All cases

Sacrificial Canes Taken from Church in Reichenbach

April 13, 2022, Germany

On April 13th, anonymous people broke into the St. Michael Church in Reichenbach and stole several items from the church. They took two large candlesticks that had sacrificial canes attached to them as well as money from a victims box which they had to pry open. Ludwigsstadt police station was requesting information from anyone who knew about the crime.

Blasphemous Writings on Wall of Donoratico Church

April 13, 2022, Italy

The walls of the Santa Maria church of Donoratico were defaced with blasphemous writings on April 13th. Words such as "Don't pray to a Lord, shoot the banker" were written along with various skulls and masks. The priest Don Antony, reported the crime to the Carabinieri but did not know who did it.

Stations of Cross Destroyed in Wintersweiler

April 13, 2022, Germany

Harald Hofmann, chairman of the parish council, was shocked to find several stations of the Cross destroyed on April 13th. He was not sure who did it but a cross was torn out, the devotional board was knocked over, and boards were taken off a resting bench. The parish had been working on them for months so this was very disappointing.

76-year-old Grandmother Arrested for Praying Outside during Lockdown

April 13, 2022, United Kingdom

76-year-old Rosa Lalor was arrested on February 24th, 2021 as she did not have a "reasonable excuse" to be outside at the time. This was despite her explaining to the police officer that she was "walking and praying," and daily exercise was allowed. The officer accused her of not praying in a house of worship and fined her £200 after detaining her in a police car. She challenged this fine and has taken it to court with the help of ADF UK.

Baptists and Other Religious Minorities Face Persecution in Russian - Occupied Ukraine

April 13, 2022, Ukraine

As predicted, religious minorities have experienced increasing persecution in the Russian occupied areas of Ukraine. According to reports, Baptists seemed to be especially targeted by Russian forces. Elijah Brown, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, said that in his most recent visit to Ukraine, he was informed that "Baptist leaders needed to evacuate as the security officers had credible information that the invaders intentionally intended to target Baptist pastors in those areas."

Several Sacred Objects Stolen from Aragona Church

April 12, 2022, Italy

At some point between last November and March of 2022, chalices, copes, pyxes and stoles were taken from the church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Piazza Umberto I in Aragona. The theft of these sacred objects was investigated by the police but there was little information which makes it difficult to discover who may be the thief and where the items are.

Anti-Catholic Graffiti on Sant Joan Church

April 12, 2022, Spain

Anti-Catholic tags appeared on a church in Gràcia, Barcelona on the 12th of April. This time, the Sant Joan Church received the abuse which was, among other things, the words "Church and patriarchy, criminal alliance 8M" scrawled on the wall in black. Councilor of Valents in Gràcia, Jordi Daura, wrote on Twitter: "It is an absolute disgrace the constant lack of respect for the Church by bigots. We will demand that the insults are cleaned up."

St. Mary's Church in Parchim Vandalized

April 12, 2022, Germany

The St. Mary's church in Parchim was targeted by an act of vandalism on April 12th. Unknown malefactors broke the organ, smeared the floor with a chalky substance, stole two door keys, and damaged a prayer table. The police investigated the incident.

Three Teenagers Extinguish Arson Fire in Holland

April 12, 2022, Netherlands

Three teenagers aged around 14 discovered a fire at the church on the Brink in Sint Anthonis on the 12th of April. They noticed the smoke when they were passing by the church of Antonius Abbot and went to raise the alarm at a cafe nearby. The boys managed to put out the fire themselves with water buckets before the firebrigade arrived.

Four Figures of Mary Destroyed in Lewniowa

April 11, 2022, Denmark

To the shock of all, four statues of Mary were destroyed on the 11th of April, three in Lewniowa and one in the neighboring Gnojnik. The statues were quite near the Church of Our Lady and made of concrete so it definitely took considerable force to break them. Artur Seniuk, the mayor of Lewniowa, said: "It is sad, especially that it happened before Easter."