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France, The Sacred Heart of Jesus and Freemasonry

1/28/2020

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Hello Everyone:
I am back from retreat and it was very enlightening. Thank you for your prayers! 

We are now into the Novena to Our Lady of Good Success and if you are not familiar with this devotion or these approved apparitions -- it would be wise to do so because they pertain to our age NOW even though the messages were given in the 1600's.

One of the evils talked about was how Freemasonry would infiltrate EVERYWHERE! We have talked about this in many articles on this website because it is the enemy of the Church and has brought us modernism and humanism and many other isms that are set to destroy Christian society and the Catholic Church. We need to know of this and fight against it.

I have included a piece of history below because we have just passed the 227th anniversary of the death of King Louis XVI in France (Jan. 21, 1793). Our Lord Jesus Christ came one hundred years earlier to St. Margaret Mary to give her a message that was to get to the King (his grandfather) that France was to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart. DID NOT HAPPEN! Almost 100 years later -- to the day - the King's grandson (King Louis XVI) is dethroned and the Catholic monarchy is no more and Catholic persecution during the Freemasonic French Revolution takes hold - killing Catholic priests, bishops and laity. History books do not focus on this but give it a different twist to make it NOT look like a Catholic cleansing of this country.

Below is the Last Testament of a Catholic King - some info good for us at a time when our own religious freedoms are at stake and soon to vanish (for the same reason).
Also, below that is a link to a very wonderful family DVD on the "War of the Vende" done by home-schoolers to give the history of a Catholic region in France that fought for God and King in France under the banner of the Sacred Heart. Great history - please share! God bless all of you and may Our Lady of Good Success pray for us!

                                     LAST TESTAMENT OF LOUIS XVI

In the name of the Very holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.


To-day, the 25th day of December, 1792, I, Louis XVI King of France, being for more than four months imprisoned with my family in the tower of the Temple at Paris, by those who were my subjects, and deprived of all communication whatsoever, even with my family, since the eleventh instant; moreover, involved in a trial the end of which it is impossible to foresee, on account of the passions of men, and for which one can find neither pretext nor means in any existing law, and having no other witnesses, for my thoughts than God to whom I can address myself, I hereby declare, in His presence, my last wishes and feelings.


I leave my soul to God, my creator; I pray Him to receive it in His mercy, not to judge it according to its merits but according to those of Our Lord Jesus Christ who has offered Himself as a sacrifice to God His Father for us other men, no matter how hardened, and for me first.


I die in communion with our Holy Mother, the Catholic, Apostolic, Roman Church, which holds authority by an uninterrupted succession, from St. Peter, to whom Jesus Christ entrusted it; I believe firmly and I confess all that is contained in the creed and the commandments of God and the Church, the sacraments and the mysteries, those which the Catholic Church teaches and has always taught. I never pretend to set myself up as a judge of the various way of expounding the dogma which rend the church of Jesus Christ, but I agree and will always agree, if God grant me life the decisions which the ecclesiastical superiors of the Holy Catholic Church give and will always give, in conformity with the disciplines which the Church has followed since Jesus Christ.


I pity with all my heart our brothers who may be in error but I do not claim to judge them, and I do not love them less in Christ, as our Christian charity teaches us, and I pray to God to pardon all my sins. I have sought scrupulously to know them, to detest them and to humiliate myself in His presence. Not being able to obtain the ministration of a Catholic priest, I pray God to receive the confession which I feel in having put my name (although this was against my will) to acts which might be contrary to the discipline and the belief of the Catholic Church, to which I have always remained sincerely attached. I pray God to receive my firm resolution, if He grants me life, to have the ministrations of a Catholic priest, as soon as I can, in order to confess my sins and to receive the sacrament of penance.


I beg all those whom I might have offended inadvertently (for I do not recall having knowingly offended any one), or those whom I may have given bad examples or scandals, to pardon the evil which they believe I could have done them.


I beseech those who have the kindness to join their prayers to mine, to obtain pardon from God for my sins.


