All cases
Fire in the Church of Santa Maria della Roccella
September 9, 2018, ItalyPolice began an arson investigation after a fire broke out in a basement of the cloister of the Church of Santa Maria della Roccella. The flames affected some unused materials and various forms of waste that had piled up in a basement of the cloister. The fire brigade intervened and found four LPG tanks near the fire which they removed and secured promptly. Fortunately there was no damage done to the building and no one was hurt.
Burglars Hit Church in Lörrach
September 9, 2018, GermanyPolice investigated a break-in between September 9th and 10th at the Protestant Church in Lörrach. Unknown perpetrators tried to pry open several doors, finally accessed the church building through an unlocked door. Inside they broke into the sacristy and a storage room, pried open two doors on the upper floor and ransacked several rooms.
Door of Church Burned in Santa Maria di Licodia
September 7, 2018, ItalyDuring the night between the 6th and 7th of September, the door of the church of Madonna del Carmelo was set on fire. In the early morning hours residents became aware of the fire and extinguished it. The police investigated and found that the fire was started by lighting paper and plastic. The perpetrators damaged the base of the door and blackened the upper part. Fortunately, the flames did not spread into the inside of the church. The priest filed a complaint.
Parish Church in Gutau Vandalized
September 7, 2018, AustriaUnknown perpetrators vandalized the facade of the parish church in Gutau with red and black paint sometime between 6 pm and 10:45 pm on September 7th.
President of Czech Republic Sides with Communist Party on Taxation of Church Restitution
September 6, 2018, Czech RepublicThe president of the Czech Republic, Milos Zeman, wavered from his neutral position and backed the communists and government coalition parties' plan to tax outstanding restitution payments to churches and religious communities whose property had been confiscated during the communist regime. In a TV interview he said is was "angry" to some extent because church institutions have continued to demand compensation and filed complaints against municipalities despite the decisions that were made in the 2013 restitution laws.
Chester Cathedral Damaged by Intruder
September 6, 2018, United KingdomA man was arrested after four stained-glass windows were smashed and other property was damaged at Chester Cathedral. The incident occurred just after midnight on September 4th and money was stolen from the premises. The damage caused to the cathedral is likely to exceed £10,000. The Cathedral's acting dean said the damage to the four stained-glass windows which date back to 1920 was very upsetting, in particular, the damage caused to a window depicting St. Werburgh, the Patron Saint of Chester.
Police say 'Disgusting Attack' on Manchester Cathedral was Hate Crime
September 6, 2018, United KingdomOfficers are treating the spraying of abusive graffiti onto the wall of the landmark late on September 6th as a "religiously aggravated attack." The language used was "too offensive to be published," according to media sources.
Anarchist Graffiti on Monument to the Virgen del Rocío
September 5, 2018, SpainSometime in the early morning hours of September 5th, vandals sprayed the anarchist "A" on the well-known monument. After city workers were unable to remove the paint using water, the monument's sculptor himself, Elías Rodríguez Picón, arrived to remove the paint. Local residents and officials expressed their outrage over the incident. Police began an investigation and reviewed security camera footage to identify the perpetrators of vandalism.
Chapel Vandalized in Péré
September 3, 2018, FranceParish announcements and a lectionary were burned in the small chapel Saint-Jean in the district of Péré, the lower town of Saint-Sever. Additionally, the monstrance was broken and a cross was thrown into a confessional. The vandalism occurred on the same day as the school fire of Toulouzette Park school in Saint-Sever. Police investigated a connection between the two incidents.
Senior Scottish Judge Criticized Asylum Tribunals for Disregarding Evidence of Christian Conversion
September 3, 2018, United KingdomAn appellate court ordered a rehearing by immigration tribunals after Judge Lord Glennie, one of the appeal judges, found that the asylum judges had disregarded churchgoer's evidence of the Christian conversion of two Iranian asylum seekers who have been attending Tron Church in Glasgow and had been predisposed to rejecting their claims.