All cases

100 Years Old Polish Chapel Destroyed By Vandals

January 21, 2021, Poland

On January 21st, vandals destroyed an over 100-year-old chapel in Otwock. The statue of the Virgin Mary was torn off and stolen. Thanks to the efforts of some residents the chapel was renovated and a new statue bought. Because the owners of the chapel are unknown, the police did not take up any investigations.

Arson Attack On Church in Spånga

January 20, 2021, Sweden

On January the 20th, unknown perpetrators threw three Molotov cocktails at the church in Spånga. Windows were smashed, the entrance was damaged but no person was harmed during the attack. Pastor Jerker Alsterlund said, "We have no threat against us but it is a strong symbolic act." The police have cordoned off the area and are investigating for arson. Four days later on January 24th a second arson took place. A window was broken and a small fire with some smoke development was detected by a security company. The incident is currently classified as arson and the police is investigating whether there is a connection between the two attacks.

Sacred Items Stolen from Parish in El Chorrillo Neighborhood

January 20, 2021, Spain

Anonymous intruders broke into the San Juan de Ávila parish in the neighbourhood of El Chorrillo, on January 20th. They stole the tabernacle and in their haste to leave, dropped a number of ecclesiastical items belonging to the tabernacle in the surrounding area. A complaint was filed with the police. The newspaper reports the faithful were very affected and tried to recover all the parts that had been dropped around the church.

Cross Removed from Public Space in Spanish City Aguilar

January 19, 2021, Spain

The historic cross of the Discalced Carmelite Order was removed by the city of Aguilar de la Frontera on January 19th. The decision to cut down the cross of the Fallen was backed by the Act on Historical Remembrance. The act is concerned with removing symbols of the Franco regime. The leftist mayor Carmen Flores explained that the local Andalusian legislation regulates the public display of elements that glorify Francism and that the opinion of the church is irrelevant. The Spanish Association of Christian Lawyers contested the city council's decision to remove the cross to the administrative court.

ÖCV (Austrian Catholic Cartel Association) Resistance Memorial Smeared by Vandals

January 19, 2021, Austria

In the morning hours of January 19th, the ÖCV (Austrian Catholic Cartel Association) house was vandalized. A group of left-wing extremists entered the ÖCV house and smeared several signs in the entrance area with black paint. The plaque at the memorial for the victims and resistance fighters from the rank of the ÖCV was demolished with red paint and elsewhere anarchist symbols were left behind.

Vandals Destroyed A Church In Kaźmierz

January 18, 2021, Poland

On January 18th, the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kaźmierz was vandalized. Unknown perpetrators destroyed three stained glass windows in the church and smashed three windows in the sacristy. Priests and parishioners are very upset.

Twenty-Five Graves Vandalized in Saint-Jean d'Assé

January 18, 2021, France

On 18th January 2021, twenty-five graves in the cemetery of Saint-Jean-d’Assé have been desecrated and vandalized. Crosses and crucifies were broken and other objects were damaged. The unknown perpetrators created two fake graves using broken and vandalized objects that have been stolen from other graves. The mayor, Emmanuel Clément filled a complaint to the police and asked for witnesses.

Threats to Sacristan and Vandalism at Catholic Peter and Paul Church

January 15, 2021, Germany

On January 15th, the sacristan of the Peter and Paul Church in Lahr identified an unknown perpetrator, who had been damaging objects and behaving in a very undignified manner. The priest reported that the holy water vessels were torn from the anchoring, the disinfection bottle was on the floor, and the man defecated inside the church. The sacristan then prohibited the man to return, which led to him becoming abusive and threatening to kill the sacristan and blow up the church. Charges were filed and after a police investigation, the man got arrested.

Thirty- Three Graves Vandalized at the Guédéniau cemetery

January 15, 2021, France

On the 15 of January, around thirty graves in the Guédéniau cemetery in Baugé-en-Ajou were vandalized. The prefect condemned the acts and an investigation was opened by the gendarmerie as to who did it. The prefect said: "I give my full support to the mayor, the residents, and the injured families."

A Man Opposed To Euthanasia Is Ordered To Die Of Hunger And Thirst

January 13, 2021, United Kingdom

On November 6th, a middle aged man identified as RS fell into a coma after a heart attack left him with a severe and permanent brain damage. The man's wife and children supported the decision to turn off his life support system so he could die while receiving palliative care. The University Hospital Plymouth in the UK successfully applied for a permission to do so at the court. The patient's mother and sister argued that as a practicing Catholic, the man would refuse to be taken off life support because of his faith. They also claimed in an appeal to an English court, that the man's condition had improved and presented video footage take with a cell phone, showing the patient blinking and crying while they were in the room. The appeal was rejected by the English court and the European Court of Human Rights.