All cases
Vandalism of a Hundred Graves in Toulouse Cemetery
June 9, 2019, FranceDuring the night between June 8 and 9, a hundred graves in the Terre-Cabade cemetery, the largest cemetery in Toulouse were damaged by vandals. According to reports, crucifixes and crosses on the graves were broken and scattered, as well as flowers and planters. Jewish and Muslim graves in the cemetery of 300,000 graves were unharmed.
Manhole Cover Used to Break Window in Attempt of Theft on Pentecost
June 9, 2019, GermanyUnknown offenders unskrewed the outside barring of a window of the Protestant Johannes Church in Tostedt in the night of June 9th, Whitsunday to Whitmonday. They then broke the window by throwing a manhole cover at it, however, they were not able to gain access due to another set of window grills on the inside of the window.
Vandals Destroy Shrine Outside Church on Pentecost
June 9, 2019, GermanyUnidentified vandals targeted the St. Josef Catholic Church in Ebingen, Albstadt during the night of June 9th (Whitsunday to Whitmonday). They damaged the shrine outside the church by smashing the glass pane, tore down flowerpots, and destroyed candles. They also smashed the mirror glass in the bathroom which is accessible from the outside with a rock. Property damage amounts to about 100 euros.
Church's Exterior Crucifix Destroyed
June 9, 2019, GermanyUnknown vandals damaged the wooden cross in the church yard of the Catholic Church in Harbach during the night of June 9th to 10th by tearing down the corpus (statue of Jesus) and completely destroying it.
Statues Destroyed and Attempted Fire in Saint-Jean de la Primaube
June 9, 2019, FranceUnidentified intruders vandalized the church of Saint-Jean de la Primaube in early June. Mass books were burned and the perpetrators tried to set fire to the tabernacle. Moreover, the statue of Mary and a large cross were damaged and the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was beheaded.
Man attacks Altar with Ax During Mass
June 8, 2019, PolandAt the beginning of the 7am morning mass on June 8th, a 46-year-old man got out of the crowd, ran to the altar and hit it several times with an ax causing damage in the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Rypin, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. The congregation quickly stopped him and handed him over to the police who had him examined by a doctor. A breathalizer test showed that the in Rypin residing perpetrator was under the influence of alcohol, albeit less than 0.5 pro mille. The doctor decided to transfer him to a psychiatric hospital.
Scottish Local Councils Demand Right to Install "Buffer Zones"
June 7, 2019, United KingdomScottish local councils ask for more power to introduce buffer zones around abortion clinics where they see fit without having to appeal to the UK government for permission. This call follows "intimidating" anti-abortion protests outside Glasgow, Larbert and Edinburgh clinics. However, buffer zones such as those would restrict anyone from certain actions such as praying, calmly talking to women about abortion and make them a criminal offense.
Persistent Vandalism of Church in Dierdorf
June 6, 2019, GermanyThe Protestant Church in Dierdorf im Westerwald has been a target for vandalism for nearly two years. Reports beginning in July 2017 indicate that vandals have smashed windows, burned feminine hygiene products stuck to a wall to damage wall plaster, left graffiti on the walls and doors, knocked over park benches, and littered the area around the church every week. Property damage has reached tens of thousands of euros. The congregation is frustrated and horrified.
Fire Set On High Altar in Bad Dürrheim Church
June 5, 2019, GermanyUnknown arsonists lit all candles in the Catholic St. Johann Church in Bad Dürrheim on June 5th before setting fire to a flowerpot placed on the 300-year-old wooden high altar with several burning candles. A church visitor noticed the burning candles and the smell of something burning. As she looked for the source, she found that the flowerpot was almost completely burned and the fire had spread to the wooden altar tabletop. Just in time, she extinguished the fire with holy water and reported the incident. A book for pryer requests was also burned a little bit on one side. The immense damage that was done to the altar could not be estimated yet.
Statue of Parisian School's Patron Saint Smashed
June 4, 2019, FranceOn June 4th, the statue of Archangel Saint-Michel was found smashed into pieces on the grounds of the lycée-collège Saint-Michel de Picpus, a Catholic secondary school in Paris. Unknown vandals also heavily tagged the school's main entrance. The school had installed the statue of its the patron saint outside the school building after a dedication ceremony at the beginning of the school year.
