All cases
Window Smashed in St. Michael's Church
July 10, 2022, GermanyBetween the morning of July 9 and the morning of the 10th, unknown people broke the ground-level window of St. Michael's Church, causing material damage that amounts to 300 euros. It appears that the frame was kicked with a foot which caused the pane to break. The police was alerted and are now looking for witnesses who might have information on the case.
Church's Entrance Door and Façade Sprayed with Graffiti
July 10, 2022, GermanyOn the 10th of July, unknown vandals sprayed the entrance door and a wooden shed of a church with two white paint graffiti inscriptions. The property damage caused has not been assessed yet but the police have been alerted and are looking into the case.
Church Facade Smeared With Hateful Symbols and Writings
July 10, 2022, GermanyDuring the night of July 10, unknown vandals damaged the facade of the evangelical church in Moers with hateful red tags. The sexton could not make sense of the writings left by the vandals. He believes this act was meant to target the church, although he was "not sure if the perpetrators even knew that this is a Protestant church". The writings included the words "Pontifex" and "F*ck Masonry", among others. The case was reported to the police who handed the investigation over to State Security, due to the possibility of the attack having a political background.
Serbian Orthodox Cemetery Desecrated in Mostar
July 10, 2022, Bosnia and HerzegovinaDuring the night of July 10, an Orthodox cemetery was desecrated in the Bosnian city of Mostar. Writings on the walls of the cemetery contained threats against Serbs, leading them to report fearing for their safety. This attack was reported to the police and to the Ministry of Internal Affairs by Archpriest Nebojša Radić.
Serbian Cemetery in Mostar Tagged with Hateful Graffiti
July 10, 2022, Bosnia and HerzegovinaDuring the night of 9-10 August, unknown perpetrators vandalised the walls of the Serbian cemetery in Vikhovitchi, Mostar, and wrote on them Ustasha symbols and threats in Croatian against Serbs.
A Church Window in Vöhringen was Vandalised
July 9, 2022, GermanyBetween the 9th and 10th of July an individual kicked out a window of the church in Vöhringen, causing €300 of damage. An appeal for witnesses has been launched.
Church in Innsbruck Vandalized by Two Teenage Girls
July 8, 2022, AustriaOn the 8th of July, two young girls, aged between 12 and 15, vandalized a church located on Innsbruck's Spingeser Strasse. According to the police report, the two "destroyed bibles, candles, and sacrificial box candle jars". They further shattered flower pots, ripped seat cushions from the benches, and threw a statue from a pedestal. The total amount of the damages caused has not been accessed yet, but the case was reported to the police who started an investigation.
Parish Break-In Attempt Causes Damage to Door
July 8, 2022, GermanyOn July 8, an unknown burglar tried to break into the Grafenau parish church. A sacristan found this out when he attempted to lock the church door and was not able to because the lock had been damaged. According to the investigations, the burglar tried to pry open the door, eventually succeeding, but he left the scene without taking anything. The police are investigating to find the perpetrator.
Sacred Objects Stolen From Church in Fulda
July 8, 2022, GermanyOn July 8, unknown thieves broke into the Catholic Church of St. Joseph and searched the rooms inside the building. They stole several sacred objects, "including a crucifix, monstrance, and chalice", causing a still unknown amount of property damage. The case was reported to the police who opened an investigation to find the perpetrators.
Spain: First Fines For Praying Outside Abortion Clinics
July 7, 2022, SpainAfter the law that criminalizes pro-life activism outside abortion clinics entered into force, the first fines have been issued. One of the fined people was a woman that claims to have received a letter from the Government Delegation, stating that she was fined 600 euros for allegedly "organizing an illegal gathering". A young man also received a fine of 600 euros simply for praying the Rosary on his knees outside an abortion facility. The Christian Lawyers have promptly offered legal assistance to these people, claiming they intend to fight these accusations in court and have no intention of paying the fines.
Radical Left Group Attacks Procession of San Fermín
July 7, 2022, SpainOn July 7, during the procession of San Fermín in Pamplona, a group linked to the nationalist radical left, carrying slogans such as "hypocrites out" and "you will go to hell", attacked the procession that was already returning to church. They mainly targeted the politicians, spitting, booing, and using physical violence against the mayor and his entourage. Moreover, the attack also exhibited a Christianophobic character.
