All cases
Church Guest Book tagged With Satanic Symbols
June 13, 2023, GermanyThe village church in Hiesfeld has been repeatedly vandalized by unknown perpetrators. According to media reports from June 13, vandals have left satanic and offensive symbols in the parish guest book.
Young People Attack Priest and Utter Anti-Christian insults
June 12, 2023, FranceOn June 12th 2023, a "group of young people" attacked Joseph Eid, the rector of the Notre-Dame-du-Liban parish. Shortly after 8 pm a dozen young people allegedly entered the presbytery to retrieve a soccer ball, and were scolded by the priest. The situation seems to have escalated and the priest was violently thrown to the ground, then grabbed by the back of the neck before being helped by witnesses. The assailants then fled, hurling anti-Christian insults.
Forest Shrine near Mielec Vandalised
June 12, 2023, PolandOn 12 June 2023, a Marian shrine on a mountain path in Czerwone Wierchy near Mielec was painted with black paint. Religious objects belonging to the shrine were also vandalised.
Mary Figure Beheaded at Church in Braunton
June 11, 2023, United KingdomVandals took the head off a statute of Mary which stood outside St. Brannock Catholic Church in Braunton. They threw the torso into the consecrated shallow well and wedged her head into a nearby wall. Mrs. Smith-Bingham, who lives close the the church, stated: "I heard some noise on Sunday (June 11), and when my husband went to look, he noticed this had happened (...).The community should be made aware that a religious hate crime has been reported to the police. There has been petty vandalism in the area for the last 18 months or so, but this is on a different scale." Damage was also caused to the church door, and police are investigating the criminal damage.
Church of Saint-Cornély in Carnac Vandalized with Graffiti
June 11, 2023, FranceThe 17th-century church of Saint-Cornély in Carnac was vandalized by unknown perpetrators between the 10th and 11th of June. The church was tagged with blue lettering on the porch that said "Tout raser comme les menhirs" ("Raze everything like the menhirs"), referencing to another historical heritage that had been vandalized earlier that year.
Priest's Chair Stolen from Church in Cransford
June 10, 2023, United KingdomBetween 8 AM on June 9 and the evening of June 10, a Mendlesham Priest Chair was stolen from St. Peter's Church in Cransford. A spokesperon for Suffolk police said: "Local communities are urged to vigilant of any suspicious activity around churches and report anything of conern to the police.
Valuables Stolen from Church in Bournemouth
June 9, 2023, United KingdomA number of distinctive items have been stolen from St. Stephen's Church in Bournemouth, with police releasing a CCTV image of a suspect. The man was seen on the camera footage on June 9 at 9:30 AM. It was reported that he stole a silver sanctuary lamp, a decorative gold palm leaf and a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. A private area of the church was also broken into and a number of items were damaged. The police have not arrested the man and are continuing their search.
New conversion therapy ban in Iceland affects Religious Freedom of parents
June 9, 2023, IcelandIn line with other European countries, Iceland has approved a ban on conversion therapies for 'sexual orientation,' 'gender expression' and 'gender identity.' The problem arises from the redaction of the new law, that restricts freedom of religion and parental choice. The law does not specify what is considered "conversion therapy", which could lead to the criminalization of harmless spiritual counseling by parents or fellow believers.
UPDATE: Former LGBT Man On Trial For Statements on His Conversion to Christianity
June 9, 2023, MaltaMatthew Grech, a maltese 33-year-old Christian, had his first Court trial on Friday 9th of June. He is being prosecuted on the grounds of "breaching the Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression Act" and promoting "conversion therapy". He could face a prison sentence of up to five months and fines from 1,000 to 5,000 Euro. In the program, aired in April 2022, Grech shared his experience as a homosexual and how he found Christianity, which changed his life forever. Grech did not invite or encourage listeners to undergo any form of "conversion therapy".
