All cases

Statue Vandalised in Church in Sassari

September 25, 2013, Italy

The historic statue of Our Lady of Hope (1934) in Sassari was taken down from its stand and broken into pieces.

Church and Bust of Pope Benedict XVI Spray Painted

September 22, 2013, Germany

St. Oswald church - the church in which Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his first mass - was spray painted with large letters. Local sources suspect radical left wing forces behind the incident. A bust of the former Pope in front of the main entrance was spray painted twice. In the first case the delinquent was identified, the second case remains unclear.

Dublin Church Bells Silenced After 130 Years

September 21, 2013, Ireland

Due to complaints, the clock and bells at the Church of St. Bartholomew, Dublin, Ireland are temporarily out of service. The church is required to find a solution to stop the bells from ringing at night, or they will have to be switched off permanently.

Fire Damage in Church in Reggio Emilia

September 21, 2013, Italy

The shrine of Our Lady in the church of St. Augustine in Reggio Emilia was set on fire. Fortunately the statue was unharmed but everything around it was destroyed.

Vandalised Madonna in Bari

September 10, 2013, Italy

The Madonna in the Parish of St Nicholas in Bari was decapitated by vandals. The statue was carved in the rock at the base of a large crucifix and was probably broken by being thrown against the crucifix.

Government Takes Children From Christian Community

September 5, 2013, Germany

In the early morning of September 5th, a massive police raid of 100 police and 60 social workers descended on two of the Christian Twelve Tribes Communities of Klosterzimmern and Wörnitz. The police seized 40 children from 16 families and took them away in 25 vans on allegations of physical abuse.

Vandalism in Church in Bologna

September 5, 2013, Italy

Vandals broke in half the ceramic statue of the Madonna in Caserme Rosse. This statue had been vandalised two years ago as well.

Berlin Bans Public Christmas Celebrations

September 3, 2013, Germany

Berlin politicians and officials of Berlin-Kreuzberg banned the celebration of Christmas in public places or roads, as well as decorations and Christmas fairs, in order not to discriminate against the Muslim minority. A tree may only be placed in specific places, previously assigned by the authorities.

Stations of the Cross Vandalised in Traunstein

September 3, 2013, Germany

Local faithful discovered grafitti on stations of the cross. Unknown perpetrators had spraypainted "God is dead", "boozing" and an anarchy symbol on the small buildings.

Pope John Paul II Commemoration Monument in Rijeka Thrown into the Sea

September 1, 2013, Croatia

A monument commemorating the visit by John Paul II to Rijeka, which had been erected in June 2013 on the pier Gat Karoline Riječke, was thrown into the sea by unidentified vandals. Divers from the Rijeka Fire Department pulled it out from a depth of approximately six meters. The incident was recorded by the police who conducted an investigation.