All cases

Church in Krakow Profaned and Damaged

March 3, 2021, Poland

On the evening of March 2nd, a group of youths attempted to break into the church and desecrate the shrine of Our Lady of Myślenice. After failing to do so, they began vandalising the area around the shrine and damaging the epitaph on the façade with a bottle, which was recorded by CCTV cameras. The spokesman for the Krakow Curia, Father Łukasz Michalczewski, explained that the attack was not random, as the perpetrators recorded the incident with a mobile phone. The case is being investigated by the police.

Repeated Paint Attacks by Pro-Choice Group on Church in Berlin

March 3, 2021, Germany

On the night of March 3rd, St Elisabeth's Church in Berlin-Schöneberg was attacked with paint for the third time by pro-choice activists. The perpetrators sprayed slogans with "My body, My choice" on the church walls to the right and left of the main portal. Although the perpetrators are not yet known, the attack is in line with two very similar attacks last year, after which there were letters of confession from a left-wing extremist pro-choice group. For this reason it is assumed that the same group is responsible for the crime occurring this year. The damage amounts to about 4000€, which the parish has to pay for itself. The police is investigating.

Intruders Vandalize Church and Attack Priest

March 3, 2021, Poland

Paweł S., 21, and Mikołaj K., 19, organized an alcoholic binge on March 3rd, in an old church in Budziwoj. They entered the temple by breaking three windows and while they were there, smashed chairs, benches, and the main and side altars causing damage of 10,000 zloty. Priest, Fr. Mieczysław Lignowski, was alerted by parishioners of the activity, and then tried to prevent the vandals from escaping by blocking the entrance. He was hit several times by Mikołaj, but the police arrived in time to catch the perpetrators.

Vandals Set Fire to Church Door in Corleone

March 1, 2021, Italy

On the morning of March 1st, the Church of Sant'Agostino in Corleone was attacked by unknown vandals. The perpetrators set fire to the entrance door of the church. The fire brigade immediately intervened and extinguished the fire to prevent greater damage to the 15th century church. The police is investigating.

Perpetrator Filmed Himself Smashing The Statue of Notre-Dame-des-Marais

February 28, 2021, France

The statue of Notre-Dame-des-Marais in the church of Saint-Sulpice in Fougères was a victim of an act of vandalism. The 62-Kilogram statue, which stands more than three meters high, was thrown to the ground by a man, aged around 50 and believed to be a local resident. He filmed his act in a fifteen-minute video entitled "Divine Justice." He made remarks before the act of vandalism. He said: "No nudity and no idols, we are in the church of Jesus Christ here, so this is all a joke, this statue does not belong in my church." The police in Fougères have opened an investigation.

Unknown Perpetrators Steal Monstrances and Paten From Church In Freiburg

February 27, 2021, Germany

Unknown perpetrators stole two monstrances and a paten from the parish church of St. Konrad and Elisabeth in Freiburg during the night of February 26th. According to the police, the perpetrators broke open the outer door and got inside the church, where three religious objects, two valuable monstrances and a gold-plated paten, were stolen. The damage caused by the theft amounts to about 7,000 euros. According to Father Frank Prestel, the theft of the monstrances and the paten had damaged "the heart of the Eucharist" and the crime was part of a series of recent burglaries in churches in the area. The police is investigating.

Majority of Hate Crime Victims (42%) Are Catholics

February 26, 2021, United Kingdom

Recent figures show that Catholics are the most common victims of religious prejudice and hate crime in Scotland. 42% of religiously motivated hate crimes are perpetrated against Catholics, compared to 26% against Muslims and 10% against Protestants. In contrast, Scottish Government figures show that racially-motivated hate crimes have fallen by 20% between 2014-15 and 2019-20. At the same time, the hate crime rate against transgender persons doubled in number. Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie expressed that hate crime is an "under-reported offence", which means that victims "can be targeted on numerous occasions before they report to our officers".

Arson at the Church of Aranova

February 26, 2021, Italy

On February 26th, three youths vandalised the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Aranova. The three perpetrators entered the church, set fire to the canopy and damaged the lectern. Local politicians described this as a very serious act that desecrated a sacred place of great value for all people who profess the Catholic faith and all those who believe in freedom of worship.

Spain Permits Feminist Marches, While Still Restricting All Forms of Worship Including Easter Celebrations

February 26, 2021, Spain

The Spanish authorities still maintain severe restrictions on public meetings and also religious services. In late February it was officially announced that public marches with up to 500 participants will be allowed on the International Women's Day, March 8th, which was demanded by feminist groups. At the same time, restrictions have already been announced for Holy Week celebrations and other church-related festivals, on the grounds that Holy Week processions are riskier than Women's Day marches. Fr Francisco José Delgado criticised the official decisions, saying that they were not primarily a matter of health policy: "The Ministry of Health advises against these marches, showing this is more about the political confrontation between the political parties in the government than from a real concern for the health of the people, which has been missing in the decisions that have been made since the pandemic started".

Christian NHS Director and Judge Loses His Appeal Against Being Fired Over Expressing His Traditional View On Family

February 26, 2021, United Kingdom

Richard Page, NHS director and judge, has lost his appeal after being dismissed and now wants to take his case to the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeal had ruled last Friday that his dismissals were lawful after Page said in a television interview in 2016 that children grow up best with a mother and a father. At the time, Page, who is now 74 and from Kent, was presiding over an adoption case and said he was discriminated against because of his Christian beliefs on parenthood. Since then, he has been fighting decisions to remove him from his positions and is supported by the Christian Legal Centre (CLC).