All cases

Priest Spoke out About Church Vandalism

April 7, 2020, United Kingdom

The Church of St. Edward was found vandalized with graffiti on the 7th April. The Priest of the Church, Father Callum Brown, expressed his concern.

Police Cancelled Rooftop Palm Sunday Mass

April 6, 2020, Spain

On Palm Sunday morning, the local police interrupted a Mass celebrated on a rooftop by the priest of the Church of the Paúls in Triana. The members of the community had improvised an altar and lectern. The priest used a speaker to reach the nearest residential blocks. While some residents informed the police saying the rules were being violated, other citizens were angry at the officers for interrupting the Mass. The priests said there were only eight of them on the rooftop, and they all lived in the same house. There was a confrontation between the neighbors supporting the Mass and the ones against it.

Priest Fined and Arrested For Processioning a Crucifix Alone

April 6, 2020, Italy

On April 6, a the Priest Father Domenico Cirigliano was fined and arrested for 14 days by the police, as he was carrying the miraculous Crucifix from the Church of Blessed Virgin Mary in Rocca Imperiale. He was doing a personal procession through the streets, keeping enough distance from other individuals and his assistant. The Father had told the parishioners he would bless the city in this form of reduced procession. The police reported the act as public departure, not motivated by employment, need or health reasons and had made a demonstration or religious act affecting the streets. In other cities the processions were allowed by the civil authorities.

Model Of Basilica Of San Simplicio Di Olbia Vandalized

April 5, 2020, Italy

The model of the basilica of San Simplicio in Olbia, a meticulous reconstruction and a symbol of the city, was damaged by vandals. Unknown perpetrators broke the roof and the top of the facade. This incident occurred while the city was on lock-down due to the corona virus. It was not the first time the monument had been vandalized.

Vandalism and Theft in Saint-Laurent Church in Lambezellec During the Lockdown

April 5, 2020, France

On Sunday 5th April, Father Jean Baptiste Gless noted the degradation and theft at the Church Saint-Laurent of Lambezellec in Brest. The candlesticks and candles were overturned and the lamp of the tabernacle was stolen. The parish priest refuses to close the doors of the church due to the degradation, because he says the perpetrators shall not win, he always leaves the door open in the morning, so that people can meditate and pray. During the Lockdown, the priest also prayed for the people of the town, and he hung a sign on the facade saying "Take care of you all, we pray for you".

Parish Offices of the Church of Amabilina Vandalized

April 4, 2020, Italy

Unknown intruders vandalized the parish offices of the San Giovanni Maria Vianney of Amabilina church in Marsala. The printer and the drawer of the photocopier were opened and the electrical wire was cut. Nothing was stolen because money and valuables had been removed while the church remains closed due to corona virus precautions.

Golden Cross Stolen from Osnabrück Chruch

April 3, 2020, Germany

Sometime during Holy Week unknown perpetrators broke open a glass case in the St. Joseph Church in the Miquelstraße in Osnabrück and stole a golden cross. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.

The Police Evacuated A Church Even Though the Regulations Allow Mass in Churches

April 3, 2020, Spain

On 3. April, the national Police evacuated the church of San Servando y San Germán, in the district La Laguna of Cádiz. The Police said that the security measures for the Covid-19 Pandemic were not being held at the mass. The parish priest wrote afterwards an open letter, assuring that the fifteen parishioners in the Mass were taking the right measures, and that the evacuation was not justified.

Hateful and Stigmatised Speech Against Evangelical Christians

April 3, 2020, France

Following the incident where The Open Doors Church was unfairly accused of spreading the Covid-19 infections, Christians have experienced intolerance and hate-speech all around France. Thierry Le Gall, from the national evangelical Council, mentions that in the last weeks they collected a lot of violent comments on social media, saying that the Christians should be erased or that they should not be in the country. Also, Pastors have received threats through letters and phone calls. Le Gall believes these attacks are because of ignorance about religion, intolerance and a scapegoat mechanism.

