July

Messina

Source: Info Vaticana

The church of Santa Elena was the victim of desecration, theft, and vandalism on July 3rd. The parish priest discovered the tabernacle completely emptied, smashed and detached from the wall. A statue of the Virgin Mary was decapitated, and a ciborium full of consecrated Hosts was stolen, along with an ancient reliquary containing a fragment of the Holy Cross. Graffiti left at the church praised hell, leading investigators to consider it to be possibly the work of Satanists.

Issoire

Source: La Montagne

A 42-year old man confessed to setting at least fifteen fires including one that damaged the Abbey Saint-Austremoine in Issoire on July 3. The blaze, which destroyed a confessional, a table and some chairs, was quickly extinguished. The fire caused great upset among the population. The suspect was indicted for "intentional damage by dangerous means to people."

Calais

Source: Evangelical Focus and La Voix du Nord

No casualties were reported, but the damage was considerable: the roof collapsed and the building was destroyed. The cause of the fire is being investigated and arson has not been ruled out. According to the pastor of the Assemblies of God church, Fabien Boinet, “in the last 2 months someone has been leaving their garbage bags in front of our building, at least once a week. Glue has also been put in the door lock of the building. We had to report this to the police.” The CNEF also pointed to the fact that the building in Calais is the second evangelical church burned in France in just two months. On May 18, an Assemblies of God church in Manosque was attacked.

Venice

Source: Il Giornali

A young man of North African origin rushed into the church of St. Jeremiah, in Cannaregio, Venice and threw a large crucifix to the floor, heavily damaging the religious artifact. “It’s wrong. It’s all wrong,” the man yelled. The church caretaker explained what happened: "I asked him to explain what he meant by ‘wrong’, I could not understand. And then he approached the crucifix – a work from 1700 – and began to shake violently. Then I asked him: 'are you Muslim?' He answered yes and started to give the sacred image thrusts. He wanted to hurl it to the ground at all costs.” In the end, the crucifix fell to the ground before the caretaker could stop the man, causing damage to the Christian artifact.

Nice

Source: Observatory

A fire was set in the cemetery of Caucade in Nice West, where three tombs were blackened. One hour later, a fire was discovered in the church of Saint-Marc and a door was damaged. From a statement by Christian Estrosi, President of the Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, President of the Nice Métropole Riviera, and Philippe Pradal, Mayor of Nice: "According to the rescue services, the origin of these fires seems voluntary. We strongly condemn these criminal acts would be committed against holy places that are a cemetery and a church. We wish that light be shed on these fires. We are at the disposal of the National Police in charge of the investigation, and will provide all the files of video cameras surveilling the affected areas. We thank all the crews of Municipal Police, National Police and Firemen. Thanks to their rapid and effective intervention, there were no victims. Municipal services and metropolitan are already mobilized to restore order as soon as possible to the damaged areas."

Toulouse

Source: La Depeche

The church of Saint-Pierre des Chartreux was vandalized: The tabernacle door was torn off and part of the book collection of the prayers of the faithful was burned. Other objects were overturned. A police report was filed.

Malatya &Trabzon

Source: World watch moniltor

Two churches in cities in eastern Turkey infamous as the sites of historic killings of Christians were vandalized during the attempted coup on 15 July, 2016. During the night of 15 July, unidentified assailants broke the glass panels in the door of the Malatya Protestant Church. The pastor, Tim Stone, said he thought someone with a grudge against the church had taken advantage of the general unrest. In Trabzon, on the northern coast, around 10 people smashed the windows of the Santa Maria Catholic Church, where in 2006 a priest, Fr. Andrea Santoro, was murdered. The attackers tried to break into the church, but a group of Muslim neighbors drove them away, before contacting a priest.

Les Herbier

Source: Ouest France

Four young men broke into the church of Saint-Pierre and overturned benches, broke vases, and emptied a fire extinguisher. They urinated and defecated in the holy water on the altar and on the altar itself. The young men entered the building by climbing the scaffolding installed for  the renovation of the roof. Construction workers have discovered the damage. Arrested the next day by the police, the suspects confessed. They will appear in November before the Criminal Court of La Roche-sur-Yon and will appear for "damaging and theft." "This is a desecration of a place of worship," said a member of the parish. The prosecutor, Hervé Lollic, stated that "the anti-religious motivation is also recognized."

