All cases

Vienna Court: Prayer Vigil Outside Abortion Facilities Permitted

January 23, 2026, Austria

In January 2026, the Vienna Administrative Court ruled that a peaceful prayer vigil held in the proximity of an abortion facility in Vienna falls within the scope of the constitutionally protected freedom of assembly. The decision overturned an earlier prohibition issued by the Vienna police authorities.

UK Police Ban Christian March Over Fear of Muslim Community Reaction

January 23, 2026, United Kingdom

The Metropolitan Police blocked a UK Independence Party “Walk With Jesus” march scheduled for 31 January in Whitechapel, east London, citing fears it would provoke a hostile reaction from the local Muslim community and lead to “serious violence and disorder.”

Vandals Damage Religious Statue Inside Church

January 21, 2026, France

A statue of the Virgin Mary was found to have been deliberately knocked over and damaged on 21 January 2026 inside the Église Saint-Sylve in Toulouse, where the parish priest discovered the overturned figure after the morning Mass.

Graffiti and Damage Reported at Emden Church

January 21, 2026, Germany

Between 16 and 21 January 2026, the Martin Luther Church in Emden was vandalised with graffiti, and its lightning rod wire was deliberately damaged by unknown individuals.

Nativity Scene Theft Reported at Church in Grone

January 19, 2026, Italy

A theft occurred at the church of Santa Maria Nascente in Grone in mid-January, when two individuals from the Milan area stole a ceramic statuette of the infant Jesus from the church’s nativity scene.

Missal Set Ablaze in Alessandria Chapel

January 19, 2026, Italy

On the morning of 19 January 2026, an unknown individual set fire to a liturgical missal inside the Chiesa del Monserrato in Alessandria.

Zamora Suffers Another Vandal Attack on Church

January 18, 2026, Spain

On 18 January 2026, vandals defaced the rear façade of the Iglesia de Santiago el Burgo in Zamora with a slogan: “More housing and fewer churches”.

Buncton’s 11th‑Century Church Attacked

January 18, 2026, United Kingdom

All Saints Church in Buncton, West Sussex, suffered extensive damage after almost all of its windows were smashed and fixtures vandalised between 13 and 18 January.

Sacred Objects Damaged During Prayer in St Peter Basilica

January 17, 2026, Italy

An incident took place inside the Cappella del Santissimo Sacramento at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome, where a man threw several sacred objects from the altar to the ground during Eucharistic adoration.

Profanation at Église Saint-Sever: Theft of Consecrated Hosts

January 16, 2026, France

At the Église Saint-Sever in Rouen, France, consecrated hosts were stolen from the tabernacle of the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament on 16 January 2026, an act described as grave profanation.