All cases
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.
Amnesty International UK withdraws report that branded Christian groups 'anti-rights'
July 13, 2026, United KingdomAmnesty International UK has withdrawn and expressed "regret" over a report that drew criticism for labelling dozens of Christian and pro-life organisations—including the Christian Institute, the Evangelical Alliance UK, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales—as “anti-rights”.
Päivi Räsänen Denied UK Transit Authorisation Following Finnish Conviction
July 12, 2026, United KingdomFinnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen announced that the United Kingdom had withdrawn her Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), preventing her from transiting through London Heathrow Airport on her return from the United States, supposedly linked to her recent conviction for "hate speech" by the Finnish Supreme Court. Although her ETA had initially been approved, it was revoked shortly before her departure.
Attempted Intrusion and Arson at the Notre-Dame Church of Le Relecq-Kerhuon
July 10, 2026, FranceOn the night of 9 to 10 July 2026, the Notre-Dame Church in Relecq-Kerhuon was the target of a fire and attempted break-in throughout the night. The fire was extinguished before it could spread to the whole church building, but the incident nonetheless affected the Christian place of worship and is being investigated by the police.
Crucifix vandalised in Stolberg-Zweifall
July 10, 2026, GermanyAs reported on 10 July, a wayside cross at the "Kartoffelbaum" site in Stolberg-Zweifall has been deliberately damaged, with parts of the wooden corpus having been cut off. As the vandalism targeted a religious monument in the area that serves as a place of prayer and remembrance for pilgrims, the incident has caused deep distress for the local community.
Zagreb Reported for Religious Discrimination After Preventing Red Wednesday Commemoration
July 9, 2026, CroatiaOn 9 July 2026, the Croatian Protestant Conference reported the City of Zagreb to the Ombudswoman for religious discrimination after the authorities’ prolonged failure to decide on its request to commemorate persecuted Christians through a Red Wednesday projection on the Zagreb fountains. The city remained silent even after a national ministry ordered it to issue a decision within 15 days, forcing the organisers to cancel the event. A subsequent parking decision obstructing the entrance to the Conference’s office and a Protestant place of worship raised further concerns about the city’s treatment of the Christian organisation.
Church banner destroyed in Hohenwarthe
July 8, 2026, GermanyAs reported on 8 July, a banner at a lutheran church of Möser in Hohenwarthe has been cut up and destroyed in an act of vandalism. According to reports, the church congregation suspects the vandalism was politically motivated and is horrified by the incident.
Desecration of Armenian cemetery in Istanbul
July 8, 2026, TurkeyOn the night of 7 to 8 July 2026, an individual entered the Surp Karabet Christian Cemetery in Istanbul by climbing over the perimeter wall. The perpetrator vandalised six graves and a memorial just days before the reconsecration of the Armenian Surp Karapet Church. The reports describe the Christian community as deeply wounded by the incident, and their concerns over the safety of Christian communities in Turkey have been heightened.