All cases
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.
Finish Lawmakers Consider Conversion Therapy Ban
August 23, 2021, FinlandLawmaker in Finland have agreed to consider a conversion therapy ban after a citizen initiative received the required 50,000 signatures. The initiative was launched in July by Perttu Jussila and it had since reached 52,721 signatures which meant it would be referred to Parliament. If it would become law, traditional Christian teaching on gender would be challenged.
Arson at St. Francis Church Door in Muggiò
August 23, 2021, ItalyOn the 23. August it was reported that the front door of the St. Francis Church in Muggio was deliberately set alight. This happened only two months after the Church of St. Charles suffered a similar attack. Unknown vandals sprayed an inflammable liquid and set fire to the door. Fr. Marco Oneta discovered the attack on the next morning and informed the police. The flames have damaged the inside of the doorway.
New School Guidance on "Supporting Transgender Young People" in Scotland Violates Human Rights and Is Ideologically Infused, Say Critics
August 21, 2021, United KingdomScottish feminists groups and lawyers are siding with the Christian Institute who consider the new guidance introduced by the government as highly questionable and being promoting a dangerous ideology. The document states that some children "are exploring their gender identity in primary school settings", and that they can come out as transgender "at any age". It reads: “If a young person in the school says that they now want to live as a boy although their sex assigned at birth was female, or they now want to live as a girl, although their sex assigned at birth was male, it is important to provide support and listen to what they are saying.”Marion Calder, from For Women Scotland described the new guidance as "really, really worrying". Leading Human Rights Lawyer Aidan O'Neill criticised that this move goes against human rights laws and is additionally a threat to parental rights. The Government has now backtracked from their plans as the Christian Institute threatened them with legal action.
Christian Preacher Arrested for Reading the Bible out Loud in London
August 20, 2021, United Kingdom“Be careful with what you say in future when reading outside”, this was the response a Christian street preacher received one month after he was questioned by the police for reading the Bible aloud in a calm voice and steady tone outside a railway station in London. During his interview, the police tried to determine whether the man's reading was "abusive" and harassing under the public order act. Organisations aiming to protect freedom of speech are concerned about peoples right to freely express themselves in public as the Public Space Protection Orders can easily censor and therefore criminalise normal people on the streets. Changes to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill are expected in September.
Priest Brutally Attacked in Bristol by Four Men
August 20, 2021, United KingdomFather Colin Mason of Sacred Heart Church in Westbury-on-Trym has addressed a complaint letter to the police after the investigation about the attack he suffered was dropped. The incident took place back on 20. August when 60-year old Priest told a group that was renting his church hall for a wedding party that they had gone past the agreed time. Immediately after, he was held by four men, while one man - probably in his late 20's - punched him until he was covered in blood and left him lying on the ground. He said the initial response from the police was very efficient, but he did not hear any news for a month. As he called asking for an update, they told him that the case had been 'filed'.
Church in Gieres Desecrated with Satanistic Graffiti
August 19, 2021, FranceThe church of Saint Martin de Gières located east of Grenoble was desecrated on 16 August. Unknown perpetrators smeared satanistic tags on the church. The profanation stated that "God is a fraud", "Satan is great" and that "The only Church that illuminates is the one that burns". The tags were one metre high and sixty wide and paint in black. The police were informed and are investigating the case.
Statue of Virgin Mary Desecrated in Plouay
August 19, 2021, FranceThe shrine of Lourdes in Plouay was vandalized by unknown perpetrators. They have decapitated the statue of the Virgin Mary, sometime overnight from 16 August to 17 August. Built in 1955, the Shrine was a remembrance of the miraculous healing in Lourdes of Marie-Félicité Le Goaller. Another statue was spared, it was the statue of Saint Bernadette. This was not the first vandalistic attack against the site. The police were informed and are investigating.