All cases
Christian Hybrid School Forcibly Closed by German Authorities
October 19, 2023, GermanyThe Dietrich Bonhoeffer International School in Germany was forced to close for the year by German education authorities. The school has been open for 9 years with an award-winning pedagogical model. Germany has banned homeschooling, hybrid schools, and has tightened restrictions on private schools. German authorities wrote to the school that "the immediate enforcement of prohibitions is ordered", preventing students from continuing their schooling there for the rest of the year. The government has also fined the school 600 euros in administrative fees. Authorities stated that the school website was an "advertisement for the impermissible school", and was ordered to be shut down. The school is arguing that Germany is violating national and international human rights law - including parents' rights to educate their children in accordance with their philosophical and religious convictions - with its ban on homeschooling, along with other restrictions on education. An urgency lawsuit to reopen the school is currently pending.
Draft law would ban Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine
October 19, 2023, UkraineOn October 19, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) voted in favour of a draft law banning all activities of "organisations based in a country waging war against Ukraine". The text targets the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate and has raised concerns about the safeguarding of religious freedom in Ukraine. The UOC said the draft law would be unconstitutional. The text, which has been presented in a first reading, is currently under revision.
Christian Preacher Faces up to Six Months in Prison for Holding Sign with Bible Verse
October 17, 2023, United KingdomChristian preacher, Stephen Green, 72, was tried in court on October 17, for allegedly having protested against abortion within a 'buffer zone' surrounding MSI Reproductive Choices clinic in Mattock Lane, West London on February 6, 2023. Green was quietly holding a sign with a Bible verse from Psalm 139:13 written on it, which reads: "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb". Appearing at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court, Green pleaded not guilty to breaking the public spaces protection order (PSPO). According to the Mail Online, Mr. Green's charge sheet accuses him of "[protesting] by engaging in an act of disapproval or attempted act of disapproval with respect to issues related to abortion services, by written means in that you were holding a large sign displaying the text ‘Psalm 139:13 (...) relating directly or indirectly to the termination of pregnancy."
Theft: Man Steals Monstrance from Church in Woźniki
October 17, 2023, PolandOn October 17, a man stole a golden monstrace from a church in Woźniki. A church employee reported the incident to the Lubliniec police after 6 AM. The employee reported that the religious object had been stolen and the scene was investigated.
Church of Ladornac desecrated
October 17, 2023, FranceOn October 17, the Notre-Dame Church of Ladornac in Dordogne was desecrated. The altar stone and statues were broken.
Two churches tagged with Nazi and satanic symbols
October 16, 2023, FranceOn October 16, 2023, symbols with Nazi and satanic connotations were found on the churches of Saint-Thomas and Saint-Houardon in Landerneau. According to the parish priest, the churches have already become targets of vandalism before.
Work at church construction site unlawfully obstructed
October 16, 2023, FranceOn 16 and 17 October, opponents of the construction of the spiritual centre of Notre Dame des Neiges in Saint Pierre de Colombier broke the law by forcibly entering the construction site by breaking through the fence and unlawfully preventing work from continuing. The religious brothers and sisters and several parishioners defended the site and the machinery, but were attacked by the aggressors. The violence is clearly visible in the available footage. There has been a long history of conflict in the village over the church project.
Criminal Damage Caused to Church in Hereford
October 15, 2023, United KingdomOn October 15, a group vandalized St. Francis Xavier Church in Hereford. A group of youths meddled with the microphone, threw lit candles around the room and spit on the altar. The church priest, Father Thomas, said that security must be tightened because of this incident. Before, the church had been open at any time of the day so churchgoers could come to pray or light a candle. The police are still investigating the situation.
Man Sets Fire in a Church in Pescara after being Denied Money from the Priest
October 15, 2023, ItalyA 56-year old man from Pescara asked the parish priest for money, but when the priest refused he started a fire near the altar. The incident occurred around 3:30 PM on October 15. The police was notified and found that a wooden bench, placed to the side of the altar, showed clear signs of combustion. The fabric covering the bench and the carpet underneath it were damaged by the flames, but the fire had already been put out by some parishioners.
Islamist tried to murder Christian convert he considered an 'apostate' who 'deserves to die'
October 15, 2023, United KingdomOn April 11, Ahmed Alid, an Islamist extremist, stood trial at Teesside Crown Court, Middlesbrough, for murder of a pensioner and attempted murder of his housemate Javed Nouri, a convert to Christianity. According to the prosecutor, Alid considered Nouri an apostate and “therefore somebody who deserved to die”. The incident happened last October.
