All cases
Church of the Crosses in Foggia Desecrated with Obscene Symbol
March 25, 2021, ItalyOne of the five chapels of the Church of the Crosses in Foggia was smeared with blue paint. One pillar was defaced with a phallic symbol, now covered by a white cloth. The other pillars were sprayed with conspicuous and incomprehensible signs. Other writings were found on the ground of the chapel and on the pavement. The police is investigating.
Orthodox Pastor's Car Smashed with Stones By Vandals In Magenta
March 25, 2021, ItalyDuring the night of March 25th, several young people threw stones at Father Ioan's car. The car was parked in Via Melzi in Magenta, near the church of San Rocco, where the Orthodox community is based. There are yet no clear indicators for the motivation of this crime. The police is investigating.
Church in Baden Baden Set on Fire and Smeared with Paint
March 25, 2021, GermanyUnknown perpetrators threw a flammable object through a smashed window of a side door into the St. Bernhard Church in Baden-Baden during the night of 25 March. According to the police, heavy smoke developed and spread into the church interior. In addition, the perpetrators smeared a two-by-two-metre sign on the side wall of the church, which, according to the parish priest's interpretation, could represent a Jewish Star of David. The police are investigating.
Three Churches Broken into in Val-Doré, Nogent-le-Sec and Jumelles, Statues, Vases and Candlesticks Disappeared
March 25, 2021, FranceDuring the night of 24-25 March, three churches in the region of Eure, particularly in Val-Doré, Nogent-le-Sec and Jumelles, have been targeted by thieves. Several religious objects such as statues, vases, candleholders, 16th century statue of Saint Christine were stolen. The churches were broken into probably with a crowbar. Police are investigating.
201 Gravestones Destroyed At Olsztyn Cemetery - Perpetrator Caught
March 23, 2021, PolandOn March 23rd, the municipal police received a report that gravestones had been damaged at the cemetery in Olsztyn. A total of 201 graves were vandalised. A few hours after the report, the police arrested a 38-year-old man. The man confessed the crime of insulting a gravesite in connection with damage to property.
Relic Of St Thérèse Stolen In Clarens
March 23, 2021, SwitzerlandOn 23 March, the caretaker of the Catholic church in Clarens discovered broken glass and noticed that the piece of cartilage of the parish's patron saint, Saint Theresa of Lisieux, had been stolen from a statue. The chairman of the parish council says: "Materially, there's a bit of a market for relics, but I'm more inclined to think it was sacrilege." The police is investigating.
The Church of Notre Dame du Cierge Vandalized
March 23, 2021, FranceOn the 23rd of March, a message on a fire extinguisher was found in order to warn the two teenager perpetrators who set fire to the church of Notre Dame du Cierge in Épinal and emptied the fire extinguishers. One of them has been recognized on the 31st of March and the other on 18th April. The first perpetrator was seen in the church, while the other has been seen while entering the church. The police are investigating.
Vandalism and Desecration Of Hospital Chapel In La Rochelle
March 22, 2021, FranceOn March 22, the chapel of the Saint-Louis Hospital in La Rochelle got severely vandalised and desecrated. "When I knelt down at the altar to begin my prayer, I noticed that something was wrong," explained the chaplain. He noticed that the altar cloths were stained with a yellow liquid and that in front of one of the side chapels an imposing plaster statue of Christ was "pulverised". Matches and a cigarette butts that were found at the scene indicate that the perpetrators tried to set fire to the chapel. The police is investigating.
Catholic Priest in Ireland Fined for Not Restricting Access to Mass
March 22, 2021, IrelandA Catholic priest in Ireland has been fined 500 Euros because he did not close the doors to his church while we was celebrating mass, so people would not be able join the church service. Due to government health measures, public religious services in the country have been suspended since 7 October 2020. In a parish newsletter, Father P.J. Hughes wrote: “Next Sunday marks the journey of Holy Week. It is hard to believe that for a second year people cannot come to take part in the ceremonies of Holy Week. Despite the size of the church and the holy place that it is because of the presence of Jesus in the Holy Tabernacle, the church has been deemed a hot spot for the spread of the virus by the gardaí.”
Rioters Vandalize Church in Bad Rappenau
March 22, 2021, GermanyUnknown persons rioted inside a church in Bad Rappenau on Monday, 22nd of March between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The perpetrators entered the Protestant church on Kirchplatz and knocked over disinfection dispensers, tore up prayer texts and smashed an altar candle, among other things. They also tore down a picture and threw it on the floor. The damage is amounting to several hundred euros, according to the police. The police called for witnesses testimonies for the investigation.