Corsica

Source: Corse Net Infos

The mountaintop statue of the Virgin Mary of la fontaine du lac de Ninu holding the infant Jesus was vandalized, with the heads and arms cut off both figures.

Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray

Source: BBC

Father Jacques Hamel, 84, died after his throat was slit during an attack on the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray by two armed men. They entered the building during Mass, and took the priest and a number of other people, including two nuns, hostage. ISIS reportedly claimed the attack was carried out by two “soldiers” from the group, one of whom was reportedly known to French intelligence services.

August

Cartagena

Source: La Razon

A man of Moroccan origin attacked Fray Job de Jesús, a Catholic monk of the Franciscan order, at the area outside a cafeteria in Cartagena, in front of witnesses. The attacker appeared to have the intention of ripping off the wooden cross the victim had around his neck.

Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock

Source: Neue Weställische

Fourteen young Christian Iranians fled their accommodations after being threatened with death for months by a group of Muslims living in the tent city. The Evangelical Free Church agreed to house the Christians, as the attacks in the tent city were too dangerous. Not only were their bibles destroyed, but their lives were threatened. According to one of them, they were told unequivocally by some of the Muslims in the asylum home that if they continued to live their Christian faith, they would kill them. Or: "They would send their souls to hell. After making an official complaint, the Christians were moved to new housing, but safety there was short-lived, as 140 others were also moved - including some of the Muslim residents who had been threatening them. The Christians describe the situation as similar to the one they fled Iran: persecution for their faith.

Savigliano

Source: Intollerance against Christians

During the day of August 6, 2016, a 14-year-old intentionally set a fire in the church of San Filippo Neri in Savigliano using candles. The fire spread to the wooden paneling and was finally contained by the use of two fire extinguishers. There were approximately twenty people in the church at the time of the fire. A witness reported seeing someone fumbling with candles near a side chapel. Surveillance cameras led to the identification of the perpetrator who finally confessed to the act. The damage is being assessed and the church was declared partially unusable. The case has been referred to the juvenile court.

Franfurt

Source: Die Welt

During a press conference with Bundestag member Erika Steinbach, Pastor Mahin Mousapour said Christians staying at migrant shelters are being told that they are impure and that they deserve to die for rejecting Islam. "Toys of Christian children are being destroyed, Christian asylum seekers are told not only to wash their dishes after eating but also that they must clean the entire kitchen as it would otherwise be 'unclean,'" said Mousapour. "Many Muslim asylum seekers call all Christians unclean. Church services are held in secret, bibles and crucifixes have to be hidden."

Grandate

Source: Intollerance against Christians

 

During the night of August 13, 2016, unknown persons forced open the door of the church of San Bartolomeo in the Como province and attempted to break open the tabernacle containing consecrated Hosts, broke the marble lectern, and topped the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, breaking her hands and nose.

Alpes de Haute-Provence

Source: Dici

During the weekend of August 14th, a hiker discovered the chapel door forced open and the statue of Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette removed from its display, decapitated, and left outside the building with its head at its feet.

Berlin

Source: Facebook page of Stieglitz Lutherisch Church

A young Christian asylum seeker was approached by several men on the street near Berlin and was asked whether he is Christian. When he said yes, he was insulted in Arabic and badly beaten.

Freiburg

Source: Observatory

Daniel E. was sentenced to life in prison on January 30, 2017 for the August 2016 premeditated murder of his Christian flat mate. The self-proclaimed "anti-theist" admitted killing her because of his hatred of all religion. The judge said, "He killed her as a representative of her religion because he could not kill all believers.”