Window Smashed at Protestant Church

April 1, 2020, Germany

An unknown person smashed a window of the evangelischen Gemeinde Mainz-Laubenheim with a stone between April 1st and 2nd. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.

The Police Reported a Priest Who Was Celebrating Mass With 5 People

March 31, 2020, Spain

On the 31. March two police agents knocked on the door of the Church in Valldoreix and said to the priest "It's prohibited to open the Church and you are a murderer." They denounced the priest, although there were only five people present including the priest, and the Mass was celebrated with the regulations and on a legal basis.

Repeated Burglary At Catholic Church

March 30, 2020, Germany

On March 30th between 09:00 and 19:45, unknown perpetrators broke into the Catholic church in the Brüder-Grimm-Straße in Vellmar. They opened the door of the sacristy, the organ control panel, the cover of the baptismal font, the safe, and searched several cupboards before fleeing in an unknown direction. The total damage amounts to 1.000 euro. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.

Fire at Catholic Church in Rohrbach

March 29, 2020, Germany

Sunday afternoon unknown perpetrators set fire to the catholic church in the Sudetenstraße in Rohrbach. A stacks of newspapers caught fire at the rear entrance of the church. The firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, so only the church walls and the door were slightly affected. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.

Police Raids on Italian Churches Raise Religious Freedom Concerns

March 29, 2020, Italy

An unclear regulation about churches caused difficulties between churches and police. The Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti of Perugia, president of the Italian bishops' conference, asked the government to clarify these rules. During the Lockdown, the churches were allowed to be opened, but the assistance of a Mass was not declared as a vital necessity. The police raided several Mass being celebrated by small groups of people separated throughout the church and some bishops received reports of hundreds of euros for organising a mass.

Polish Village Shocked over Vandalism in Cemetery

March 28, 2020, Poland

During the night between the 28th and 29th of March unknown people vandalized several tombstones, knocked over plaques and crosses, and broke many candles in the parish cemetery in Wysoka, despite the corona virus lockdown measures in Poland. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.

Vandalism at St. Remigius Church

March 28, 2020, Germany

On the afternoon of March 28th, an unknown perpetrator broke into and damaged the organ case of the church Saint Remigius in Ingelheim. Furthermore, one page of the Gospel book, which has been laid out and opened, was set on fire. Just before this criminal incident a witness noticed a "strange" man, who pretended to want to play something on the organ. The police are investigating and searching for more witnesses.

Theft of Statue of the Virgin Mary in Dorsten

March 27, 2020, Germany

On March 25th a statue of the Virgin Mary was stolen from the St. Antonius church in Dorsten. CCTV captured a couple entering the church and stealing the relic. The police is investigating and asking the public for help to find the statue, as it has a high ideational value for the parish.

Significant Vandalism in St. Michael Kirche

March 26, 2020, Germany

Between 6:00 and 7:20 pm on the evening of March 26th, an unknown perpetrator vandalized the St. Michael Kirche on Kämpenstraße in Versmold. A shelf with Easter candles was knocked over, and the candles were scattered throughout the church. A large glass sanctuary lamp with the eternal flame candle was destroyed and a microphone was torn out of the ambo. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.

Protestant Church In Dreieichenhain Vandalised

March 25, 2020, Germany

Between Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon, three windows of the Protestant church in the Fahrgasse in Dreieichenhain were damaged by an unknown perpetrator. Two windows had a hole and the glass of the third one was cracked. The damage amounts to 500 euros. The police are investigating and searching for witnesses.

An Angel Statue Vandalised

March 25, 2020, Poland

In the night of March 25th, two wooden statues; one of an angel and the other of a woman, were damaged in Kadzidlin. An unknown person cut off the wing of the angel standing by the building of the Municipal Library as well as the upper part of the woman`s figure. The whole damage amounts to 4.000 zlotys. A 43-year-old was caught and admitted the crime using a petrol saw. According to the Criminal Code, the crime committed by the 43-year-old man for unknown reasons is punishable by up to 5 years in prison.