All cases
NI Court Prosecutes Man and Woman for Praying in Coleraine "Buffer Zone"
July 30, 2024, United KingdomIn Northern Ireland, a court is set to rule on the case of a woman and a man who were arrested for praying inside an abortion "buffer zone" in October 2023. If found guilty in the current hearing, the woman who pleaded not guilty faces up to six months in prison. The police arrested them without any prior complaints about their presence on the street.
Theft and vandalism in Sant'Antonio Abate
July 30, 2024, ItalyOn the night of July 30, four young people broke into the Sant'Antonio Abate Church in Incisa Scapaccino, Asti. They broke into the entrance door, destroyed the cribs and sacred furniture, smeared the walls with spray cans and damaged the sound system for the services.
Vandals cut off hands and destroy face of statue
July 28, 2024, PolandOn the night of 27-28 July, vandals severely damaged a statue of Mary located at the entrance to the village of Kościuk. The statue's hands were cut off, a hole was punched in its head, its eyes were gouged out and its face destroyed. This was not the first act of vandalism against a religious object in the region.
Arson Suspected Delmenhorst Church: Confessional on Fire
July 26, 2024, GermanyOn 25 July 2024, a fire was discovered inside the Church of All Saints in Delmenhorst, which the parish priest suspects to be a deliberate act of arson. The fire caused damage in the confessional and forced the temporary closure of the church.
UPDATE: Christian teacher loses High Court appeal after being banned for ‘misgendering’
July 25, 2024, United KingdomJoshua Sutcliffe, a Christian maths teacher, lost his High Court appeal case after being banned from teaching for "misgendering" a pupil. The judge said that “just because misgendering a transgender pupil might not be unlawful does not mean that it is appropriate conduct for a teacher.”
SCOTLAND: MOST EXTREME BUFFER ZONE LAW COMES INTO FORCE
July 25, 2024, United KingdomOn 22 July 2024, Scotland's highly restrictive abortion 'buffer zone' law came into force, creating a 200-metre zone around abortion facilities where it will be an offence to 'influence' the decision of anyone entering the facility. Offences include acts committed on private property if the act “is capable of being seen or heard by another person who is within the safe access zone“.
Vandalism in a historic altar in the St. Andreas Church in Offenburg.
July 24, 2024, GermanyOn 24 July, a 57-year-old man knocked over a historic altar in the Catholic St Andrew's Church on Fischmarkt. The damage is estimated at tens of thousands of euros. Investigators are still trying to establish the background to the crime.
New Survey finds Christians in Scotland under pressure
July 23, 2024, United KingdomAccording to an opinion poll by the think tank “Logos” published in The Herald on July 23, Christians in Scotland feel “excluded”. More than 70% feel the Scottish Government does not support them and 75% were concerned about abuse against Christian politicians.
Teenagers Mocked Catholicism Inside a Church
July 22, 2024, SpainA group of teenagers entered a Catholic Church, disturbed the mass by mocking parts of the liturgy and yelling inside the church, and made fun of hosts, which are sacred objects for Catholics. They recorded everything and uploaded it to social media.
Church of Saint-Paul in Orne defaced with satanic graffiti
July 21, 2024, FranceIn the night of Saturday, July 20 to Sunday, July 21, vandals defaced the façade of the church of Saint-Paul in Orne, France, with satanist graffiti. The tags included inverted crosses, pentagrams, and writings such as ‘False God’, ‘Liar’, and the number ‘666’, symbolising the devil. The statues on the façade were also sprayed with red paint, adding to the seriousness of the damage.