 

Karlstadt

Source: Dagen

An unknown person threw a rock through the window of the Catholic church in Karlstad a week after the city's administrative board denied permission for the church to install CCTV cameras. According to the priest, this is the 20th incident since June 2015

Maintal

Source: Kath.net

An Afghan refugee (31) who converted from Islam to Christianity was attacked by four Muslim Afghans in Maintal near Frankfurt am Main. They shouted “Allahu Akbar” and said that they were going to kill him. The attack took place in the evening in front of the Christian's home. The Muslim refugees laid in wait for their victim and when he arrived, they attacked by hitting and kicking him. According to reports, they shouted “Allahu Akbar” and as the victim tried to get away someone drew a knife and another yelled “kill him!”. The police arrived soon after and caught three of the offenders. Benjamin Dauth a volunteer of the Frei evangelische Gemeinde Hanau said: “Whoever, as a convert, speaks openly about his beliefs among Muslims and does not hide his cross, is not safe -- even in Germany.” Dauth also said that the Christian Afghan had been warned by other Christian converts before the attacks. It was the third attack targeted against him and it appears that the attack in this case had been previously planned.

Verviers

Source: L'Observatoire de la Christianophobie

The last remaining stained glass window in the church of Sainte-Julienne was destroyed on August 19th by stones. A few months earlier the other windows of the church had been similarly damaged, forcing the church to erect protective fences. Costs to restore and repair the damage was estimated to be considerable.

Verviers

Source: La Meuse 

The 17-year-old boy was filmed declaring in Arabic, “Oh Allah, destroy the odious Christians. Oh Allah kill them all.” The video shown on a French website depicts the teen saying, “Don’t spare any of them.” Souhaib Amaouch, the son of a local radical imam, El Alami Amaouch, was arrested in Verviers along with his parents on August 21st. A judge ordered him to be placed for three months in a youth protection institution.

Bad Tölz-Wolfrashausen

Source: Die Welt

From May to August, four wooden summit crosses in the Bad Tölz-Wolfrashausen region were destroyed by unknown perpetrators using an ax. Sometime between 10:00 pm and midnight on August 27, the wooden cross on the Scharfreiter mountaintop was chopped with an ax, causing severe damage. Witnesses described a man leaving the mountain early the next morning. On August 1st, the cross on the Lärchkogel mountaintop was chopped down completely. There were no witnesses and police are investigating. On July 30th, witnesses with binoculars saw a man chop down the summit cross at Prinzkopf. One witness said "there is no question that this was an act against Christianity." And around the middle of May, the wooden cross on the Dudl-Alm was also chopped down completely. All the incidents occurred near Lenggries and police are investigating whether the incidents are linked, as there were conflicting descriptions of the perpetrators. Investigators said that the perpetrators were well-prepared.

Hautmond

 Source: La Voix du Nord

Police opened an investigation after a bystander reported smelling smoke from the church of Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption. Investigators discovered damages statues, as well as missals, songbooks, and wreaths knocked to the floor. The altar tablecloth was burnt, but the fire did not spread to the rest of the church.

September

Jönköping

Source: SVT

Refugees who have converted from Islam to Christianity report beatings, threats, bullying, and social exclusion in refugee accommodations. As reported in SVT, refugees Ali and Rami reported abuse as a result of conversion to Christianity by Islamist refugees in the accommodations. Both said they were afraid and wished to remain anonymous because it was insinuated that those who leave Islam would be killed.

Passau

Source: Kath.net

Unknown offenders set the altar of the St. Anton church on fire in the morning of September 1st. They also damaged furniture, paintings, and statues according to the police, who call it a case of vandalism. Luckily, the flames coming from the altar didn’t spread, so the police and a church employee were able to extinguish it. Nothing was stolen.

Navarre

Source: Actuall

A Moroccan man admitted setting a fire that destroyed an ancient altarpiece and beautiful images in the church of Fontellas in Navarre on September 8, the day recognized by Catholics as of the Nativity of the Virgin (the day of the birth of the Virgin Mary). On September 9th, police arrested the alleged perpetrator, a man of Moroccan nationality. According to the police, the burning of the Virgin was “strictly for ideological reasons of a religious character.” A court considered this an Islamist attack. The fire in the church mainly affected the image of the Virgen del Rosario, patron saint of the town and two other images of the Virgin in the church. The priest alerted firefighters of the fire at noon, when he saw the smoke coming out of the temple bell. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and local authorities began an investigation into the fire, as there were reasonable grounds to believe it was intentionally set.

