All cases

Vandal destroys window at Lutheran Church

March 18, 2024, Germany

On the morning of Monday, March 18, the Lutheran City Church on Kirchstraße was shaken by an incident. An unknown person threw a stone through a window of the church, causing damage of around 1000 euros. The church organ was playing at the time. No one was injured.

Unknown persons vandalise church in Oberveischede

March 18, 2024, Germany

Unknown perpetrators have vandalised St Lucia's Church in the Oberveischede district of Olpe. Candles, prayer books and brochures from the wooden display are strewn across the floor. Even worse was the damage to the holy water font. The massive stone vessel was smashed. The culprit or culprits also stole 60 tea lights. The police are investigating.

Vandalism of a cross at a place of worship in Gornja Brijesnica

March 17, 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The prayer cross in the village of Gornja Brijesnica, which belongs to Lukavac in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been damaged for the second time in the last three years.

Ten statues and plaques in cemetery of Bovekerke vandalised

March 16, 2024, Belgium

On March 16, the cemetery surrounding the church of Bovekerke (Koekelare) was vandalised. Approximately a dozen statues, ornaments, flowers, and memorial plaques had been destroyed. The affected graves are not all close together and often involve very old concessions. According to another resident, some crosses have also been removed from the graves.

"This is a Muslim area" smeared on Evangelical Church

March 16, 2024, United Kingdom

A radical muslim graffiti was spray-painted on the windows of Southchurch Christian Fellowship Centre on Saturday night, March 16. The graffiti, which read "This is a Muslim area", is now being investigated by Essex Police as racially aggravated criminal damage. Ms Champion, who discovered the vandalism, said: "To see someone committing such hateful behaviour is so heartbreaking. It makes me very angry. A colleague and I went to the church to remove the worst of it because we didn't want people to feel intimidated when they came to the Sunday service the next morning."

Woman attacked by burglar during mass

March 16, 2024, France

A woman was attacked by a burglar when entering Saint-Étienne Cathedral for mass on March 16.

Vicar Offers Aid After Church Theft

March 15, 2024, United Kingdom

While the choir was practising in the early evening of March 15, various donated items worth £1,000 were stolen from the St Matthew’s Church in Burnley. However, the vicar Father Alex Frost, reaches out to people in need offering help in response to the theft.

Excrements found in St Michael the Church in Marktrodach

March 15, 2024, Germany

The pastor of the Protestant church in Marktrodach discovered human excrement behind the altar in the afternoon of March 15. The perpetrator is unknown, but it appears to be a repeat occurrence. The police reported that this was not the first instance of such an act in the church.

St John's Church in Herford remains closed due to vandalism

March 15, 2024, Germany

For the past few months, incidents of vandalism and damages have occurred in the Neuer Markt church in the Herford district. The pews have repeatedly been pushed and knocked over, a curtain has been torn down, a large sign reading 'open church', which is usually located at the back of the church, has been removed and placed on the altar and leaflets removed from their displays and scattered around the room. Furthermore, there have been complaints in the past about unknown individuals leaving their excrement in the church. Although the number of incidents has decreased, faeces are unfortunately still occasionally discovered in the church.

South Korean pastor arrested for missionary work in Russia

March 15, 2024, Russia

Baek Kwang-Soon, a South Korean pastor was detained in Russia on espionage charges after being found to have been working with North Korean fugitives in Vladivostok. According to Lee Seong Gu, head of the Global Love Rice Sharing Foundation, Baek had been doing missionary work and providing clothes, food, and the Gospel to Russian, Thai, and North Korean workers in need. Baek was arrested earlier this year by Russian law enforcement authorities, as reported by Russian state news agency Tass on Monday, March 11.