All cases

Church Entrance Defaced With Graffiti

August 3, 2022, Germany

In Wörth am Main during the first week of August, unknown persons defaced the entrance area of St. Nicholas Church with graffiti. The police have been notified and are asking for information. It seems that the crime was committed between 3 and 4 August. The perpetrators defaced the stone staircase of the main portal with paint. The damage to the property is estimated at around 500 euros.

Russia: Government Pressure on Religious Leaders to Support War

August 2, 2022, Russia

The Russian government has been pressuring religious leaders to support Putin's invasion of Ukraine, using tactics such as warning, prosecuting, and fining the believers and leaders who publicly voiced that they oppose the war. From the beginning of the Russian invasion, between February 24 and the 20th of July, 16,380 people were detained for speaking out against the war in public protests, in publications on the internet, and in other demonstrations of protest. Between March 5 and July 14, there were 3,303 cases opened under the new Administrative Code Article 20.3.3, which criminalizes "Public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation", and is used to punish any form of "anti-war statements either in public spaces or online".

Unknown Vandals Riot in Church and Set Praise Book on Fire

August 2, 2022, Germany

On the 2nd of August afternoon, unknown perpetrator(s) vandalised a church in the Zähringerstraße. The individuals damaged flyers and a praise book with fire, they threw over altar candles and stands and damaged a holy figure. Also, an unknown number of candles were stolen. The police has taken over the investigation of the damage to property and asks for information from witnesses.

Vandalised Steps at the Church of Aumetz

August 2, 2022, France

Steps leading to a secondary exit of the church in Aumetz in Moselle were vandalised - the edge was broken. The vandalic act most probably took place on 2. August. The town hall has filed a complaint.

Religious Objects Looted from Church of St. Mary's Assumption

August 1, 2022, Germany

Thieves looted the church of St. Mary's Assumption in Appelhülsen on the 1st of August. They stole three gold-plated metal candle coasters, a copper bird figurine screwed onto the baptismal font, various votive offerings crosses and a metal rod, which was in the hand of a statue of Our Lady. The police in Dülmen are asking for information.

Commemorative Plaque For Pastor Oskar Brüsewitz Stolen

August 1, 2022, Germany

In the city of Zeitz in front of the church, the memorial plaque for the pastor Oskar Brüsewitz was stolen. The theft was discovered on the 1st of August. The plaque was still attached to the pillar until the 27th of July. According to a witness, a man was seen trying to remove the plaque on the 27th of July in the evening. The witness says the man was disturbed when he was approached. A police investigation is ongoing.

Polish Cemetery Desecrated in Piekary Śląskie

July 31, 2022, Poland

On the 31 of July, the cemetery in Piekary Slaskie was desecrated by unknown perpetrators. 42 gravestones have been destroyed, the tombstones and crosses were knocked over, and flowers and some crosses were set on fire, according to Łukasz Czepkowski, spokesman for the Baker police. The police are investigating and trying to identify the perpetrators

Chapel in the Commune of Quistinic Vandalised

July 31, 2022, France

The Saint-Roch de Kergroix chapel, in the commune of Quistinic in Morbihan, was vandalised on the weekend of 31 July. The two doors of the building were broken into, but no theft was reported in the building. The commune filed a complaint. On the following 2 August, several fires of criminal origin destroyed a hedge in the village of Kerquéré - the mayor recalled the vandalism of the chapel in the local press, where he announced that he would file a complaint following the fire.

Vandalic attack against church in Maków Mazowiecki

July 30, 2022, Poland

On July 30, a woman at St. Joseph's Church in Maków Mazowiecki noticed that a man, most likely under the influence of alcohol, entered the sanctuary. He headed for the side aisle, where there were paintings used in processions, and deliberately kicked them. Under the impact, the paintings fell over. Two of them have damaged frames. The woman tried to stop him, but to no avail; the man left the scene before police officers arrived.

Theft of Relics and a Medieval Statue from a Church in the Manche

July 30, 2022, France

Relics and a medieval statue probably dating from the 13th century were stolen from the church of Saint-Médard and Saint-Gildard in Crépon in the Manche region in July. On their website, the Friends of the Crépon church give details: "During the month of July 2022, the Crépon church was the target of several thefts perpetrated without breaking and entering and probably in broad daylight. The first targeted relics contained in four reliquaries displayed on secondary altars in the nave and the second a remarkable sculpture, discovered in 2019 during work carried out in the nave of the church, and which was kept in the sacristy, a room which is usually locked." Relics are sacred objects.