Sevilla

Source: Actuall

The incident occurred in the afternoon of September 12th when an individual alerted authorities in the basilica that he had extinguished a burning cloth of great artistic value in the sanctuary and that moments before he had seen someone set it on fire. Security cameras assisted the police in locating the perpetrator.

Ribaforada

Source: Info Católica

The man arrested on September 9th for burning images of the Virgin Mary in the Church of Fontellas was arrested again a week later for destroying the cross atop the church of Ribaforada. The man, who told authorities he had become radicalized after a trip to Morocco, had been subject to a restraining order prohibiting him from going near any Catholic places of worship. He is accused of demolishing the church cross on the evening of September 14. He was arrested the following day and detained until his next court appearance.

Val d'Oise

Source: L’Observatoire de la Christianophobie

The parish priest confirmed that there had been acts of vandalism and arson attempts in this church, probably during the night of September 18th to 19th. Symbols of the Catholic faith were attacked in the arson attempt: the statue of the Virgin Mary, the baptismal, and the altar. Because of the concrete structure of this modern church, the arson attempt failed. The priest reported the incident to the municipal police and the national police, and forensic officers gathered evidence.

Millau

Source: L’Observatoire de la Christianophobie

The 22-year-old suspect appeared in court on September 21 and a trial will begin on October 12. He is said to be Moroccan national, and already known to authorities for previous fires set in Paris and Millau. On September 19, an English tourist made a report after noticing a cloud of smoke billowing from the doors of the Sacré-Coeur in Millau. The altarpiece of Saint Francis was on fire. Firefighters extinguished the furniture before the flames spread to the building. Upon arrival, the investigators found that the fire had likely been intentionally set. Leaders of the Catholic parish reported frequent visits of a young man behaving strangely in recent weeks in the church, as well as his presence in the nave that morning. Around 2:30 pm, a second fire was reported, this time at the church of Notre-Dame de l’Espinasse, 400 meters from the Sacré-Coeur. Again, an altarpiece dedicated to St. Anthony was set on fire. "Luckily, two volunteers extinguished the flames with holy water,” according to the police captain. Meanwhile, the police and the parish had agreed to place the last place of Catholic worship open to the public under surveillance: the church of Saint-Antoine. Around 5:00 pm, a man matching the description of the witnesses at Sacré-Coeur was arrested and taken into custody, as he prepared to set another fire.

La Mothe-Saint-Héray

Source: La Nouvelle Republique

Acts of vandalism were discovered in the church of Saint-Héray late in the afternoon on September 29: Statues of Joan of Arc and the Virgin Mary were damaged, as were a crucifix, a rosary, and prayer books.

October

Rome

Source: The Roman Anglican and KathPress

Police arrested a 39-year-old Ghanaian man suspected of attacking several churches in Rome over the previous two days. He is suspected of heavily damaging devotional statues, crucifixes, and candlesticks at the Basilica of Santa Prassede, the Church of San Martino ai Monti, and the Basilicas of San Giovanni de' Fiorentini and San Vitale. According to reports, on the evening of September 30th, a man damaged a statue in the church of San Martino ai Monti and fled. Shortly afterwards, the same person entered the Basilica of Santa Prassede and "smash[ed] everything he found, especially statues and candlesticks, right before a group of parishioners who were quite scared. The two devotional statues of Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Prassede were heavily damaged." Later, he is alleged to have entered the Church of San Martino ai Monti, where he smashed a devotional statue of the Madonna and Child. On the morning of October 1st, two further attacks occurred in the Basilicas of San Giovanni de' Fiorentini and San Vitale. Statues, candlesticks, crucifixes were smashed. According to a witness, "the perpetrator said that "it was not right that we worshipped in this way."

Drancy

Source: L'Express

A man broke and entered into the rectory of the church of Sainte-Louise-de-Marillac in the parish of Drancy, ostensibly to commit a theft. He struck the priest in the head with a bottle, but was stopped from committing further assault by the priest, who had previously studied judo.

Vigo

Source: Observatory

Two young men entered the church of Santa Rita in Vigo and asked to give confession to Father Antonio Rodríguez, age 83. Once alone with him, the two assailants grabbed the priest from behind, threw him to the ground and kicked him all over his body and head. They stole his glasses, wallet, watch, and the money they found in the church. The priest suffered a stroke as result of his injuries.