Arson Suspected in Ankum Catholic Church Fire
June 1, 2019, GermanyThe fire department in Ankum was called to a smoldering fire in the St. Nikolaus Catholic Church around noon on June 1st. When the team of 33 firefighters in six firetrucks arrived, the Swedish visitors who had initially discovered the two spots of smoldering fire in the church, had already extinguished them out with water. According to police, the church wasn't damaged by the fire and the fire department only had to inspect the site and quickly gave the all-clear. Police suspect arson and began their investigation with the help of the Swedish visitors describing two girls running out of the church just before they themselves entered and the church's surveillance video tapes.
Robbery from Esslingen Church
May 31, 2019, GermanyBetween May 29th and 31st, several unknown perpetrators broke into the Osterfeld Protestant Church in Berkheim, Esslingen. They entered by climbing the porch roof and, once inside, stole three game consoles and eight controllers from the youth room as well as one digital and one SLR camera from a storage room. The value of the stolen goods was estimated at around 1,000 euros and the property damage amounted to around 2,000 euros.
Vandals Burned Bible and Song Book; Left Feces in Church
May 31, 2019, GermanyOn May 31st, the Lutheran Nikolaikirche in Caldern was the target of vandals. Sometime between 8:30 am and 1:30 pm, unknown perpetrators entered the church, set fire to the bible and hymn book on the altar, and damaged three large candles. They also broke into a cabinet and a chest, but stole nothing. Finally, they left a pile of feces at the church entrance and another on a bench outside the church. Property damage amounted to approximately 300 euros and it is not yet clear how the perpetrators accessed the church. For the time being, the church will stay closed while investigations are ongoing.
Stained Glass Windows Smashed at La Roë Abbey in Mayenne
May 30, 2019, FranceSome time between May 29th and 30th, rocks were thrown at the stained glass windows of the north transept of La Roë Abbey.
Statue Decapitated in front of a Church in Vincennes
May 30, 2019, FranceAfter the morning Mass on May 30th, parishioners discovered that the statue of a little shepherd praying had been decapitated in front of the Notre-Dame church.
Thieves Steal Offertory Donations during Mass in Lourdes
May 30, 2019, FranceDuring the Ascension Mass on May 30th, two thieves aged between 40 and 50 were caught stealing 1,200 euros and 42 pounds sterling from the offertory boxes in the Sanctuary of Lourdes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées. The Spaniards, known to both French and Spanish police, worked in a coordinated manner for several days, with one on the lookout while the other was stealing the donations. The security services in the sanctuary caught them via surveillance video and handed them over to the police who held them in custody. At the end of their hearings by the investigators, they were released until their scheduled appearance before the Tarbes Criminal Court in October.
Relics of Fatima Saints Stolen During Exhibition on Pilgrimage
May 29, 2019, ItalyTwo of the relics of the Fatima child saints as well as copies of a crown and golden rosary of the Fatima Virgin Mary statue were stolen from the Gesu Divino Lavoratore Catholic Church in Verona on May 29th while they were being taken around the country on a pilgrimage tour. Although they were only small pieces of cloth which once belonged to the Portuguese sheperd children Jacinta and Francisco Marto, who were canonized in May 2017 by Pope Francis, they are of great value for devout Catholics. Priest Andrea Ronconi said he was “heartbroken and mortified” by the theft and that it probably happened at noontime. Police are looking for the two suspects with who the priest might even have conversed before he locked the church for lunch break.
Crucifix at Church Vandalized Twice in Two Weeks in Marseille
May 29, 2019, FranceA large crucifix with Christ figure in front of the Saint-Patrice church in the Croix-Rouge district of Marseille was vandalized with blue paint on May 29th. According to reports, this is the second such vandalism in 15 days.
Crucifixes Targeted at Cemetery in Montpellier
May 29, 2019, FranceDuring the night of May 29th to 30th, twelve graves were vandalized in the cemetery Celleneuve in Montpellier (Hérault department). The perpetrators appeared to have specifically targeted crucifixes. The police closed the cemetery on the Ascension holiday to conduct an investigation. Titina Dasylva, deputy mayor in charge of security, expressed her outrage about the incident on Twitter.
Crucifix Destroyed in Płońsk
May 28, 2019, PolandOn May 28th, the Catholic Chapel of St. Padre Pio in Płońsk was the target of vandals who desecrated the chapel's crucifix by taking it off the wall and smashing it. According to the parish priest, a parishioner who came to pray in the chapel found the cross on the floor and the ceramic Jesus Christ statue from the cross broken into pieces. Police are investigating.