Many Injured After Car Driver Rammed Through the Corpus Christi Procession in Warsaw
June 8, 2023, PolandOn June 8, during the Corpus Christi procession in Ursynów, an Audi driver rammed his car through the procession, hitting and injuring people. The police are investigating the event.
Church of Saint Roch defaced and robbed
June 8, 2023, FranceDuring the night of 8 to 9 June, the church of Saint Roch in Ajaccio was defaced with obscene tags and religious objects were stolen. Among the stolen objects are a wooden cross covered in gold leaf and a statue of St John the Baptist.
Orthodox Centre in Hincesti devastated by vandals
June 7, 2023, MoldovaIn a vandalism attack on the Orthodox Centre in Hîncești on June 7, furniture, doors, windows, as well as icons and religious textbooks were destroyed. The perpetrators even set some books on fire.
Devastation of a roadside shrine
June 5, 2023, PolandOn the night of January 5-6, 2023, a twenty-two-year-old man vandalised a roadside shrine in Uście Solne in the commune of Szczurowa. The perpetrator took out the statue of the Mary from the niche of the shrine and smashed it on the road surface.
Church in Southern France Desecrated
June 3, 2023, FranceOn June 3, the sacristan of the Chuch of Mailhac discovered that the place of worship had been vandalized. Many candles lay broken on the floor, and there are clear signs that someone had tried to open the trunk. The sacristan had already filed a complaint for the destruction of candles in the past. As a consequence of this act, the church has been closed for an indefinite time. The Ginestas gendarmerie was informed on the same day, and a complaint had been filed.
Baptist pastor arrested and fined in Brest for preaching on the street
June 2, 2023, BelarusOn June 2, Vladimir Burshtyn was arrested and taken to trial after having been preaching in the street in Drahichyn the day before. The law enforcers told his wife that the reason for the arrest was the "organisation of mass events". He was fined 555 Belarusian rubles, over a month's average pension in the country.
Thieves Smash Window and Steal Candlestick from Sussex Church
June 2, 2023, United KingdomA suspect entered St. Mary the Virgin Church in Littlehampton, Sussex the night between June 1 and June 2. Damage was caused to a window and a candlestick was stolen. Officers attended the scene and an investigation is now underway.
Case opened over the the Burning of a Cross in La Coruña
June 1, 2023, SpainOn June 1st, the provincial prosecutor's office of La Coruña opened a case over the burning of a cross in La Toleira of Neda, following a complaint by the organisation of Christian Lawyers. The lawyers' organization indicates that BNG (Galician nationalist party) members were responsible for the incident. They are being charged with possible hate crimes, offending religious feelings, offending historical heritage and illegal demonstrations. The Prosecutor's Office is asking the police to identify those involved in the reported act and the person(s) responsible for the fire.
Mayor tears down memorial cross two days after losing elections
May 31, 2023, SpainThe mayor of Barrado, a town in the province of Caceres, tore down the cross dedicated to the 'fallen' of the Spanish Civil War on May 31, after having lost the municipal elections two days before. The politician, a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), justifies his decision on the 'Democratic Memory Law' but the foundation Abogados Cristianos considers it an attack on Christians and is considering legal action.
Vandalism with rubbish and excrement at Church in Lucerne
May 30, 2023, SwitzerlandOn the 30th of May, the online news site Kath.ch reported that the front of St. Luke's Church in Lucerne, had been vandalised by people leaving rubbish and excrement.
Virgin Mary Statue Beheaded in Corsica
May 29, 2023, FranceA statue of Our Lady of Lavasina installed on the seafront of Ajaccio in Corsica was found decapitated on May 29th. The statue was used in processions in the parish of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Ajaccio. This is the fourth act of anti-Christian vandalism on Corsica in recent months. In April, a statuette of the Virgin Mary by Petit Capo beach was found vandalised, as well as a make-shift altar at a scout camp in Vero. A cross in Sisco was also decapitated that month.