I pardon with all my heart those who made themselves my enemies, without my have given them any cause, and I pray God to pardon them, as well as those who, through false or misunderstood zeal, did me much harm.


I commend to God my wife and my children, my sister, my aunts, my brothers, and all those who are attached to me by ties of blood or by whatever other means. I pray God particularly to cast eyes of compassion upon my wife, my children, and my sister, who suffered with me for so long a time, to sustain them with His mercy if they shall lose me, and as long as they remain in his mortal world.


I commend my children to my wife; I have never doubted her maternal tenderness for them. I enjoin her above all to make them good Christians and honest individuals; to make them view the grandeurs of this world (if they are condemned to experience them) as very dangerous and transient goods, and turn their attention towards the one solid and enduring glory, eternity. I beseech my sister to kindly continue her tenderness for my children and to take the place of a mother, should they have the misfortune of losing theirs.


I beg my wife to forgive all the pain which she suffered for me, and the sorrows which I may have caused her in the course of our union; and she may feel sure that I hold nothing against her, if she has anything with which to reproach herself.


I most warmly enjoin my children that, after what they owe to God, which should come first, they should remain forever united among themselves, submissive and obedient to their mother, and grateful for all the care and trouble which she has taken with them, as well as in memory of me. I beg them to regard my sister as their second mother.


I exhort my son, should he have the misfortune of becoming king, to remember he owes himself wholly to the happiness of his fellow citizens; that he should forget all hates and all grudges, particularly those connected with the misfortunes and sorrows which I am experiencing; that he can make the people happy only by ruling according to laws: but at the same time to remember that a king cannot make himself respected and do the good that is in his heart unless he has the necessary authority, and that otherwise, being tangled up in his activities and not inspiring respect, he is more harmful than useful.


I exhort my son to care for all the persons who are attached to me, as much as his circumstances will allow, to remember that it is a sacred debt which I have contracted towards the children and relatives of those who have perished for me and also those who are wretched for my sake. I know that there are many persons, among those who were near me, who did not conduct themselves towards me as they should have and who have even shown ingratitude, but I pardon them (often in moments of trouble and turmoil one is not master of oneself), and I beg my son that, if he finds an occasion, he should think only of their misfortunes.


I should have wanted here to show my gratitude to those who have given me a true and disinterested affection; if, on the one hand, I was keenly hurt by the ingratitude and disloyalty of those to whom I have always, shown kindness, as well as to their relatives and friends, on the other hand I have had the consolation of seeing the affection and voluntary interest which many persons have shown me. I beg them to receive my thanks.


In the situation in which matters still are, I fear to compromise them if I should speak more explicitly, but I especially enjoin my son to seek occasion to recognize them.


I should, nevertheless, consider it a calumny on the nation if I did not openly recommend to my son MM. De Chamilly and Hue, whose genuine attachment for me led them to imprison themselves with me in this sad abode. I also recommend Clery, for whose attentiveness I have nothing but praise ever since he has been with me. Since it is he who has remained with me until the end, I beg the gentlemen of the commune to hand over to him my clothes, my books, my watch, my purse, and all other small effects which have been deposited with the council of the commune.


I pardon again very readily those who guard me, the ill treatment and the vexations which they thought it necessary to impose upon me. I found a few sensitive and compassionate souls among them - may they in their hearts enjoy the tranquility which their way of thinking gives them.


I beg MM. De Malesherbes, Tronchet and De Seze to receive all my thanks and the expressions of my feelings for all the cares and troubles they took for me.


I finish by declaring before God, and ready to appear before Him, that I do not reproach myself with any of the crimes with which I am charged.


Made in duplicate in the Tower of the Temple, the 25th of December 1792.


LOUIS


(Archives Nationales, Paris, dated 25 Dec 1792; given by the King to M. Baudrais, a municipal officer, on 21 Jan 1793, a few moments for he left for his place of execution. Baudrais immediately signed his name to authenticate it and deposited it with the commune, where it was signed and certified by Coulomneau, the secretary, and Drouel, the vice-president).