"Burn In Hell" Sprayed in the Facade of the Church of Our Lady

July 29, 2022, Switzerland

On the 29. July, the wall of the Church of our Lady in Zurich was found with inscriptions in red paint saying: "Burn in Hell", "Strike Fundamentalists on the Mouth" and an anarchist symbol, along with paint dripped over the staircase. For the time being, the parish staff is not allowed to clean up the graffiti, while the crime is being investigated by the police. The shocked priest said he had never experienced anything like this.

Human Rights Group: Germany's Migration Office Ignores the Persecution of Iranian Christian Converts

July 28, 2022, Germany

During a press conference on the 28. July, the "International Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte (IGFM)" reported on the indifference and even bias present in the BAMF (the Migration Office in Germany) in regard to the fate of Iranian Christian converts, who face persecution or even death if deported to Iran. Pastor Dr. Gottfried Martens, an expert on legal practice and deportation procedures recalls how representatives would make fun of the statements of Christian Iranians, he stated that court hearings were "pure gambling". Many Iranian converts shared their hardships and disappointing experiences with the german authorities.

Liturgical Organ and Music Equipment Stolen During the Day

July 28, 2022, France

On 28. July, the Norman councillor discovered that the liturgical organ and the sound equipment of the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste were stolen in Omonville la Rogue. A complaint was filed with the Police.

New Report: Christian converts from Islam are unprotected in Europe

July 28, 2022, European Institutions (EU, ECHR, et.al.)

A new report by the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) reveals the persecution that European Muslims who convert to Christianity face. It also sheds light on the fact that the rights and freedoms of people who wish to leave the Islam religion are not adequately protected. According to the report "it is difficult and more generally dangerous for a Muslim to leave his religion" in France.

Church in Heilbad Heiligenstadt Vandalised in the Middle of the Night

July 28, 2022, Germany

Unknown persons vandalised a church in Heilbad Heiligenstadt on 28 July. "Between 1 and 5.30 p.m., unidentified persons vented their destructive rage in the St. Martin's Church on the church square in the old town. The perpetrators had tagged several pillars, spilled candle wax on the floor and broken a glass vase and a basin of the holy water dispenser. The stone staircase was also damaged by the vandals. The police have launched an investigation and an appeal for witnesses.

Attempted Arson at St. Nicholas Church in Knokke-Heist

July 28, 2022, Belgium

Destroyed by arson in 2013 already and then rebuilt, the St. Nicholas Church in Westkapelle, a section of the Flemish municipality of Knokke-Heist on the Dutch border, was set on fire on 28. July. Passers-by noticed smoke coming from the church. They went inside and noticed that the candle stand was burnt out. The fire was quickly extinguished and an investigation was launched - which points to vandalism by teenagers.

Anti-Christian Taggs Painted on 16th Century Church

July 26, 2022, Italy

In Matera, unknown vandals defaced the 16th Century Church of the Immaculate Conception with anti-Christian phrases. The Pisticci administration announced: "This time it is an even more serious act because it has hit one of the symbolic assets of our historical-artistic heritage, certainly among the most beautiful and important in our country." The municipal administration reported the act to the authorities and asked citizens to help in identify the ones responsible. One of the inscriptions said "F*ck your God" or "Son of a *?"

Tourist Ransacks Basilica of Boulogne-sur-Mer

July 26, 2022, France

On the 26. July at night, a US-American tourist ransacked the Basilica of Boulogne-sur-Mer. In the pictures posted by the police on Twitter one can see benches were knocked down, statues broken on the ground, the altar was ransacked and other sacred objects were damaged. The man was arrested by the local police.

The statue of Our Lady of Beauraing set on fire

July 26, 2022, France

The statue of Our Lady of Beauraing in Kanfen, a commune in the Moselle region near the Luxembourg border and Dudelange, has been vandalised on 26. July - unknown persons have burnt it. The previous statue in the same oratory was stolen outright, and was made of bronze.

Profanation of a Roadside Shrine in Przemyśl

July 25, 2022, Poland

During the night of July 25-26, a shrine with a statue of the Virgin Mary was profaned in the district of Przemyśl, in Poland.