All cases
Church desecrated and burgled
March 18, 2023, SpainDuring Saturday night, March 18, three churches in the Navarre region were burgled: the parishes of Santacara, Mélida and Murillo el Fruto. In the church of Murillo el Fruto, thieves committed a desecration by opening the tabernacle and throwing away some consecrated hosts.
Repeated Break-in at a Catholic Community House in St. Ilgen
March 17, 2023, GermanyOn March 17, for the second time in the same week, unknown intruders broke into the community house of St. Aegidius. They robbed nothing but perpetrated significant damages. Police officers are looking for witnesses.
Man disturbs Mass and is suspected to have stolen a Crucifix in a Parisian Church
March 17, 2023, FranceOn March 17, a man loudly disturbed the Mass at the Saint-Hippolyte Church in Paris. He is also suspected to have stolen a Crucifix from a Parisian Church the day before. The crucifix, which was probably taken down during the theft, was found "broken into several pieces" on a nearby street corner, according to the police. The man is already flagged with a "fiche S", which means, the French State regards him as a danger to public safety. He has also been classified as a potential Islamist. He has also been sent to a psychiatric investigation.
Vandalization of Objects representing John-Paul II in a Polish Church
March 14, 2023, PolandOn the 14th of March, perpetrators vandalized the Sacred Heart church in Sieradz during the night, targeting stained glass portraits and posters of Pope John-Paul II. The stained glass and a glass door were broken too. The authorities were able to identify and arrest two perpetrators, which were two men in their 20s.
GOOD NEWS: England & Wales Police must defend freedom of expression even if controversial
March 13, 2023, United KingdomA new code of practice on Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHI) introduced to UK Parliament in March clarifyies that simply causing offence is not enough to justify the police including someone's personal information in an NCHI. This comes in opposition to previous NCHI measures that unlawfully interfered with free speech. For example when the Police logged the personal details of a person in a NCHI record after receiving a complaint about a ‘transphobic’ tweet. This user, Harry Miller, appealed and won the case.
Catholic hospital Chaplain wins Lawsuit After Being Fired for His Religious Statements
March 13, 2023, United KingdomIn March 2023, Rev. Patrick Pullicino won a legal case, after being dismissed as Chaplain for expressing the traditional teachings of the Church about marriage. This case started in 2019, as Rev. Patrick Pullicino was dismissed as chaplain by the NHS Trust, after answering a question about the Church's teachings on traditional marriage, which was posed by a patient. The patient that pose the question then sent a complaint letter about Rev. Pullicino. Vanessa Ford, the acting chief executive of the South West London and Saint George's Mental Health NHS Trust, answered to the letter by stating that the trust's policy on equality and diversity "takes precedence over religious belief." Rev. Dr Patrick Pullicino, a Catholic chaplain and former professor of neurosciences sued the NHS Trust.
Teenagers disrupt of church service
March 13, 2023, PolandOn March 13, 2023, two teenagers disrupted the celebration of a Catholic mass in one of Kielce's churches and posted the recording on the internet. A video posted on TikTok shows the two teenagers betting that one of them would enter the church during Mass and interrupt the service by playing an extremely vulgar song from his mobile phone.
Viennese Catholic Church vandalized with Graffiti
March 12, 2023, AustriaOn the 12th of March, a person noticed that the side of the church at the Karmelitenplatz in Vienna's second district (Karmelitenchurch) had been vandalised with graffiti in black paint that says "No God" (Kein Gott). It is not sure when the graffiti was made or if it was filed with the police. The vandals also remain unknown.
Bordeaux Church Vandalized and tagged with Anti-Christian comments
March 12, 2023, FranceThe Church of the Sacred Heart in Bordeaux has recently been vandalized and defaced with offensive graffiti, causing shock among the local community. According to reports from French news outlets, the perpetrators attempted to set fire to the church's door and left hateful messages on the walls, including phrases such as "Thank you Satan" and "devil take me with you". Witnesses have stated that the offenders may have been a group of intoxicated individuals who were present before firefighters arrived at the scene.
Young People Riot Inside Church and Insult worshipers During Mass
March 12, 2023, GermanyOn the evening of March 12, a group of young individuals caused a disturbance at a church in Munich. They rioted and used offensive language directed against the attendants of the mass. It was reported that the parishioners inside the church also heard a loud noise, and then they noticed the window pane had been broken. The priests and churchgoers were targeted with derogatory comments. The group of young people then left. The police were notified, they had not yet identified the perpetrators and are estimating the costs of the damage to property.