WAR OF THE VENDE DVD
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Our Lady of Good Success Novena         Jan 24th to Feb 1

1/23/2020

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* Hail Mary Most Holy, Beloved Daughter of God the Father
Through the intercession of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres,
grant thy good success to this request (name request)... 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be...
Saint Michael, pray for us.

* Hail Mary Most Holy, Admirable Mother of God the Son
Through the intercession of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres,
grant thy good success to this request (name request) ... 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Saint Gabriel, pray for us. 

* Hail Mary Most Holy, Most Faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost
Through the intercession of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres,
grant thy good success to this request (name request) ... 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Saint Raphael, pray for us. 

* Hail Mary Most Holy, Temple and Sacrarium of the Most Holy Trinity.
St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, pray for us. 

Our Lady of Good Success, thou who art the all-powerful intercessor before the Most Holy Trinity, deign to hear and answer my request, so long as it contributes to the salvation of my soul and the glory and exaltation of Holy Mother Church.
Hail Holy Queen...

Our Lady of Good Success Feast Day
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REMODEL OUR HOMES

1/18/2020

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Hello Everyone:
 
We are in a new year and we see lots going on around us in the Church, in the government, in the world and in our homes which greatly saddens our hearts.  We cannot deny the fact that Satan is unleashed like never before.  I should put this article under ‘Total Consecration’ but somehow I feel ‘Talks’ gets more frequented and so I am putting it here. Also, please pray for me, I am going on a six day retreat and returning on January 24th. Therefore, I will not post another article until I come back. (Please always go back into the archives and read what was once written)

Talking about trouble, there is turmoil in my family since my Dad’s passing - as there is in many families when an estate is being liquidated. Please say a little prayer that we may focus on eternity and forgive each other for wrongs that seem unforgivable. We are being put to the test – at least I am. We have a family meeting the end of February. Hopefully everyone will be praying for God’s guidance in this mess and seek and give forgiveness where needed.

It is my desire today to talk about remodeling our hearts by consecrating ourselves to Mary’s Immaculate Heart.

I am friends with a family that came from Columbia. The 11 year old daughter was talking to me about the book of Revelation. It is complex for all of us not to mention an 11 year old. She asked – “How do we protect ourselves from what is to come?  I pulled out her scapular from her blouse and said – keep wearing this and trust in God.

Yes, wearing our scapulars is a sign of our consecration to the Immaculate Heart. What does that mean? Genuine consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary includes a change of life, a remodeling of our heart and interior after the Immaculate Heart of Mary and surrendering the authority to Her to make this transformation within ourselves.

If I am genuinely devoted and dedicated to the Immaculate Heart, the love and intercession of Mary will gradually influence my thoughts, my desires, my way of thinking and acting, my inclinations and my habits. She will transform us into the likeness of Her Son ---- and reprimand us when we have gone astray.

She is not only the Mediatrix of All Graces but there is bound to be a good influence, even a powerful influence of the Woman who is the sworn enemy of Satan, the Woman whose Son, Jesus, has come to earth to undo what the devil has done.

“The man who lives sinfully takes his character from the devil; the devil was a sinner from the first… If a man is born of God, he does not live sinfully, he is true to his parentage; He cannot be a sinner, if he is born of God.”  (1 John 3, 8-9)

As sons of God we are born of the Immaculate Mother of Jesus. We must be true to our parentage. We will not keep sin in our heart. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

It is not difficult to remodel the home of my heart, when I can look upon the Heart of my own Blessed Mother as the Model Home, and copy the traits that make it so.
By remodeling my home, I repair it along the lines of Mary’s. That is the “reparation” Mary wants from me. What plan does she give us --- “Pray the Rosary devoutly every day.” That is Mary’s simple plan for us. If our Blessed Mother found no better remedy to offer the world than those three short words, we will not presume to discard them thoughtlessly. Of course we also need to frequent the sacraments for sacramental graces.
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May we pick up our rosaries and transform the world through Mary’s intercession.  God bless and may we keep each other in prayer. Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary – pray for us!