Vandals Smash Window Of A Church In Catanzaro
March 21, 2021, ItalyDuring the night of March 20th, unknown perpetrators smashed a window of the Church of Santa Maria della Speranza in Catanzaro by throwing stones against it. According to Mayor Sergio Abraham, the vandalism "strikes directly at the heart of the neighbourhood church, which is a landmark for all residents". The police is investigating.
Vandalism At The Sacred Heart Church In Singen
March 21, 2021, GermanyUnknown persons destroyed windows at the Sacred Heart Church in Singen probably on the weekend of 19-21 March. Since the windows are leaded glass windows, the destruction causes much more financial damage than normal windows. According to the church's pastor, the vandalism is not an isolated case, as the church has been the victim of repeated attacks recently. The police is investigating.
Lazaretto Church Vandalized in Golasseca
March 21, 2021, ItalyOn the 21st of March, unknown persons entered the small Church of Lazaretto and vandalized its interior. the Parish priest, Fr. Hervé Simeoni, filed a complaint at the police. The Church was attacked a second time in April.
Two Anti-Christian Attacks In Churches In Nice
March 20, 2021, FranceOn march 20th, two perpetrators vandalised the interior of a small church in the Saint Isidore district, they also stole several consecrated objects. A few hours later the police arrested the perpetrators with the help of public video recordings. Another incident occurred in parallel at the Basilica of Notre Dame, the church where three Christians were killed by an Islamic Terrorist in October 2020. During this incident a perpetrator, who was later identified and arrested by the police, had praised the terrorist massacre during holy mass.
Rave Party In An Abandoned Armenian Monastery In Cyprus
March 20, 2021, CyprusOn 20 March, a rave party took place in the Armenian monastery of Sourp Magar in northern Cyprus, which was founded in the 11th century and has been empty since 1974. Although the rave party took place several weeks ago, it only became known this week through a video. The US Ambassador to Cyprus, Judith Garber, condemned the rave party: "The US Embassy strongly condemns the abuse of the Armenian Monastery of Saint Magar. Freedom of worship is a fundamental value and we join religious leaders in calling for all places of worship, whether in use or not, to be protected from abuse, vandalism and desecration."
Perpetrators Rioted Inside Church and Damaged the Organ
March 20, 2021, GermanyUnknown perpetrators rioted in St George's Church in Freistett and damaged the valuable organ. On 20 March, unknown persons entered the open church unnoticed and caused damage amounting to several thousand Euros. Individual church brochures, hymn books and pens were scattered on the floor, the lid from the baptismal font was placed on the altar, the permanent candles extinguished, electricity plugs pulled and the confirmation and baptism fish for good wishes torn. "The perpetrators have (also) wilfully damaged the organ," regretted the church's pastor. CCTV was now installed. The police are investigating.
Forty Religious Objects Recovered After Theft in Ile de France Region
March 20, 2021, FranceNumerous religious objects such as statues, altar crosses, Stations of the Cross, reliquaries have been stolen between June and November. The police of Seine et Marne found around 40 objects linked to 26 thefts. The statues of St Joseph were found by an elected representative of the commune on an advertisement website. He contacted the seller and informed the police who went to his home in Montreuil and traced the other stolen religious objects.
Attempted Arson In Protestant Church In Glonn
March 19, 2021, GermanyDuring the night of March 19th, unknown persons attempted to set fire to the vestibule of the Protestant church in Glonn. According to the police, flyers and other informational leaflets were set on fire. The entrance door, a side table and a carpet were burnt, but the fire did not spread to the whole church. The caused property damage is estimated at about 2.500 Euros.
Church of Saint-Denis de la Croix Rousse Damaged and Vandalized
March 19, 2021, FranceOn the 19th of March, a forty-three-year-old man, known for fifty previous convictions, vandalized the church of Saint Denis in Croix-Rousse in the district of Lyon. The perpetrator climbed on the altar and knocked down the cross. Three days later, he returned to the church and stole the candlestick. The perpetrator was arrested in Place Tobie-Robatel and brought before the public prosecutor’s office.
Saint-Louis Church in La Roche-sur-Yon Tagged by Anarchists
March 19, 2021, FranceOn 19 March, the Saint-Louis Church in La Roche-sur-Yon has been tagged by Anarchists. The sentence of ‘’Vive la commune de 1971’’ (long live the 1871 commune) has been tagged in red and signed with an A circled, which is the symbol of the Anarchists. This is not the first time that the church has been targeted. Last March, Saint-Louis Church and the visitation monastery have also been a victim of vandalism with the same anarchist symbol on their wall. An investigation has been opened.