On September 9, the altar of St Mary in the Catholic parish of St. Peter and Paul in Grevenbroich, Germany, was overturned and smashed to pieces. The front part of the church remains closed due to the severe damage caused by the vandalism.
In the night of August 24 to 25, unknown perpetrators tried to set fire to a pilgrim church in Dorschhausen, Bad Wörishofen. They also tried to set fire to the tablecloth on the altar, causing severe damage of several thousand euros.
On the night from August 16 to 17, unknown persons destroyed a statue of Mary and other sacred objects in a chapel of a retirement home in Montecilfone.
Due to repeated acts of vandalism, two churches in Bodenfelde and Uslar have had to close their doors outside of worship hours. The churches have been the target of various attacks, including broken windows, arson and an altar being defaced with swastika graffiti.
A statue of Mary outside St Joseph Church in Wembley in the Diocese of Westminster, was smashed into pieces in the night of August 7, leaving behind the empty plinth. The parishioners are shocked. Police presence around the church will be reinforced.
On the evening of August 5, unknown persons entered the church of the Most Precious Blood in Porto Recanati and, after forcing the tabernacle, took the hosts that had already been consecrated and were kept inside. During their escape, the thieves abandoned a chalice on the street. The parish priest alerted the police. Nothing else was stolen from the church.
On July 31, vandals partially forced open the front and outer doors of the sacristy of the church of Scalini, a hamlet of Arsiero, destroyed a plaster statue of St. Anthony holding the Infant Jesus, decapitated both figures, threw furniture on the ground, attempted break into the donation box, broke a stained glass window in the apse, and tore down a microphone.
Between May and July, a gang stole crucifixes and images from 19 cemeteries in the province of Toledo. Those responsible have been arrested.
On the night of 23 June, the Spanish fiesta of San Juan, young people destroyed all the niches and some religious images in the Valdoviño cemetery ( La Coruña) by kicking them down. They also smashed statues of saints on tombstones and tore off their heads. They recorded their acts of destruction and abuse, including shouts and insults such as "F*** Jesus Christ", and uploaded the video to social networks.
As reported on June 12, a man broke into the 11th-century church of St. Michael in Dublin and started a fire in the crypt containing 5 medieval mummies. They were damaged beyond repair. The man is now on trial.
On June 9, the Montierneuf church in Poitiers was found vandalised. The cross was twisted, the altar smashed, vases of flowers were thrown against the walls, a sacred plaque on the altar was unsealed, twelve columns were torn down and the cross from the high altar was thrown on the sidewalk. Furthermore, furniture and sacred objects were damaged. The most symbolic and sacrilegious act for the catholic community remains the degradation of the tabernacle, where the consecrated hosts were kept. It was unsealed from the top.
On the morning of May 31, the priest of Saint-Maurice Church in Strasbourg observed that some people had urinated into the holy water fountain near the entrance. This is not the first incident in this church. There have been a series of thefts and other incivilites over several months.
On Wednesday, May 15, unknown perpetrators set fire to a 19th century large brick chapel on the catholic cemetery in the town of Smorgon in Belarus. An image of Jesus and the roof of the chapel was burned. Parishioners are convinced that there was an act of profanation.
During the night of 5-6 May, the tabernacle in the church of Notre-Dame de Livry-Gargan (Seine-Saint-Denis) was torn from its place and stolen.
Unknown perpetrators broke into the church of Our Lady of Czestochowa and stole the consecrated host, which is considered as an act of desecration by Catholics. Two ciboria with consecrated hosts disappeared from the secure tabernacle, as discovered by parish priest Father Stanislaw Mikos during Sunday Mass.
On Friday morning, April 26, an unknown perpetrator tried to set fire to the church of San Bernardino Realino in Carpi. After attempting to steal the offering box, he set fire to the tablecloth in the side chapel.
On Saturday night, April 20, individuals broke into the church of Sancta Maria in Albis, located in the heart of the village of Breil-sur-Roya.
The grave of the late Patriarch Neophyte was desecrated in Sofia, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church informed Tuesday morning, April 16.
Great Yarmouth Minster Church was broken into twice within two weeks, first overnight between March 29 and March 30 and then again on April 12, 2024. Besides stealing money the thieves also broke the windows of the church and took sacred objects, namely the bread and wine which has been blessed and kept reserved and some of the sacred oils. "So many people in Yarmouth feel hurt by the fact that a place they consider special and important to community life has been violated," the church Reverend said.
An unknown perpetrator damaged a Gospel on display in the church of Zapfendorf on Tuesday 8 April. The book was damaged to the value of around 300 euros.