All cases
Arson and Break-in: Repeated targeting of churches in Sierck-les-Bains
July 13, 2025, FranceOn the night of 13 July, the room adjoining the church in Sierck-les-Bains was vandalised. The white plastic door was completely destroyed. A week earlier, two teenagers had been arrested for setting fire to a chapel in the same municipality.
Vandalism in Münster church leads to restricted opening hours
July 10, 2025, GermanyAs reported on 10 July, St. Bonifatius Church in Münster will remain closed outside of services due to a series of troubling acts of vandalism. According to the local pastor, Dr Heike Köhler, the building has repeatedly been defiled with faeces and littered with broken beer bottles. There have also been incidents of arson. Most recently, photographs of baptism candidates were deliberately set on fire.
Incitement to burn churches and priests
July 9, 2025, ItalyOn the morning of 9 July, graffiti inciting violence against churches and priests was discovered on a house next to the Basilica of San Domenico in Perugia. The slogan read: "Churches should be burned down, but with the priests inside; otherwise it's not enough". An anarchist and transgender symbol was placed next to the quote.
Vandalism in Velen church
July 8, 2025, GermanyRepeated acts of vandalism at St. Andrew's Church in Velen, in the Borken district. The church has been left in a state of disarray, with overturned candles and firecrackers set off next to the high altar. The most recent example: The icon of 'Our Lady of Perpetual Help' was sprayed with wax, and the damage is estimated to be in the mid-three-digit range.
Hostilities erupt outside church in Langenau
July 7, 2025, GermanyViolence by pro-Palestine demonstrators against the congregation of St Martin's Protestant Church in Langenau, in the Alb-Donau district, has escalated. During an unannounced gathering outside the church, two protesters reportedly became physically violent and verbally abusive. Due to the repeated demonstrations becoming increasingly violent, many parishioners have stopped attending services out of fear.
Altar of church in Lido vandalised
July 6, 2025, ItalyUnknown individuals entered the church of Tarquinia Lido, Maria Santissima Stella del mare, and overturned and damaged all the objects on the altar. According to reports, the vandals entered through a window at the back of the church and then targeted the side chapel where the consecrated hosts are kept.
Arson attack in Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Helpers Stop Arsonist
July 6, 2025, GermanyOn the afternoon of Saturday, June 29, 2025, a 28-year-old man allegedly set fire to several altars in the Catholic parish church of St. Martin in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. According to police, the man intentionally ignited altar cloths using a lighter and caused damage estimated in the high four-figure range. Two church visitors extinguished the flames before the fire department arrived and overpowered the suspect, who has been temporarily placed in a psychiatric clinic by court order.
Salsasio church closes to public due to repeated vandalism
July 3, 2025, ItalyFollowing repeated acts of vandalism and harassment of the faithful, the parish of Salsasio has decided to close the church on Via Novara to the public, keeping it open only for religious services. Parish leaders denounced the incidents as showing “contempt for a sacred place and for Christianity,” and expressed serious concern for the safety of the church and its sacred objects.
Arsonists Ignite Five Fires in Lavesum’s Antonius Church
July 2, 2025, GermanyOn Friday, July 2, 2025, unknown individuals set multiple fires inside the Antonius Church in Lavesum, causing significant damage. Among the destroyed items was the canopy (baldachin) above the altar, and church officials suspect arson.
Sacristan struck down with cross
June 30, 2025, GermanyOn June 30, a man attacked the sacristan of the Catholic St. Nikolaus parish in Rodgau, using a crucifix as a weapon. The attacker, who is born in Syria and holds Lebanese and German citizenship, initially confronted the church worker after being approached about loud music coming from his parked car. He kicked the sacristy door, punched the sacristan, and then tore a 1.6-meter crucifix from the wall, striking the victim so forcefully that it broke. According to reports, he then tried to use the broken pieces of the figure of Jesus as a stabbing weapon and shouted to a passerby, “Help me kill him.”
Crucifix set alight and 40 headstones smashed
June 29, 2025, United KingdomA large wooden crucifix was set on fire and around 40 headstones were smashed in a serious act of vandalism at St Conval’s Cemetery in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, Scotland, in the early hours of Sunday, June 29, 2025. The Catholic community has expressed deep sorrow over the attack, which Bishop John Keenan described as “destructive violence.” A 39-year-old man has since been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
Salerno Church doors smeared with excrements
June 28, 2025, ItalyOn the morning of June 28, 2025, vandals defaced the Church of Sant’Anna al Porto in Salerno by smearing feces on both the main entrance and sacristy doors. This marked the second consecutive day of such an attack, discovered by Monsignor Claudio Raimondi and several parishioners.
Police investigate Arson at Northampton Church
June 27, 2025, United KingdomOn the evening of June 27, 2025, a fire broke out at St Mary’s Church on Towcester Road in Northampton. Emergency services were called to the scene, and police are treating the incident as arson.
Vandal attacks parish staff when caught
June 27, 2025, GermanyOn June 27, a 26-year-old man vandalised the floor of a church in Traunreut with a felt-tip pen and punched a church representative in the face when confronted. The suspect fled the scene but was later temporarily arrested by local police
Church in Peine target of arson
June 25, 2025, GermanyOn the morning of 25 June, a Catholic parish church in Peine, Germany, was targeted in an attempted arson attack. The fire, likely started using accelerants, caused minor damage to the entrance door but was quickly extinguished by a church employee before it could spread.
Church in Orne desecrated
June 24, 2025, FranceThe tabernacle of the church in Mortagne-au-Perche (Orne) was desecrated on Tuesday, 24 June 2025. The religious building has been temporaily closed and will reopen on Saturday, 28 June for a Mass of Reparation.
British Catholic Hospices Face Closure Following Assisted Suicide Vote
June 20, 2025, United KingdomBritish Catholic hospices and care homes for the elderly face potential closure after the controversial Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was approved at Third Reading in the House of Commons on 20 June, passing by a narrow majority of just 23 votes. This bill, if enacted, would compel Catholic palliative care institutions that refuse to participate in assisted suicide on the basis of Christian teachings to either comply or face closure, raising deep concerns over the protection of institutional conscientious objection.
Arson Attack on Evangelical Street Preacher’s Trailer in Gütersloh
June 20, 2025, GermanyIn the pre-dawn hours of June 20, 2025, unknown assailants set fire to a vehicle trailer belonging to street preacher Henning Heinrich Westrup in Gütersloh, North Rhine‑Westphalia. The trailer, emblazoned with the message “Jesus saves”, suffered extensive damage to its protective tarpaulin and exterior in what authorities are investigating as a deliberate act of arson.
Liturgical Gospel Book Ripped Apart in St. Ulrich bei Steyr Church
June 19, 2025, AustriaBetween Monday 17 and Wednesday 19 June 2025, an unknown individual severely damaged a liturgical gospel at St Ulrich's parish church in Steyr, Austria. Parish staff found the Gospel, which had been left open on the side altar, completely vandalised — every single one of its 300 pages had been torn down the middle.
Church in Lingen Suffered Heavy Vandalism
June 18, 2025, GermanyOn the afternoon of Saturday, June 18, 2025, unidentified individuals broke into the Romanesque-Gothic St. Alexander Church in Lingen-Schepsdorf, leaving a trail of destruction. Several religious statues were vandalised—one completely destroyed, others defaced with melted wax—deeply shocking the local community, especially as this is not an isolated incident.