PS - Someone had commented on an old article regarding Epiphany Water. If you put your question to the contact on this website - I can answer you instead of in the comment section.  Thank you - hope to hear from you - God bless!!

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Consecration Prayer of Pope Pius XII
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DECEIVED DAUGHTERS

1/14/2020

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Hello Everyone:
We are in January and this is the month when many March for Life. We have had legalized abortions since 1973.

Since 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade, an estimated 61,628,584 unborn babies have been killed in legal abortions, according to a new analysis by the National Right to Life Committee.

Estimates for the total casualties of World War II, Most suggest that some 60 million people died in World War II, including about 20 million soldiers and 40 million civilians. Many civilians died because of disease, starvation, massacres, bombing and deliberate genocide.

Roe v. Wade allows unborn babies to be aborted up to birth and strictly limits states’ rights to protect the unborn. The U.S. is only one of seven countries in the world that allows elective abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Yet, today, it is scientifically accepted that unborn babies are unique, living human beings from the moment of conception.

What is happening to our society to promote such atrocities?

Our women have been deceived! What our daughters are being told is that success is measured by the amount of money you make, how high you go up in the company, how expensive an automobile you drive, or how big a house you are able to afford. The pursuit of fame, power, prestige and of course a college degree are the things that really matter. The mothering of children and the dedication to the husband are completely absent in the secular education, unless it is a to degrade and demean it. Is there any wonder why we are aborting our babies and increasing our divorce rates!

If our young girls were to ignore all the stereotypes, both from the left and from the right and look only to Holy Scripture, how would she conduct her life?  If they get degrees from universities but fail in life because they were not educated in Christian principles - is this success?

With virtually no one defending the beauty and dignity of being a wife and mother, there is little wonder our daughters are rushing headlong into lifestyles and careers that will not only destroy their chances of ever having a happy family, but is likely to cause them to lose their immortal soul.

We allow our children to be exposed to every kind of evil and danger, justified by saying, "You can not protect them from everything." However, when it comes to something good and holy, then all of a sudden we change our wordings to something like, "You can't force your opinion on someone else." or "You can't live your children's life, they have to decide these things for themselves." If we think this way, we will be leading our daughters toward worldly thinking and not Godly thinking. They may embrace a lifestyle that will lead them down a road on which heartache and suffering await them. We as parents, need to lead our young women toward being educated in the authentic traditional way of life, the way of life that the Church has encouraged for centuries through its interpretation of Holy Sacred Scripture.

I realize I started this article on the subject of abortion but this is one of the ways women choose abortion. I know that poverty is also a reason women choose abortion. But even poor women of every race can be taught the holiness of life and respect it from the beginning - realizing that there are eternal consequences for the destruction of life.

Suggestions could be of course to live holy lives -- Read daily Scripture with the family. Pray the daily Rosary. Encourage daughters to have families and be sure to tell them about the lie of an overpopulated world.

If your daughters have gone to college, as mine have, they WILL have been brainwashed. Be sure to encourage a practice of a holy life and remind them that this life is short and the next is eternal.




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2020 - WORLD WAR III??????

1/5/2020

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 Hello Everyone:
I know this is a new year and this message is not a happy one - but a warning is better than no warning! We want to be ready - We want to repent - we want to pray for the salvation of souls with our rosaries!
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We are at the precipice of war. Anyone who has a shred of common sense can see this. We are so very far away from God.  With the present news of Iran - this message is needed to listen to again. We need to take this message seriously and spread it to all those we love to wake them up before they are taken from this world in the state of sin - without the chance of repentance. Here is a video to remind us of the consequence of sin, the reality of war and the message of Our Lady of Fatima.

KEY TO PEACE
WHAT TO DO
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2019 - Notre Dame an Accident With Over 3000 Incidents All Over Europe?

