All cases

Parish Priest Closed Church after Finding Urine in Holy Water

July 9, 2018, Italy

After discovering urine in the holy water in the Chiesa Santa Croce (better known as "Chiesa dei Morti” or "church of the dead") in Canneto Sull'Oglio, the parish priest decided to close the church for a few days. The church is a sacred place for the local community, as the walls of the church have been covered with photos, plaques, and headstones of deceased loved ones since 1630.

Door of Nativity Church burnt

July 9, 2018, Italy

The door of the nativity church at Villa Muti in Frascati, near Rome, was burnt.

Vandalism and Desecration at Madrid Church

July 9, 2018, Spain

The church of San Bartolomeo in the municipality of Fresnedillas de la Oliva was robbed and desecrated. The intruders tore the tabernacle off the wall and threw it to the ground, left sacred objects scattered on the floor and stole the money from the offering boxes. The sacristy and the catechism rooms were ransacked. The ciborium containing consecrated Hosts was overturned and the contents were scattered on the floor. The incident was reported to the police and the Archbishop of Madrid scheduled a Reparation Mass.

Fire at Base of San Pio da Pietralcina in Frascati

July 8, 2018, Italy

Someone set fire to the base of the bronze statue of San Pio da Pietralcina in Frascati, near Rome, which blackened the feet of the statue of the saint. The police started an investigation.

Confessionals Burnt in Cathedral

July 8, 2018, Italy

A 58-year old man from the area set fire in one of the four confessionals of St. Peter's Cathedral in Frascati, near Rome, by igniting the padded seat. The perpetrator was caught due to the footage of 12 surveillance cameras in the cathedral. The man was described as mentally disturbed and was known for vandalizing places of worship in the past. He was arrested by the local police for arson and damaging a place of worship.

Government Fired Doctor for View that Gender is Determined by Biology

July 8, 2018, United Kingdom

Dr David Mackereth was deemed "unfit" to work as an assessor at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over his refusal to use transgender patient's preferred pronouns because of his view that gender is defined by biology and that God made humans male and female. The Equality Act identifies those undergo or who propose to undergo gender reassignment as part of a protected class. Failure to use preferred pronouns is interpreted as unlawful discrimination.

Priest Assaulted and Spat on during 'Orange Walk'

July 7, 2018, United Kingdom

Catholic priest Tom White was spat on twice as he greeting parishioners outside St. Alphonsus' Church after Mass at the same time that an 'Orange Walk,' a procession by a Protestant fraternal order, passed by. He was also hit with a baton and verbally abused. A spokesperson for the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland has said that no one from the parade was involved. Police Scotland, who had been guarding the church but were called away before the parade passed by, began a hate crime investigation.

Church Door Set on Fire and Public Cross Toppled

July 6, 2018, Italy

The door of the church Madonna della Cona in Piazza Battisti in Castel Gandolfo was set on fire during the night and the cross which stood in the square was toppled. Although the church has been deconsecrated, city authorities expressed concern about a series of destructive acts directed at Christian churches and symbols in the area.

Graffiti Sprayed on Town Church

July 6, 2018, United Kingdom

Vandals sprayed "YNWA", "truth", and "greed" on the historic St. Nicholas Church. The reverend called it "disrespectful" and said people were upset about the damage. She said that although youths had been congregating in the area for some time, and leaving garbage in the churchyard, this was first time they caused damage to the building.

Degradations at the Church of la Collégiale Saint-Barnard

July 5, 2018, France

On the afternoon of July 5th, damage was discovered in the historic Collegiate Church of Saint-Barnard in the old center of Romans-sur-Isère. The cover of the baptismal font had been broken and found on the ground, and the finger of a statue of Saint John the Baptist was also broken. Police investigated.