Basilica of La Mercé in Barcelona Tagged with offensive words
March 10, 2023, SpainThe Basilica of La Mercé located in Barcelona was vandalized once again. A spokesperson told the news that this had happened before. An unknown suspect has sprayed offensive remarks against the church and God. The newspaper el Debate also reported that they contacted the city council to help wash the words from the affected walls and are hoping to get an answer, since they got ignored the last time something similar happened.
Britain’s largest Scout girls’ organisation told to stop singing to God in new ‘inclusive’ campfire songs
March 10, 2023, United KingdomAs reported by The Telegraph and the Christian Institute, Girlguiding, the UK's national guiding organisation for girls, has come under pressure and criticism after it published a blog post in which the organization argued that in order to make some of its traditional songs "inclusive for everyone," they need be changed to remove "references that have been hurtful to people." Using as an example a song in which references to God were removed.
Man disrupts mass, insults priest and vandalises several churches
March 10, 2023, FranceOn 10 March, the Paris Prefecture of Police announced that the man suspected of vandalising several Paris churches had been arrested. According to reports, he disrupted a mass in the church of Saint-Vincent, insulting the priest and sacristan, then threw a statue on the ground in the church of Saint-Nicolas des Champs, before being apprehended near the church of Saint-François Xavier, where he also spat.
Man Vandalizes statue and items in the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Church
March 9, 2023, FranceLimited details are available regarding a recent incident where an individual allegedly vandalized the Notre Dame-de-Lorette Catholic Church in Paris. According to reports from March 9, the perpetrator caused damage to a statue, chairs, and other items within the church and may have targeted other churches as well. An investigation into the matter is currently underway, and additional information is expected to emerge in due course.
Altars and confessional curtains set on fire in church
March 9, 2023, FranceIn the late afternoon of Thursday 9 March, deliberately set fires were discovered in the Saints-Pierre-et-Paul church in Eguisheim, Haut Rhin, France. A volunteer noticed the fires on the tablecloths of two altars near the choir and on a confessional curtain. A book of intentions was also burned.
A Spanish Senator Sued for Publicly Mocking and Discriminating Against Catholics
March 8, 2023, SpainAccording to ifamnews, the Spanish Christian Lawyers Foundation has started legal proceedings against Senator Carles Mulet for engaging in acts of harassment against Christians and the affiliated organizations that publicly express their religious beliefs. The lawsuit also claims that Mulet has advocated for the removal of crosses by city councils, particularly in the Valley of the Fallen.
Bells Worth £8,000 Stolen from Wragby Church
March 8, 2023, United KingdomUnkown offenders entered All Saints Church in Wragby and stole eight brass handheld bells, worth around £8,000 in total. The theft occurred between March 1 and March 8. The police are investigating the situation.
Vandals Desecrate and Vandalize church and Leave Satanic books on the ground
March 7, 2023, ItalyAccording to Italian news reports, vandals have caused severe damage to the church of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice in the city of La Spezia. The damage involved removing and stealing 15 painted ceramic tiles, vandalizing the baptistery, and stealing the offertory boxes, among other things. It was also reported that pages of sacred texts were scattered on the floor of the sacristy. The perpetrators also left behind satanic books. The police are investigating, but the perpetrators remain unknown.
"Buffer Zones" Clause in England and Wales Criminalize Silent Prayer or "Influence" Around Abortion Clinics
March 7, 2023, United KingdomOn March 7, the House of Commons voted to comprehensively introduce buffer zones around abortion clinics to the Public Order Bill for the final time. The clause to the bill was approved by a majority of 299 MPs in favor to 116 against. Now that the Public Order Bill is set to become law, any form of "influence" around abortion clinics will be criminalised, including silent prayer or consensual conversations, de facto making "thought crime" a reality in the UK. Experts have commented that while harassment and intimidation are already illegal, this law would be a serious attack on freedom of speech and freedom of thought.
Vandalism of religious memorial plaque
March 7, 2023, PolandOn the night of March 7, 2023, an unknown perpetrator vandalised a commemorative plaque with the image of St. John Paul II located on the wall of the City and Commune Office in Skała. The vandal painted the commemorative plaque with green spray or paint.