1/2/2020

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Hello Everyone -

We are now in a new year and one that cries out to all of us to be Church Militant! At a time in history when our Holy Father Pope Francis is concerned about climate change and introducing pagan idols - we are witnessing attacks on European Christianity. On the website - ZeroHedge.com is an article posted about the Anti-Christian movement in Europe with over 3000 acts of violence. I have posted their list below - it will make this the longest article on my website - could have put a link but this was more eye opening.  Much is due to open borders and religions that view Christians as hate crimers. COMING TO AMERICA IN A BIG WAY IF WE DO NOT DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT -
Read below and share with others this great need for Reparation Reparation Reparation!

Gatestone Institute reviewed thousands of newspaper reports, police blotters, parliamentary inquiries, social media posts and specialized blogs from Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain. The research found that approximately 3,000 Christian churches, schools, cemeteries and monuments were vandalized, burned, looted or defaced in Europe during 2019 — at more than five a day, a record year for anti-Christian hostility on the continent.

Suspicious Fires at Churches in Europe in 2019:
  • December 15. Saint-Just-en-Bas, France. A suspicious fire destroyed the roof of the town's 15th century church. More than three dozen worshippers who were in the building when the fire broke out were evacuated. The church's roof had been renovated during the summer at a cost of €200,000 ($225,000).
  • December 5, Lyon, France. An arsonist set fire to the doors of the Church of Saint-Georges.
  • November 16. Buschhoven, Germany. Arsonists set fire to the Catholic Church of St. Katharina. It was the second arson attack on the church in as many weeks. Arsonists also set fire to a nearby Protestant church, the Versöhnungskirche.
  • November 13. Chios, Greece. Arsonists set fire to three churches in the village of Chalkios: The attacks against the Agios Haralambos Church, the Church of Panagia and the Church Agios Petros and Pavlos were attributed to illegal migrants, who are being house at a migrant camp situated 500 meters from one of the churches.
  • November 12. Éauze, France. Two 15-year-olds set fire to the Éauze Cathedral. The Gothic church, a national heritage site, sustained significant damage.
  • November 8. Lleida, Spain. Arsonists set two fires inside the Church of Sant Joan.
  • September 20. Olivenza, Spain. Arsonists set fire to the front doors of the Convent of San Juan de Dios. In August, the convent's chapel was defaced with graffiti.
  • October 10. Naples, Italy. Arsonists set fire to the historic Basilica of San Giovanni Maggiore.
  • September 10. Froncles, France. Arsonists set fire to the Church of Saint-Joseph.
  • September 9. Witzenhausen, Germany. Arsonists tried to burn down Christuskirche, a Lutheran church.
  • September 4. Wimbotsham, England. St. Mary the Virgin Church, an historic church in Wimbotsham, was gutted by a fire. The church, originally built in 1175, was "100% damaged" and all furniture was lost, including an altar table dating to 1638. "The history and heritage lost in this fire is irreplaceable and the costs of repairing the physical damage will be substantial," said Peter Aiers, of the Churches Conservation Trust. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
  • August 30. Wildeshausen, Germany. Arsonists set fire to St. Peter Catholic Church, causing more than €100,000 ($112,000) in damage.
  • August 21. Rheine-Schotthock, Germany. Arsonists tried to burn down St. Ludgeruskirche Catholic Church. Previously, thieves broke into the church on August 6.
  • August 24. Saint-Amand-sur-Sèvre, France. A suspicious fire broke out at the church of Saint-Amand, which dates to the 11th century.
  • July 30. Bad Schussenried, Germany. An arsonist set fire to a church in the Schussenried Abbey, a former monastery founded in 1183.
  • July 29. Kippenheim, Germany. An arsonist set fire to hymnals in St. Mauritius Catholic Church.
  • July 19. Hyvinkää, Finland. Arsonists set fire to the Old Church. The church was saved but an adjacent storage facility was completely destroyed.
