2024, Poland

On 14 March, an unknown person fired a gun at the statue of the Virgin Mary in the Chapel of the Mother of God in the village of Trojanów. Following the attack, the parish organised a Stations of the Cross in reparation for this "heartbreaking act". The police are investigating.

A Statue of the Virgin Mary was Riddled with Bullets

March 14, 2024, France

A statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the Notre-Dame-des-Mines chapel in Alès was found riddled with bullets alongside other damage like graffiti and stones thrown at the roof, prompting an investigation and a public fundraising campaign.

Gravestones and a statue of Mary defaced with spray paint

March 12, 2024, Poland

In March 2025, a series of vandalism incidents targeting Christian sites were reported in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. According to local police spokesperson Marcin Krasucki, the first report came on 12 March from Piotrków Kujawski, where unknown perpetrators spray-painted and damaged nine gravestones in the town’s cemetery. Shortly after, a roadside statue of the Virgin Mary in the village of Jurków was defaced with spray paint and the surrounding fence was damaged. A third report came from the cemetery in Połajewo, where 11 gravestones were similarly vandalised with paint.

Vandalism of shrine: Statue of Mary smashed

March 12, 2024, Poland

On 12 March 2023, local media reported an act of vandalism against the chapel located in the office building of the Zamrzenica Forest District. An unknown perpetrator vandalised the shrine, destroying flower pots, flowers and candles, and smashing the statue of Mary.

Church and 50 graves desecrated with Islamist slogans

March 11, 2024, France

During the night of March 11, acts of vandalism were committed in the cemetery of the village Clermont-d'Excideuil. Inscriptions with Islamic references were found on graves, the war memorial, the church door, a calvary memorial, and a fountain. Some of the tags read "France is already Allah's", "Isa will break the cross" and "Submit to Islam". Altogether, more than 50 graves were smeared.