Ocaña

Source: Actuall and ABC

The intruders gained access to the church after breaking a fence and window. They stole consecrated Hosts that were in the tabernacle and stole valuable religious jewelry, left other Hosts and various objects lying on the floor, and vandalized numerous sacred images. The mayor of the town reported that among the stolen goods were several crowns, rosaries, the cup bearing the image of San Juan Bautista and rings. The thieves also stole the ciborium of the tabernacle containing consecrated Hosts, which Catholics believe are the body of Christ.

Raunheim

Source: Main-Spitze

the Ethiopian vicar, dressed in traditional priest's clothing and wearing a cross around his neck was visiting the town of Raunheim near Frankfurt when three pre-teens threw stones at him while yelling “Allahu Akbar”. Alexandra Rang, a Russian Orthodox hotel owner who built the Russian Orthodox chapel to which the two men were going, said she could not believe what the two priests told her at first. She said to be pelted with stones is the “worst thing a priest can imagine”.

Haute-Viene

Source: Le Populaire du Centre

A minor was arrested for setting fires in the church of Saint-Brice-sur-Vienne in August and October. The minor is accused of setting a small fire in the church on August 12, 2016, burning leaflets and altar cloths. On October 28, 2016 he returned to the church and set fires again.

November

Calais

Source: WWM

A Kurdish church leader smuggled to Britain says he received death threats – for having left Islam for Christianity – while living in makeshift camps in northern France. The church leader, who did not wish to be identified, spent nine months living in camps outside the French cities of Calais and Dunkirk. He said that Kurdish Muslims in both camps antagonized him for his Christian faith.

Scharfreuter

Source: Tiroler Tageszeitung

For the second time in three months the summit cross on top of the 2,100-meter-high mountain "Schafreuter" on the Austrian-German border was chopped by an unknown perpetrator using an ax. The cross had replaced the original cross, which was damaged by unknown vandals at the end of August. It was erected by the Alpine Association in October.

Bradford

Source: iTV

A family have been forced to flee their home under armed police guard amid fears for their safety after suffering what they say is eight years of persecution for converting from Islam to Christianity. Hussain left Islam in 1996 and has since faced aggressive behavior and even violence from members of the Muslim community in Bradford, where he lived. On November 9, 2016 police provided an armed escort as the family collected their belongings from the house. The Hussains say police have told them there was a credible threat to their lives. This is the second time the Hussains have had to move to flee harassment and assaults.

Madrid

Source: ACI Prensa

While he was celebrating Mass in the parish church of Nuestra Señora de Covadonga in Madrid, Fr. Lino Hernando was attacked at the altar by an unknown person who threw him to the ground, kicked and insulted him. The aggressor also threw around consecrated hosts and other worship items from the altar. The police were immediately alerted and arrested the perpetrator.

Zuydcoote

Source: 20 Minutes and Le Phare Dunkerquois

Some time in the early afternoon of November 25th, unknown perpetrators started a fire inside the church of Zuydcoote, overturned chairs and benches, smashed statues onto the floor, and destroyed the tabernacle. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has denounced the act and assured that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. For parishioners, the shock is immense. "Nothing was stolen. The goal was to destroy."

December

Kristianstadt

Source: Kristianstadsbladet

The Holy Trinity Church in Kristianstad was given permission by police to have security guards at church services due to repeated thefts, disruptive and threatening behavior during services, drug and alcohol use in the church, and urination and defecation in the pews.

Coesfeld

Source: WDR, WN, WN, WN and Katholisch.de

Police in the Coesfeld region investigated the destruction of Christian statues of holy figures since the end of October. One report said "not a day goes by: without an attack on a statue. The local Christian community is concerned and upset by the destruction. An anti-religious motive is suspected and the police believe the vandalism is fueled by a "lust for destruction".

Metz

Source: Valeurs

Parishioners praying in the chapel adjacent to the Church of Notre-Dame in Metz smelled smoke and discovered the crib burning inside the church. Police launched a criminal investigation.

Réunion

Source: LINFO

According to the Bishop of Réunion, five churches were the target of thieves in three weeks. The most recent was the church of Sainte-Marie, which was ransacked and money and equipment were stolen.