  • June 30. Bourg-Achard, France. Arsonists set fire to the organ at the Church of Saint-Lô. The organ was completely destroyed. On June 26, arsonists set fire to an altar cloth at the same church, which has now been closed.
  • June 12. Vienna, Austria. Arsonists set fire to the Dominican Church of St. Rotunda. A tourist used holy water to put out the fire.
  • June 1. Ankum, Germany. Arsonists set two fires simultaneously at St. Nicholas Church.
  • May 24. Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Holy Family Church in Ballymagroarty was set on fire and completely destroyed. CCTV footage showed a group of unidentified youths starting the fire.
  • May 16. Nordhausen, Germany. Arsonists set fire to the historic St. Blasii church, originally built in the 12th century. The ante-chamber to the church was burned.
  • April 21. Eyguières, France. A suspicious fire damaged the confessional of the Church of Notre Dame de Grace.
  • April 15. Paris, France. A suspicious fire gutted the iconic 12th century Notre Dame Cathedral.
  • April 19. Heek, Germany. Vandals attempted to set fire to a church in Nienborg.
  • March 19. Senigallia, Italy. An arsonist tried — twice on the same day — to set fire to the Cathedral of San Pietro.
  • March 17. Paris, France. A suspicious fire destroyed the entrance to the Church of Saint Sulpice, the second-largest church in Paris. Police said that the fire was not accidental.
  • March 5. Skegness, England. St. Matthew's Church was damaged in an arson attack.
  • February 21. Hellenthal, Germany. An arsonist set fire to the Trinitatis Lutheran Church. The church's roof was completely destroyed.
  • January 29. Sainte-Foy-Lès-Lyon, France. A 40-year-old man with a long criminal record was arrested for trying to burn down the Church of Saint Foy. He was placed in a psychiatric ward.
  • January 20, Almería, Spain. Arsonists attempted to burn down the hermitage of Torregarcía; arsonists previously tried to burn down the chapel on January 11.
  • January 17. Grenoble, France. The Church of Saint Jacques was completely destroyed by fire. Only the bell tower was left standing. Police initially had concluded that the fire was an accident, caused by in an electric short circuit in the roof of the church. On October 8, however, Grenoble Prosecutor Eric Vaillant said that an anarchist group had deliberately started the fire, although the perpetrators had not yet been identified.
  • January 10. Rovereto, Italy. Arsonists attempted to burn down the Church of Sant Rocco. The attack was believed to be a response to the church's opposition to abortion.
Attacks on Christian Historical Sites in Europe in 2019:
  • December 5. Valdecilla, Spain. Vandals destroyed a 16th century stone cross at the Church of Solares-Valdecilla. A 14-year-old vandal broke his leg when part of the stone fell on him.
  • November 4. Oloron-Sainte-Marie, France. Thieves rammed a car into the doors of the Cathedral of Oloron-Sainte-Marie, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and stole silverware, a monstrance, a chalice and liturgical garments from the 16th century. Mayor Hervé Lucbéreilh said: "It is a considerable loss. Some pieces are unique, like the monstrance of Saint Grat, and no insurance will replace them. The thieves were obviously connoisseurs...they only stole the most precious items which dated from the 16th century. Beyond the market value, the inhabitants find themselves amputated of part of their history and their heritage."
  • October 16. Bois-de-Céné, France. Three teenagers were arrested for stealing relics from the Church of Bois-de-Céné, a national historical monument which dates to the 14th century.
  • September 9. Seville, Spain. Vandals destroyed the historic Cross of the Inquisition at the City Hall. Mayor Juan Espadas condemned the "absolutely inexplicable vandal destruction" of a the "jewel" of Seville's heritage.
  • August 19. Brue-Auriac, France. Thieves stole an 85-kg (187-pound) bronze church bell from a Romanesque chapel. Mayor André Rousselet said that he believed that the bell was melted, and the metal was sold, possibly yielding up to €500 ($560) for the thief.
