All cases

Insults against Christians Written on Grenoble Chapel

March 16, 2022, France

The enclosure wall of the Saint-Marie-Saint-Michel Chapel in Grenoble was tagged with hateful messages on March 16th. The inscriptions included the phrase: "Here homophobic racists" with an arrow directed toward the door and where the word "Civitas" was also written. The incident was reported to the police who started an investigation.

Koekelberg Basilica Vandalized for 15 Days

March 15, 2022, Belgium

For the past 15 days, the Koekelberg basilica in Belgium has had cobblestones thrown through its windows by young teenagers. Other vandalism and disrespectful acts have been done at this sacred sight in the past but the recent escalation was evident. The director general, Martine Motteux-Abeloos, regrets how little the police have done and will hold talks with other leaders about potentially closing the sight to the public.

English Schools Transition Pupils without Parents Knowledge

March 15, 2022, United Kingdom

Robin Walker, Schools Minister in England, told the House of Commons' Education Select Committee that schools would continue to teach LGBTQ+ content. This came in response to Conservative MP Miriam Cates who said "you cannot change sex" and that she often got concerns from parents that their children were being transitioned in school. This posses a problem for Christian parents and children who may disagree with such teachings on a religious basis.

Woman Detained in Moscow for Holding Religious Placard

March 15, 2022, Russia

Anastasiya Parshkova was detained but not charged, on March 15th for holding a sign that had: "The 6th commandment: Thou shalt not kill" written on it. She was wearing a headscarf and stood for five minutes outside the Cathedral of Christ the Savior before she was arrested and taken to the Khamovniki police station. She said: "despite my fear, I decided that this must be done."

Two Churches in Gutach and Bleibach Vandalized

March 14, 2022, Germany

The Church of St. George and the Church of St. Michael were both targeted by the same perpetrator on March 14. Police said furniture and statues were damaged and garbage was left behind. The police were looking for witnesses who could help them identify the person responsible.

Signatories of Anti-Conversion Therapy Letter in England Face Discrimination

March 14, 2022, United Kingdom

Evangelical ministers have faced a severe backlash after signing a letter to Liz Truss which expresses their opposition to the governments upcoming conversion therapy ban. Consequentially, they have had to take down the list of signatures which was published on the Ministers' Consultation Response website for fear of more acts of discrimination happening. It had collected 5,000 signatures from ministers and church leaders.

Denying Someone's Preferred Gender could be Criminalised in Scotland

March 14, 2022, United Kingdom

The SNP in Scotland have advocated for legislation that will make it a criminal offence to not "affirm" someone's preferred gender and make it illegal for parents to "refuse to support" their children in taking puberty blockers. This legislation would prevent people from legally holding to their religious beliefs on issues like gender and infringe on parental rights by not allowing parents to educate their children on sexual matters in a way they deem appropriate. The latter would disproportionately affect Christian parents who may have religiously grounded sexual guidelines.

Theft of Sacred Objects in Courcoury

March 14, 2022, France

The Saint-Martin de Tours church in Courcoury was targeted by a thief who stole consecrated hosts on March 14th. The tabernacle was broken into and a lunula, which contained a large consecrated host, was taken. The Bishop of La Rochelle, Mgr Colomb, commented on, "this act of pure hatred and denounced a very serious sacrilege committed against Christ and against his Church". He called in a "new blow of the spear in the side of Christ." An investigation was launched by the police.

Russian Orthodox Church in Oxford Looted

March 12, 2022, United Kingdom

On March 12th, the Russian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas in Oxford was looted by unknown individuals who damaged the holy alter and stole other religious items such as crosses, and altar vessels. They also broke open the church safe and stole a collection of money that was intended for Ukraine. The police were investigating the crime.

Couple Repeatedly Stole from Church in Main-Kinzig

March 11, 2022, Germany

A 34 year old man, was sentenced by the Gelnhausen judges, to two years in prison and 400 hours of community service for committing 34 thefts, 11 of which were from churches. The thefts mainly took place in the Main-Kinzig district and property damage was noticed in some instances. His girlfriend assisted him in 19 of the thefts and was also convicted. The repeated thefts of churches showed zero concern for these sacred places.