Veneto

Source: Rovigo Oggi

Glass cases protecting sacred statues and images were smashed and the decorative jewels and offerings of the faithful were stolen. Police investigated the links between this incident and others in the region targeting shrines containing sacred images

Toulouse

Source: The Local

A parishioner discovered a bomb in a cardboard box against the door of the Saint-André church. Police in Toulouse investigated and said that the device was capable of a small explosion.

Palaiseau

Source: Le Parisien

Father Rutumbu Juvenal, the priest in charge of the parish of Palaiseau, was attacked by two armed men on December 16th at the church's pastoral center. The two men hit the priest in the face and told him to get on the ground. When he did not obey fast enough, they also gave him a blow to the knee. Once on the ground, the priest's feet and hands were tied with the stoles he wears during Mass. "One of them stayed with me; the other was searching everywhere," said Father Juvenal. "They took my watch and €150 in an envelope that was in my bag. That was all I had." The aggressors also seized the keys to the presbytery, where Father Juvenal lived next door. Father Juvenal, 62, said believed that he was going to die: "Lately we know that we are targets," said the Rwanda-born priest. He said that when the two hooded men entered with their pistol "I thought it was over." He "remembered what happened in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray," where a priest was murdered in July. "But when they said: We know that you are rich, give us your money, I told myself that I was saved."

Crete

Source: e-mesara.gr

Unknown perpetrators entered the Orthodox church of the Archangel Michael near Lagoliou, set sacred books on fire in the sanctuary, and sprayed "Allah is great" in Arabic on the walls. The Church of Archangel Michael is an important pilgrimage destination for Orthodox Greeks.

Tarn-et-Garonne

Source: L'Observatoire de la Christianophobie

Police investigated acts of vandalism and intentional fires set in the Church of Saint-Blaise and the Church of Saint-Michel.

Berlin

Source: Observatory

Anis Amri, a 24-year-old Tunisian man stole a truck and intentionally drove it into a crowded Christmas market near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in West Berlin, leaving 12 dead and more than 50 injured. ISIS claimed responsibility, and the driver pledged allegiance to ISIS, calling on his "Muslim brothers everywhere... Those in Europe, kill the crusader pigs." "Crusaders" refers to Christians in ISIS rhetoric. While in the Italian prison in Sicily, Anis Amri threatened one of his fellow prisoners: “You are Christian and I will cut your head off,” according to Reppublica, which indicates the attacker's pre-existing bias against Christians

Wimille

Source: La Voix du Nord

A Nativity scene set up in an old fountain was completely destroyed by a fire during the night of December 20-21st. Police investigated whether it was intentionally set, or a short circuit in the lighting. The city has chosen not to replace it, in case it was an act of vandalism.

Utrecht

Source: AD.nl

In the morning of December 23 a parish employee discovered the locked doors forced open, bibles torn, and the newly-restored processional cross destroyed.

Alquería de la Comtessa

Source: Levant-EMV

All the figures of a scene of the Nativity displayed on the street were severely damaged and the image of the baby Jesus was stolen by two young men who fled when they were discovered in the early hours of Christmas day.

Vöcklabruck

Source: Observatory

A 22-year-old man from Afghanistan stabbed a Christian woman when he heard her reading from the Bible at a refugee accommodation in Upper Austria. Her alleged attacker was apparently offended by the fact that the woman had been invited by Christian residents of the property to discuss the Bible. According to reports, the 22-year-old stormed into the kitchen where the woman was standing, grabbed a butter knife, and tried to plunge it into her upper body. The 50-year-old victim escaped serious injury because her thick winter coat protected her, but she did injure her ear when she fell backwards from the force of the man's violent blows.

Motilla del Palancar

Source: Voces de Cuenca

A scene of the Nativity displayed by the municipality on the street was completely burnt down.

Auerbach

Source: ORF.at

Unknown perpetrators broke into the chapel, threw stones at the altar, smashed two glass domes containing statues of the Virgin Mary, and stole and destroyed 22 paintings and murals hung by pilgrims visiting the chapel.

 

Collected by Intolerance against Christians.

Photo: pixabay