Painting of Elijah heavily Damaged with Axe in Krzeszowice
October 14, 2023, PolandOn October 14 the Police Station in Krzeszowice was notified about damage to a chapel located in the Krzeszowice commune. A vandal used an axe to damage a historic painting depicting Elijah the Prophet of Carmel. The vandal then left the area on bike.
Religious Statue vandalised
October 14, 2023, PolandOn the night of 14-15 October 2023, an unknown perpetrator vandalised the statue of Pope John Paul II in Opatów. The statue's hand holding a cross was broken off. The incident occurred on the eve of the anniversary of the election of Karol Wojtyla.
Pipes Stolen from Taura Church
October 13, 2023, GermanySeveral meters of lightning conductors and copper downpipe were dismantled and stolen from a church in Taura, near Torgau. The police department in Leipzig announced that unknown perpetrators had forcibly gained access to the church between 4 pm on October 12 and 11 am on October 13. The exact extent of the property damage and theft damage is currently unknown. The police have started an investigation into this case and are treating the incident as a particularly serious theft.
Second devastation of a Shrine in Gryfino
October 12, 2023, PolandOn the night of October 11-12, 2023, unknown perpetrators destroyed the Shrine of Mary in Gryfino. The perpetrators broke the glass of the shrine and also smashed the statue of Mary into pieces. This is already the second act of vandalism against the same chapel this year.
Statue of St. Anthony Stolen from Nowy Sacz Monastery
October 11, 2023, PolandA statue of St. Anthony holding Baby Jesus was stolen from a monastic house in the Nowy Sącz region by a 34-year-old resident. The man was detained by the police two hours after receiving the report. The plaster statue has already returned to the house from which it was taken.
Eucharist Stolen from Hospital Chapel in Avola
October 11, 2023, ItalyThe Eucharist kept in the tabernacle of the chapel of Di Maria Hospital in Avola in the province of Syracuse was stolen on October 11. The Bishop of Noto, Monsignor Salvatore Rumeo, stated, "I learn with deep sorrow and infinite bitterness that a sacrilegious theft was perpetrated today." On October 15 a Mass of Reparation was held, with the consecration of the new particles to be placed in the tabernacle.
Four Pupils Vandalize Church in Noci
October 11, 2023, ItalyFour teenage boys heavily vandalized the Church of Carmine in Noci on the morning of October 11. The pupils left their middle school early due to a union meeting of their teachers. They roamed the streets before entering and vandalizing the Church of Carmine. The children were in the church for 30 minutes when they broke off the doors of the tabernacle, tampered with the organ, threw hand sanitizer on the floor, threw waste inside the church, and set fire in the skylight. Luckily the fire did not spread to other parts of the church. The teenagers also damaged the security cameras, but by then the footage of their actions had already been archived. Gregorio Gabriele, custodian and manager of the Church of Carmine, notified the police as soon as he discovered the destruction. The police viewed video footage and caught the boys who committed the acts of vandalism.
New Religion Law in Belarus will allow more arbitrariness against Christian churches
October 11, 2023, BelarusOn October 11 the House of Representatives of Belarus approved the new law on the activities of religious organisations in its first reading. The content of this bill has only recently been made public and although it is still awaiting its second reading before coming into force, the UN and various human rights organisations are warning of the further repression of churches considered "undesirable" that this law will allow. "Mass liquidation of various religious organizations" is expected, reports opposition media.
Priest physically attacked and insulted at gas station
October 10, 2023, FranceAn individual claiming to be proud of being the ‘son of a Fellagha’ [Algerian independence fighter] violently assaulted Father Jean Paul Argouarc'h, from Riaumont, because of his ecclesiastical habit, calling him a ‘dirty priest’ at a gas station between Arras and Lens.
Graveyard Vandalized at Peterborough Cathedral
October 9, 2023, United KingdomVandals targeted a burial ground at Peterborough Cathedral on October 9 between 6 PM and 7 PM. A metal obelisk was kicked over, grave markers were turned upside down and labels identifying various types of flowers were ripped off. The Cathedral gardening team is attempting to repair the damage, and police have launched an investigation.