All cases

Fire in the Church Mother of Favara Destroys Organ, Paintings and Frescos

July 15, 2020, Italy

On July 15th, a fire broke out in the Church Mother of Favara, located at the heart of the city. It is speculated that the fire started at the electrical organ of the church due to a short circuit. The organ, several paintings and frescos were destructed by the fire. Fortunately, the work of the fire man prevented the fire to cause a structural damage to the building.

Theft of Relics in the Church of Honfleur

July 15, 2020, France

On July 15th the church of Saint-Léonard was a victim of theft. Parish priest Pascal Marie discovered that the contents of four relics were stolen. One relic is of special value, as it enshrines the bones of Saint Boniface, which are said to date back to the 8th century. The case was reported to the police. The estimation of the damage is difficult to evaluate because only the bones were stolen and the other valuable objects left behind.

Three Vandalism Incidents at Cemetery of Lézignan-Corbières in July

July 15, 2020, France

On July 15th, 24th, and 27th the cemetery of Lézignan-Corbières was repeatedly vandalized and various objects were stolen, such as crucifixes, crosses, vases, flowers, decorations, and plaques, . Gravestone plaques were dismantled, damaged, and reassembled elsewhere, and objects were moved. The perpetrators also attempted to open several graves. A police investigation was opened and the cemetery was closed to allow investigators to collect evidence for their investigations.

Mayor Publicly Criticised Parish for Holding a Rosary for the Family

July 14, 2020, Italy

The parish priest of the Church San Nicola in Lizzano was publicly criticized by the mayor for his prayer on the 14th of July. The priest organized a rosary for the families to ‘’defend the family from the pitfalls that threaten it, including the bill against homophobia.’’ The religious service was interrupted by a group of people holding rainbow flags and are in favor of the bill outside the church. According to the priest, the protesters put posters on the church saying, "God teaches you to hate gays", "God teaches you to discriminate" and similar phrases. While the Carabiniere were called to end the riot outside the church, the mayor defended the protest against the church. In the same respect, the Municipality of Lizzano also distanced itself from the initiative of the Church "We take, firmly, the distance," they wrote in a post published on Facebook.

Statue of the Virgin of the Ribbon Damaged

July 14, 2020, Spain

Unknown vandals damaged the sculpture of the Virgin of the Ribbon in the summit of Caro in Roquetes on July 14th. The vandals must have thrown stones at it and broken different parts off of it. The sculpture had recently been restored and the municipality has expressed their condemnation.

San Pietro Church in Canazza Vandalized with Paint Bomb for the 5th Time

July 13, 2020, Italy

On July 13th, a black paint bomb attack on the granite facade of San Pietro church occurred for the fifth time in two years. After a respite of a year, once again community members of the church again had to remove the damage using solvents to clean the oily back paint. This time, the vandals used twice as much paint than in previous assaults, making removal from the porous granite difficult.

Statue of Virgin and Child Vandalized with Red Graffiti in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île

July 13, 2020, France

During the night of July 13th and 14th the Marian statue of Noirmoutier-en-l'Île was vandalized with obscene red graffiti. The monument to commemorate the end of a parish mission in 1949 had previously been restored after being decapitated in 2018.

Harassing Graffiti at Saint-Martin Basilica

July 12, 2020, France

During the night of July 11th, the outside walls of Saint-Martin Basilica in Tours were sprayed with offensive graffiti (a cruder version of "become lesbians"), as well as the familiar anarchic tag "ACAB". The graffiti is clearly visible at the entrance of the basilica and was probably intended for the Benedictine nuns of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, who serve in the basilica. The police took photos and are investigating the case.

Church in Linz Receives Threats and Personal Harassment after Media Coverage about alleged COVID-19 Outbreak in "Free Churches"

July 11, 2020, Austria

A birthday party amongst members of the Romanian free church "Pfingstgemeinde Himmelstor" was reported to be the source of a COVID-19 outbreak cluster consisting of 234 infected people. The free church Christ Apostolic Church International (CACI) rented their church building in Linz to the Romanian church and after the media reported about the incident and disclosed the address of the venue, CACI received public harassment on the streets and threatening emails. In contrast to the other free church community, CACI did not have any cases of COVID-19 and followed the official government guidelines, as it is member of the officially state recognised society of free churches in Austria, whose other members did not report any positive COVID-19 cases either.

Chuch St. Joseph in Holz Vandalized

July 10, 2020, Germany

In the night of July 10th unknown perpetrators forcibly opened the door of the Holzan church of St. Joseph and tore a plant and its roots out of a pot. The perpetrators then threw the plant in front of the church. The police opened an investigation.