All cases
Fire set outside church of Saint-Éloi prompts police investigation
July 20, 2026, FranceOn 20 July 2026, a fire was reported at the Saint-Éloi Protestant Church in Rouen after a mattress placed against the building was set alight. Passers-by extinguished the flames before firefighters arrived, preventing the fire from spreading to the historic church. Police have opened an investigation into the incident as a suspected arson attempt directed at the church.
Anarchist threat discovered in Catholic Church
July 20, 2026, FranceA threatening inscription was discovered in the Sancta Maria in Albis Church in Breil-sur-Roya which read "The only church that illuminates is the one that burns." The phrase, which is commonly used in anarchist circles, has been denounced by the town hall as an attack and a threat on a place of worship.
11 crucifixes taken from church
July 20, 2026, ItalyAccording to reports from 20 July 2026, Italian police have arrested a man and woman who broke down the door and smashed a window before removing 11 crucifixes from the building among other devotional items from the parish.
Statue of Mary removed from local shrine
July 19, 2026, PolandOn the night of 18 to 19 July 2026, unknown perpetrators vandalised a roadside shrine attached to the historic Józef Oak tree near Brzyno by smashing the glass and stealing the statue of the Virgin Mary. The attack damaged a place of Christian piety that had long been an important symbol of religious devotion for the local community.
Church in Abenheim vandalised and holy water font desecrated
July 19, 2026, GermanyOn 19 July 2026, St Boniface Catholic Church in Abenheim was found to be vandalised by unknown perpetrators who urinated in the holy water font and damaged church furnishings. The vandalism resulted in the temporary closure of the church. According to parish representatives, the incident points to a wider problem of church vandalism in the area and increasing challenges to keep churches open.
Swiss Evangelical Leaders Challenge Geneva's Ban on Religious Symbols for Elected Representatives
July 17, 2026, SwitzerlandThree Swiss evangelical leaders have filed a legal challenge against a constitutional amendment in the Canton of Geneva prohibiting elected representatives from wearing visible religious symbols while carrying out their official duties. The applicants argue that the measure violates freedom of religion and undermines democratic representation by requiring parliamentarians to conceal their religious identity.
Religious Statues Deliberately Damaged At Church in Deutschlandsberg
July 16, 2026, AustriaAt the Parish Church of St Oswald in Deutschlandsberg, historic religious statues were found deliberately destroyed by unknown vandals. The vandalism caused extensive damage to religious heritage dating back around 200 years and deeply affected the local Christian community. The attack follows previous acts of vandalism targeting the church, including the insult "Shitty Church" carved into an interior wall of the church.
Man charged with insulting religious group after church vandalism in Poland
July 16, 2026, PolandAs reported on July 16, a 37-year-old man has been charged with insulting a group of people on religious grounds in connection with a series of offences that included vandalising a church and a parish cemetery in north-eastern Poland. According to police, the church was defaced with vulgar anti-Christian graffiti, while nearby memorials were also targeted.
Vandalism Forces Church in Bad Dürrheim to Close
July 16, 2026, GermanyOn 16 July 2026, a man vandalised St. Johann Catholic Church in Bad Dürrheim, causing approximately €15,000 in damage, and leaving the building temporarily unusable for worship. As a result, the church had to be closed and scheduled services had to be relocated and a parish celebration was cancelled.
Bust of Pope John XXIII vandalised in Venetico
July 15, 2026, ItalyAccording to reports from 15 July 2026, a bust of Pope John XXIII in Venetico was deliberately vandalised and defaced by unknown perpetrators. The attack damaged the public monument dedicated to the Catholic saint and prompted condemnation from local authorities.
Vandals set fire to liturgical book at a church in Kelheim
July 15, 2026, GermanyOn 15 July 2026, unknown perpetrators vandalised the Holy Cross Church in Kelheim by damaging the interior and setting a liturgical book on fire. The burned lectionary was rendered unusable, causing damage to an object used during Catholic worship. Reports indicate that this incident is part of a series of attacks against Christian places of worship seen in Germany in the past months.
French court orders removal of restored calvary cross from public land
July 15, 2026, FranceAccording to reports from 16 July, the Rennes Administrative Court has ordered the municipality of Saint-Divy in Brittany to remove a restored replica of the historic centuries-old Kerdalaès Calvary cross from public land, ruling that its installation violated the French secularism laws of 1905. Its removal affects a site of longstanding significance for the local Christian community, and raises concerns about the reconstruction of religious symbols.
Repeated Sacrilegious Thefts Prompt Concern of Bishop
July 14, 2026, ItalyDuring the night of 13 to 14 July 2026, a sacrilegious theft occurred at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Porto Sant'Elpidio, when a tabernacle was stolen which contained the ciborium of consecrated hosts. The theft of the Eucharist constitutes a profanation that affected the local Christian community and marked the second incident of this kind in the Archdiocese of Fermo in two weeks.
Suspected Arson damages parish building at Munkshöjden Church
July 14, 2026, FinlandPolice are investigating a suspected arson attack at the parish building of Munkshöjden Church in Helsinki which occurred on 14 July 2026. Firefighters took hours to extinguish the extensive fire, preventing it from spreading to the church building itself, however the parish hall sustained extensive damage.
Eggs thrown at church destroy windows
July 14, 2026, GermanyBetween 10 and 14 July 2026, unknown perpetrators damaged two leaded-glass windows of a church in the main street of Neuenkirchen. According to reports, the perpetrators threw eggs at the church building, destroying six glass windows in the process.
Man arrested after a spate of vandalism forces Cornwall churches to close
July 13, 2026, United KingdomReported on 13 July, a man has been charged in connection with alleged vandalism at various churches in Mevagissey, including damage to St Peter's Church between 8 to 9 July that forced it to suspend its long-standing open-door policy. The incidents affected places of Christian worship and have restricted public access to more than one church in the area, impacting the local Christian community and pointing to a broader problem of offences committed in places of worship in the United Kingdom.
Repeated vandalism at St Ruper Parish Church disrupts religious practice
July 13, 2026, GermanySt Rupert Parish Church in Amerang has been targeted in repeated acts of vandalism in which all votive candles were damaged and the holy water was contaminated with candle wax. The incident disrupted religious practices at the church and prompted a police investigation, affecting the local Christian community.
Cross Stolen From Church in Vejle
July 13, 2026, DenmarkAn iron cross and other items were stolen from St. Nikolai Church in Vejle. Thanks to witnesses, police identified and arrested the suspect.
Rheine-Hauenhorst Church the target of repeated acts of vandalism
July 13, 2026, GermanyReported on 13 July 2026, St Mariä Heimsuchung Church in Rheine-Hauenhorst was targeted by vandals, marking another incident affecting the parish within a short period of time. The repeated damage to the church prompted the parish to temporarily close the building while repairs were carried out.
Assault on Christian asylum seeker after wearing a cross in Regensburg accommodation
July 13, 2026, GermanyAccording to a police report that became publicly available in July 2026, a Christian asylum seeker was assaulted at an asylum accommodation in Regensburg after being confronted about wearing a cross necklace. The report describes an attack that occurred in April 2024 and states that the dispute was only secondarily religious in nature, an assessment that has drawn criticism given that the confrontation reportedly began because the victim was wearing a Christian cross.