All cases
Man Disrupts Easter Church Service in Athens
April 16, 2022, GreeceOn Saturday the 16th of April, a man entered an Easter church service in the Church of St Panteleimon and shouted Arabic phrases into a microphone. Video footage showed the priest trying to calm the congregation and the offender was later arrested by the police in Athens.
Swastika Tagged on Façade of Evangelical Church
April 16, 2022, FranceOn April 16th, it was discovered that the façade of an Evangelical church in Reims was painted with a swastika and the word "HITLER" in orange spray paint. Pastor Philippe Rosa filed a complaint but was not sure of the reason for the tags. He said: "The prefecture had warned us ... against possible incivility and actions against the churches during this Easter period. Bad luck it fell on us."
Theft of Hosts at Church in Via Monte Massico
April 15, 2022, ItalyOn April 15th, a 27-year-old broke into the parish of Santa Maria Assunta in Via Monte Massico with the intent of stealing a gold-coloured metal host holder. He was unsuccessful since the parish priest called the carabinieri who blocked the man and retrieved the item.
Theft of Sacred Object in Montesacro Church
April 15, 2022, ItalyA 27-year-old man was arrested by the Carabinieri for stealing a gold-coloured host holder from a church in the Montesacro district. The theft happened shortly before the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.
Repeated Vandalism to Hartlepool Church
April 15, 2022, United KingdomOver four consecutive nights, ending on April 15th, vandals have visited the St Patrick’s Church in Hartlepool and caused thousand of pounds of damage. They broke around a dozen stained glass windows and left the inside fo the church covered with masonry ruble.
Statue of Mary Destroyed in Krosno
April 15, 2022, PolandA figure of Mary was torn of its pedestal and destroyed at an intersection in the district of Krosno on April 16th. The statue dates back to 1959 and is in the Municipal Heritage Register but it was not known who completed the act.
Tabernacle Door Stolen in Schiavonia
April 15, 2022, ItalyOn Good Friday, someone broke into the church of Schiavonia and stole the wooden door off the tabernacle in the altar of San Gaetano. The door was made between 1700 and 1800 and of cultural heritage. The church was greatly disappointed by this sacrilegious theft.
Valuable Relics Stolen from Church During Holy Week
April 15, 2022, GermanyDuring the Holy Week, anonymous intruders entered Neukirchen beim Heiligen Blut church and broke the glass on a case that contained some relics. They then took a cloth with brooches that contained bones from the saints as well as an angel sculpture from the high alter. The police were looking for witnesses and described the relics as having "inestimable immaterial value."
Crucifix Stolen from San Francesco Church
April 15, 2022, ItalyIt was discovered on April 20th that the crucifix from the chapel of Sant'Antonio in San Francesco was missing. Upon further investigation, it was realized that the brass item, which is about 70 cm tall, must have been stolen as it could not be found. The parish priest Fr. Gabriele Monnanni lodged a complaint.
Hateful Anti-Christian Tags Found on Church in Foix
April 15, 2022, FranceOn April 15th, hateful inscriptions were painted on the Saint-Volusien Church in Foix. Phrases such as, "A good church is a church on fire," could be seen. Father Edouard de Laportalière said about the author who was not yet identified, "I recognised this writing already affixed to buildings in the parish that incited people not to believe in the Church. I invite this person to come and meet me, so that we can talk rather than write it on the church because it costs money to erase these messages." The Father said this was the third time the church has been targeted.
Way of the Cross Devastated in Jerzmanowice
April 15, 2022, PolandThe Way of the Cross on Mount Kalwaria in Jerzmanowice was completely destroyed by unknown persons on April 16th. The larger crosses were cut down with a saw. Their supporting ropes were cut while the smaller ones were smashed with an ax. The head and feet of the Mother of God figure were broken and statues of saints were destroyed. This was only part of the damage which the mayor, Tomasz Gwizdała, described as a profanation.
Windows in Shrewsbury Church Smashed During Service
April 15, 2022, United KingdomDuring an evensong service in the Shrewsbury church of St. Chad's, vandals smashed the stained glass widows of the church causing £8,000 in damage, and endangered those inside. The incident happened on the 15th of May at a church which often holds large events. Church warden Joanna Hepper said: "This was extremely upsetting for the congregation and could have caused injury."
Artifact Stolen from Church Restoration Sight in Fiuggi
April 14, 2022, ItalyWhile the Collegiate Church of San Pietro was being repaired, a marked truss, that was intended for a museum, was found to be missing. Stills from a webcam were being viewed and Felice D'Amico who was in charge of the work, said they had many clues. The faithful were quite dismayed by this gesture.
Statue of Virgin Mary Beheaded and Head Stolen in Badajoz
April 14, 2022, SpainIn Badajoz, municipality of Los Santos de Maimona, thieves cut the head off the Virgin saint in a sanctuary and took it along with her crown. This occurred halfway through the Holy Week and the Guardia Civil and the Police were investigating the "serious act." The chapel was forced to close until the necessary repairs and investigations had been done.
Offensive Graffiti Appeared on Sant Cugat Monastery
April 14, 2022, SpainThe Police were investigating the offensive words written on the church of Sant Cugat del Vallès on April 14th. Images showed two men who had written the words "F*** Moses" in Spanish on the wall of the historic building. Work had begun to remove the deeply offensive comments but the police were still uncertain of who committed the act.
Easter Procession Attacked in Granada
April 14, 2022, SpainAn Easter procession on Holy Thursday had been going for about an hour and a half when objects began to fall on those attending. This occurred while the procession was going through Cuesta del Chapiz but luckily the police were quick to take action and a disaster was prevented. This was the second attack on Easter processions in Spain during the Easter week, both of which showed targeted discrimination of Christians.
Public Cross Vandalized With The Colors of The Republican Flag
April 14, 2022, SpainOn the morning of April 14, the cross in Ribalta Park was found vandalized, painted with the colors of the Republican flag. The vandalistic act was perpetrated by the far-left group Antifascist Brigades of Castellón, on the anniversary of the proclamation of the Second Republic in Spain. In July 2021, the City Council of Castellón wanted to remove the cross due to its "Francoist Past", applying the Historical Memory Law, but the Christian Lawyers appealed and the judge of the Contentious- Administrative number 2 of Castellón ruled that no action was to be taken against the monument until the appeal was resolved.
Severe Vandalism at Waldkraiburger Church
April 13, 2022, GermanyA number of items were destroyed at the church in Waldkraiburger on April 13th. The vandals, who were not identified, crushed candles, burned hymn books and lit microphones on fire. They even threw sand around the church from a candle bowl but since the incident was still being investigated, the extent of the damage was not known.
Sacrificial Canes Taken from Church in Reichenbach
April 13, 2022, GermanyOn April 13th, anonymous people broke into the St. Michael Church in Reichenbach and stole several items from the church. They took two large candlesticks that had sacrificial canes attached to them as well as money from a victims box which they had to pry open. Ludwigsstadt police station was requesting information from anyone who knew about the crime.
Blasphemous Writings on Wall of Donoratico Church
April 13, 2022, ItalyThe walls of the Santa Maria church of Donoratico were defaced with blasphemous writings on April 13th. Words such as "Don't pray to a Lord, shoot the banker" were written along with various skulls and masks. The priest Don Antony, reported the crime to the Carabinieri but did not know who did it.