All cases
15th Century Tomb of Fra Angelico Attacked in the Center of Rome
April 8, 2018, ItalyThe marble tomb of the Italian Renaissance painter Fra Angelico was vandalized in the church of S. Maria sopra Minerva in the center of Rome, one of the most famous churches of the Italian capital. Vandals chipped off several parts of the marble tomb, carved by the fifteenth-century sculptor Isaia da Pisa.
Woman Stabbed Outside Coventry Church after Service
April 8, 2018, United KingdomA woman in her 30s was stabbed after attending the Eritrean community's Orthodox Easter midnight service at St. Margaret's Church in Coventry early on the morning of April 8th. The mother of three was found with a puncture wound in the abdomen at approximately 3:15 in the morning and taken to the hospital where she was listed in critical condition. The attacker, who reportedly fled on a bicycle, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder the following day.
Intentional Fires in Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais Church in Langon
April 8, 2018, FranceA passerby saw flames coming from the church and rushed in to extinguish the fire. Firefighters arrived quickly and were able to prevent the fire from causing extensive damage. Fires had been set in two different places: one at the candlesticks where the alter of the Virgin is situated, and the other at the entrance where leaflets and informational flyers are displayed.
Oil Poured Down Church Steps
April 7, 2018, ItalyOn April 7th unidentified vandals poured frying oil down the grand stone steps in front of the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Modica.
Saint-Michel Church in Holque Vandalized
April 7, 2018, FranceSaint-Michel Church in Holque, a small French commune in northern France was vandalized.
Poulseur: Statue of Christ Shattered
April 7, 2018, BelgiumOn the morning of April 7th, the sacristan of the church in Poulseur discovered it had been vandalized. A statue of a crucified Jesus Christ had been taken down from a hook and shattered into pieces. The extensive damage to the statue suggested that the perpetrators climbed onto the choir screen and threw it down to the ground from above. Other vessels with flowers were also knocked down and broken. The damage was reported to the police.
Catholic College Vandalized in Vendée
April 6, 2018, FranceA day before about fifty students from Notre-Dame de l'Esperance College were to leave for a trip to England, they found their trip cancelled. All of the students' identity papers, which had been stored in a locker at school, were discovered cut in half and thrown into a garbage bin.The director of Notre-Dame de l'Esperance College sent a letter to the parents explaining that the trip was canceled and turned to the British Embassy for assistance. Police began an investigation.
Vandalism and Theft at Warmifontaine Church
April 6, 2018, BelgiumUnidentified perpetrators looted the church of Saint-Martin in Warmifontaine, breaking open the tabernacle with a crowbar, and stealing ciboriums containing consecrated Hosts, chalices, and hand-carved statues.
German Public Broadcaster Replaces Jesus Christ with Easter Bunny
April 6, 2018, GermanyA German satire TV recreated the Passion of Jesus Christ with a crucified Easter plush bunny in lieu of Jesus. Photomontages included the toy animal, among other things, on the cross and sitting among the Apostles for the Last Supper. The Christian Media Association KEP immediately filed a complaint to the broadcaster saying that it made "the central religious content of Christianity literally a joke."
Relic Stolen from Saint-Étienne de Toul
April 5, 2018, FranceOn April 5th, a student who works as a summer guide of the Toul Cathedral, Saint-Étienne, discovered that pieces of the relic belonging to the first bishop of Toul, St. Gerard, was missing. The relic is about twenty centimeters long and was pulled out from its holster.