Attempted Arson on Church in Montchanin
July 7, 2022, FranceIt was a passer-by who saw the smoke coming out of the church. An attempted arson attack on the church in Montchanin, was foiled on 7 July. An investigation has been opened. "The Creusot fire brigade was called to the church in Montchanin late on Thursday morning. The fire had been set in a bookcase. The fire was quickly stopped and fortunately did not spread. The first investigations of the gendarmes assumes that another fire had been set, namely in a flowerpot".
1000 Theft of Electronic Devices From Church
July 6, 2022, GermanyBetween July 3 and 6, a church located on Landauer Strasse was broken into by unknown thieves. They entered a meeting room and stole electronic devices, causing damages estimated at 1000 euros. The police were alerted and are looking for clues and witnesses to find the perpetrators.
Plants in Churchyard Damaged by Vandals
July 6, 2022, ItalyOn the 6th of July, the parishioners of the Consolation church noticed the damage caused to some plants in the churchyard and Don Santo Salamone reported the case to a newspaper. Unknown people damaged a small green area that has been under the care of citizens, members of the brotherhood, and the Lycopean parish.
Candle Cylinder Stolen From Church
July 6, 2022, GermanyOn the 6th of July, when an employee from the church was on his way to lock the building, he noticed that a candle cylinder and its contents from a brass stand were missing from the Basilica of St. Martin. Using the surveillance system he determined that a theft had taken place, but the identity of the perpetrators is still unknown. The case was reported to the police.
Vandals Pour Sugar From Food Donations Into Holy Water
July 5, 2022, GermanyBetween the evening of July 4 and the morning of July 5, unknown vandals poured a kilo of sugar into the Holy Water font of the Church of St. Joseph. The sugar was taken from the pantry with food donations in Lindlar - the baskets had been put up in the Church for a while so donators can place the food there. This has not been the first distasteful prank taking place in the Church of St. Joseph in recent months. Heinz Otto Höher says, even though nothing was stolen "we want to know who is behind it", now considering installing a surveillance system in the church, to avoid the recurrence of similar cases. Nonetheless, a good thing came out of this bad situation: "After it became known in Kirchdorf, we received numerous food donations that more than compensate for the loss of sugar".
Polish Graves in Belarus Profanated by Belarusian Authorities
July 5, 2022, BelarusThe headquarters of the Home Army Polish soldiers who died in 1944 was destroyed by Belarusian authorities. None of the 22 crosses that stood on the memorial remain standing. Nasz Dziennik, the government plenipotentiary for Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad, considered this vandalistic act a provocation to escalate the relations between Poland and Belarus, fearing that this might only be a "prelude to further disgusting acts of provocation". He added that the Belarusian regime means to distance itself from the family of European Christian States, but that the desecration of the graves and destruction of the memorial site will be received with equal indignation both by Poles in Belarus and by Belarusians.
Destruction of Another Roadside Shrine in Sowina
July 5, 2022, PolandOn the night of July 5-6, unknown perpetrators destroyed a roadside shrine located in the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sowina. In the roadside chapel of Przymiarki, the glass of the enclosure in which the statue of the Virgin Mary is placed was broken. Flower pots were also knocked over.
Wipperfürth: Church Vandalised Several Times within Three Months
July 5, 2022, GermanyDuring the night of 4-5 July, a kilo of sugar "taken" from the donations of the faithful to the solidarity grocery shop of St. Joseph's in Wipperfürth, was emptied into one of the church's holy water fonts. Parish members report that this is (at least) the third case of vandalism in a few months, the Easter candle and the church's sound system having been damaged in the past.
News: New EU Commissioner for Religious Freedom Appointed
July 4, 2022, BelgiumThe Italian Mario Mauro was appointed the new EU Commissioner for Religious Freedom after the position was vacant for 9 months, ever since the previous Commissioner, Stylianides, resigned. Before Stylianide's appointment, the post was vacant for 10 months, which indicates that it is not a priority for the European Commission. It only attempted to fill the vacancy after some politicians, and other figures pressed the issue.