All cases
Italian Church Vandalized with Graffiti for the Third Time
August 31, 2021, ItalyThe local church of Alatri was defaced for the third time in a couple of months by unknown vandals, this was reported on 31 August. The parish reported the act of vandalism, which was Graffiti with the Italian battle phrase "Avanti Savoia"on the Church "XII Marie". The parish community has already witnessed similar acts of vandalism. The local newspaper calls it "political" graffiti. The vandals have not been identified yet.
Priest Discovers Arson in German Church in Essen
August 30, 2021, GermanyThe priest of the Catholic Church of St. Peter and Laurentiusin Essen found the remains of an arson on 30 August. The unknown vandals sprayed disinfectant alcohol on a pile of papers to create a fire, damaging two benches and the floor. The case was reported to the police, which is looking for the suspects.
Grave of Father Profaned in Polish Cementery
August 30, 2021, PolandDuring the night to the 30. August, unknown perpetrators profaned the grave of Father Leon Kantorski. He was known for helping oppositionists and helping the Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation. The tomb was found by another member of the St. Christopher Church. The hundred-kilograms-heavy tombstones were removed, probably by several people. Fr. Wojciech Osial suspects that this was done to hurt the parish community and local Catholics, and also that maybe they unsuccessfully tried to steal the slabs. The police were informed and they are investigating the case.
Scotland Plans to Introduce Censorship Zones and Changes in Abortion Law
August 30, 2021, United KingdomThe Scottish government has recently proposed to create censorship zones outside abortion clinics. These plans are being pushed despite a poll showing that only 21% of the UK population supports the introduction of "censorship zones", while many people in and outside the pro-life movement denounce the risk of censorship zones as a threat to free speech. Other planned changes are increasing the number of hospitals and clinics required to provide late-term abortions and removing in-person consultations prior to the medical procedure, which makes it difficult to assess if a person is seeking an abortion due to abuse or coercion.
Cemetery in Redessan Desecrated for Second time in Two Weeks
August 28, 2021, FranceFor the second time in two weeks, the cemetery in Redessan has been vandalised. This time it was on the 28th of August. At least twenty graves were damaged, crosses were broken, etc. No graves have been opened and no inscriptions have been found so far. Investigations are ongoing and police are searching the cemetery for evidence.
Nottingham University Refuses to Instal Catholic Priest as new Chaplain because of His Catholic Views
August 27, 2021, United KingdomNottingham University confirmed on 25 August, that they had declined to install Father David Palmer, a priest of the Personal Ordinariate of Our lady of Walsingham, because of "the manner" he commented on his social media site, a university spokesperson said. Palmer was supposed to become the chaplain of both Nottingham University and Nottingham Trent University. While the latter instaled him the former invited Father Palmer to an interview in which he defended his posts about assisted suicide and abortion to go against the Catholic belief. After Bishop Patrick McKinney declined to propose another priest the University accepted to allow Father Palmer to celebrate mass as a "guest Priest".
Church Vandalised and Set on Fire in Behren-lès-Forbach
August 27, 2021, FranceOn 27 August unknown perpetrators set fire to the protestant church in Behren-lès-Forbach. The fire was started with rubbish and sacred objects found inside the church. Although the fire brigade managed to intervene quickly and got the fire under control promptly, it caused extensive damage, especially in the church's basement. The parish filed a complaint with the local police, who are currently investigating and looking for the perpetrators. Fortunately, no people were harmed, as the fire started outside of church service hours. Behrens Minister of Interior, Gérald Darmanin, as well as parishioners, condemned the incident.
Vandals Damaged Two Statues of the Redeemer in Bari
August 27, 2021, ItalyBetween the 26. and 27. August, the two statues in front of the Redentore Church in the Liberta district of Bari were damaged by unknown vandals. The statue of Mary took the most damage. After inspecting the case, the authorities decided to position the security cameras to cover the area. Now, in the public churchyard, the entrance will now also be only allowed with the specific ordinance.
Statues Vandalised outside Church in Bari
August 27, 2021, ItalyIn the evening of August 27th, one of the two statues outside the Church of the Redeemer was damaged in a vandalistic attack. Various leaders have decided to take action to prevent such acts in the future such as the repositioning of cameras, the banning of scooters in the area, and the placement of bollards.
Harvard University Elects Atheist as President of Chaplains
August 27, 2021, United StatesThe new unanimously elected president of the Harvard's organisation of Chaplains, Greg Epstein, is an atheist and humanist. He is also the author of a book called "Good Without God: What Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe" and he has served as a humanist Chaplain since 2005. Epstein says that he doesn't look towards God for answers, instead to personal relationships, sharing the idea that the value of religion relies on their strong community rather than the spiritual connection to God. Evangelical Chaplain Pete Williamson, who voted for Epstein, points out that even if the new president is not aiming to promote Atheism and promotes interfaith cooperation, the media has used a divisive tone that triggered outrage and worry among Christians. Bishop Robert Barron thinks differently as he says: “If a professed atheist counts as a chaplain — which is to say, a leader of religious services in a chapel — then ‘religion’ has quite obviously come to mean nothing at all.”