Arsonist Burns Church Doors in Lissone

March 10, 2022, Italy

The two wooden side doors of the Sacred Heart of Jesus church in Lissone were set alight by an arsonist in the night of March 10th. The attack looked like the work of "Nerone", someone who has done repeated attacks of a similar nature to churches in the area. Necessary investigations were carried out by the Carabinieri the next day.

Russian Priest Arrested after He Condemns Ukraine Invasion

March 9, 2022, Russia

Rev. Ioann Burdin, a Russian Orthodox priest, was arrested after he gave a speech that condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine. His speech, given in the Karabanovo village, was said to “discredit(ing) the use of the Armed Forces” reported the BBC. His name was also on a public letter signed by 285 Russian Orthodox priests which called for an end to the war.

Scapular Stolen from Statue of Mary in Bad Steben

March 9, 2022, Germany

The scapular (small necklace) was stolen from a statue of Mary in the Queen of Peace parish church in Bad Steben. Dean Andreas Seliger was saddened by the theft and said that if someone wants a scapular, he will give it to them and they "don't have to steal it secretly."

Church in Sant Feliu Seeks Police Protection Due to Repeated Vandalism

March 9, 2022, Spain

The Collegiate Church in Sant Feliu has been targeted by repeated acts of vandalism to its porch. Because of this, the church administration has notified the police and asked them to prevent further damage. According to the administration of the church, they will only be able to stop the degradations with help of the police.

Next Step in Sweden's Ban of Religious Schools

March 8, 2022, Sweden

The Swedish Minister of Education, Lina Axelsson Kihlblom, announced the next step in the Social Democrat's plan to ban private religious schools. It will impose stricter regulations on schools that require them to report all religious activities and principals will have to pass "democratic conditions" to have their position. These new regulations have been introduced in the "democracy clause" and were justified with the need for "democratic control" of education.

Church Website Suspended for Conversion Therapy Views

March 8, 2022, United Kingdom

The website of the Stanley Road Baptist Church in Morecambe, Lancashire was suspended by its host firm Torrix since the pastor signed an anti-conversion therapy letter. This letter was addressed to Liz Truss, whose governmental department will be dealing with proposed legislation to ban conversion therapy. Matt Fletcher, the Torrix proprietor, said he cannot support anything that opposes the LGBTQ+ movement. Rev. Hewitt commented his sadness for this development, but still expressed gratefulness for the working relationship they had with Torrix.

Plans of Irish Government for Abortion Clinic Safe Zone Limits Freedom of Expression

March 8, 2022, Ireland

Stephen Donnelly, Irish Minister of Health, announced that the government plans to draft legislation regarding safe zones around abortion clinics before the Dáil summer break. This proposed law aims create a 100 meter zone around abortion facilities in which people cannot protest. This will severely restrict peoples freedom to express their beliefs on this issue, especially Christians who tend to hold pro-life views.

Feminists Deface Church in Savoy

March 8, 2022, Italy

On March 8th, the façade of the Santissima Annunziata church in Turin, was defaced with anti - Christian graffiti by feminists during National Women's Day. The floor and steps were covered with purple paint that condemned the "patriarchy" of the church. This act showed an apparent ignorance to the role Christianity has played to improve the rights of women.

Vandalism and Arson at Steißlingen Church

March 8, 2022, Germany

The church in Steißlingen was vandalized on March 8th. Perpetrators, who were not found, tipped over an assortment of objects, damaged the pulpit and microphone and set fire to some notes. The scope of the damage was not known but the police were investigating it.

Church in Montpellier Repeatedly Tagged with Anti-Christian Slogans

March 7, 2022, France

The St. Bernadette church in Montpellier, has once again been tagged with anti - Christian phrases such as, "the only church that illuminates is the one that burns". There have been a series of vandalistic attacks to this church and churches in the Montpellier area but no one has been identified despite an investigation launched by the national police.