Doctor David Mackereth Appeals Court Decision
August 26, 2021, United KingdomIn 2018 Christian A&E doctor David Mackereth was fired from his position because of his deeply held belief that God created humankind male and female. An employment tribunal consequently ruled that Davids belief is not 'worthy of respect in a democratic society' and that the Christian belief is 'incompatible with human dignity'. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre Dr David Mackereth is now appealing the ruling, which legally states that Christians could be discriminated against, as their belief is not protected by the Equality Act. The first hearing is expected to start this autumn, probably in October.
Theft of Sacrilegious Objects in San Felice Church
August 26, 2021, ItalyUnknown perpetrators stole offerings and gold objects such as rings and a golden necklace from the San Felice di Tenna parish church in Tramonti. The incident is said to have happened sometime overnight from 25 to 26 August. The culprits must have known that parish priest Father Justin Nnamdi Emeziem left the town to attend a summer camp. Apart from the stolen offerings and a broken offertory box, the military and the police found a damaged statue of the Virgin Mary and gold objects belonging to the statue missing. Police in cooperation with the military is investigating the incident, which was caught by nearby surveillance cameras. An exact amount of the stolen goods has yet to be determined.
Desecration of Graveyard in Zielona Gora
August 26, 2021, PolandA cemetery in Zielona Gora has been desecrated by unknown perpetrators. The destroyed graves belonged to the family of Mariusz Michalski and his wife Małgorzata. They reported the incident to the local police on 22 August. Police found the gravestone overturned broken in four and scattered. As they haven't been to the cemetery for almost a month they do not know when it happened, but the family asked the locals for help. This is not the first case of vandalism in the Zielona Góra cemetery. It keeps happening over and over again, police are currently looking into CCTV while awaiting useful information from the public
Churchdoor in Germany Damaged by Unknown Perpetrator
August 26, 2021, GermanyUnknown perpetrators damaged the door of the Church of Merkenbach between the 26 to 28 of August. These persons caused a dent in the copper fitting on the door, the cost of the damage is undefined. The police have filed the case and they are looking to identify the perpetrators.
Anarchist and Disrespectful Tags on St.Elisabeth's Church Front Door
August 26, 2021, GermanyThe Catholic Church of St. Elisabeth on the Lammerberg appeared with graffiti on the front door. During the night of August 26, unknown people sprayed "Too loud" on the relief of St. Elisabeth and "Much too loud" on the two bronze doors using blue and green paint. The church caretaker, Gerhard Spiegler, was able to remove the anarchy sign "A" in a circle, which the vandals left on the glass notice box. On the north portal, however, a specialist is needed.
Multiple Thefts from Cemetery in Vivonne
August 25, 2021, FranceThe municipality of Vivonne has now recruited a guard for their new local cemetery as it had been subjected to various acts of theft and vandalism. The latest incident happened on 25 August where an unknown perpetrator stole flowers from various graves. As the police were informed they asked the public to put GPS chips in their flower pots, as this had helped to capture a flower thieve in a prior case. According to Vivonne's major the public is traumatized by these repeated acts of disrespect to the dead.
Catholic Television Channel Slammed for Airing Pro-Life Film
August 25, 2021, FranceFrench TV channel C8 aired the American film "Unplanned" on 16 August. After airing the fact-base-movie members of the public, as well as high ranking members of the Government, called the movie a "despicable anti-abortion propaganda tool". C8, which is owned by Catholic French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, is now accused of "obstruction to abortion". Politician Élisabeth Moreno is now aiming to legally prosecute the broadcasting service.
Government Protects Collective Worship in British Schools
August 25, 2021, United KingdomUK's Minister for the School System, Baroness Berridge, took a clear position regarding collective worship in state-funded schools in England and Wales. Her statement came as a response to the National Secular Society (NSS), who asked the Government in a letter to repeal the law regarding the daily act of collective worship in schools earlier this year. In their statement, they asked to replace collective worship with secular worship, Berridge referred in her statement to the School Standards and Framework Act from 1998, which declares that state-funded schools in England and Wales must conduct acts of collective worship "wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character". Nick Gibb, the Minister for School Standards stated in March that "the department would remind schools of their duties if needed".
Church and Organ Vandalised in Beaucamps-le-Vieux
August 23, 2021, FranceUnknown perpetrators ransacked the church of Beaucamps-le-Vieux on the night of 23 August. They are said to have ripped out the pipes of the church organ and thrown church clothes all over the place. Parish priest Father Daleb Mpassi discovered the heinous act. During the act, a wooden part of the organ pipe got damaged when the culprit(s) twisted and crushed the pipes. According to police, the culprit(s) waited to be locked in the church to commit these crimes as no door was forced open. Father Mpassi filed a complaint with the police, who are currently investigating.
Historical Church Windows in Cambrai Vandalised
August 23, 2021, FrancePolice in Cambrai has been called the crime scene where unknown perpetrators damaged a century-old stained glass from the Cambrai Cathedral. The incident happened on 23 August and was reported by the archdiocese. Unknown perpetrators are said to have thrown stones through the stained glass that survived both world wars, as it was built by the end of the 19th century. An investigation is already underway.