  • July 19. Ginasservis, France. Thieves stole two bells from two chapels in the village. The 80-kg bell of the Chapelle Saint-Damase dates from 1867; the 53-kg bell of the Chapelle des Pénitents dates from 1737. The latter chapel is classified as a national historic monument. Mayor Hervé Philibert said that the bells were carefully removed and that nothing was broken. He said that he believes that the purpose of the theft is "resale to a collector."
  • February 27. Hochheim, Germany. Vandals ransacked the St. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, an iconic landmark built in 1730. In January 2016, the church was set on fire by an arsonist, causing more than half-a-million-euros in damage.
  • February 26. Hanover, Germany. A burglar smashed the windows of the Kreuzkirche, a medieval church consecrated in 1333.
  • February 23. Dublin, Ireland. A 36-year-old Dublin man, Brian Bridgeman desecrated several mummies at St. Michan's, a church that dates to 1095. He opened crypts in the church's vaults and twisted the head of a nun who had lived 400 years ago. He also decapitated an 800-year-old crusader and removed his head from the site. The skull was later found by police and returned to the church. Bridgeman, who was identified on CCTV and admitted guilt, was sentenced to 28 months in prison. "It's a sad day for the church and a sad day for humanity that someone would do such a thing," said Archdeacon David Pierpoint.
  • February 5. Lavaur, France. Two teenagers desecrated the Cathedral of St. Alain, which dates to the 13th century. They then set fire to a nativity scene that was still in place from the Christmas holidays. The fire caused extensive smoke damage to the cathedral, which had just undergone a five-year, multi-million-euro renovation. The teenagers were identified through CCTV footage.
  • January 18. Minden, Germany. Vandals smashed the stained-glass windows of St. Simeon's Lutheran Church, which was consecrated in 1214. In November 2018, the church was defaced with graffiti; in March 2017, vandals smashed a 19th century stained-glass window.
  • January 10. Ripley, England: Thieves stole the lead roof of All Saints Church, which dates to 1390. During the course of the theft the thieves caused extensive damage to the stone parapet on the roof. The damage was estimated at tens of thousands of pounds.
Desecrations of Cemeteries in Europe in 2019:
  • December 23. Villeroux, Belgium. More than a dozen graves at a local cemetery were desecrated. Gravestones were knocked over and crosses were smashed.
  • December 14. Aron, France. Vandals desecrated 30 graves at a local cemetery. They smashed crosses, stole marble plates as well as a statue of Jesus Christ.
  • November 30. Saint-Priest-la-Prugne, France. A local cemetery was ransacked.
  • November 24. Buré, France. A local cemetery was desecrated. Gravestones were knocked over and crosses were smashed.
  • October 27. Zabrze Helence, Poland. A total of 29 tombstones and 22 crosses were destroyed at the cemetery of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of the Church.
  • August 30. Vals-près-le-Puy, France. Tombstones were overturned in three different cemeteries in the town. Police said the attacks were not religiously motivated.
  • July 21. North Jutland, Denmark. A 45-year-old man spray-painted the number '666' on 87 gravestones at Hadsund Cemetery.
  • June 20. Evesham, England. Vandals defaced tombstones at St. Andrews Parish Church Cemetery with satanic graffiti. On June 16, vandals desecrated more than 100 graves at the same cemetery.
  • February 14, Madrid, Spain. Gravestones were defaced at the cemetery of the Almudena Cathedral.
  • February 6. Kamień Krajeński, Poland. Vandals ransacked a local cemetery. Tombstones were destroyed, crosses were knocked down and a statue of Jesus was destroyed.
Urination, Defecation and Exhibitionism at Christian Sites in Europe in 2019:
  • November 20. Tarbes, France. Vandals ransacked the Church of Saint-Jean. They broke open the doors, smashed statues and burned hymn books. They also urinated and defecated on the church floors and used Bibles and hymn books as toilet paper.
  • October 27. Moncoutant-sur-Sèvre, France. Five teenagers vandalized a local church. They urinated on confessionals and holy water fonts and set fire to alter cloths and hymn books.
  • August 28. Montefiascone, Italy. The Church of the Madonna dell'Arco was equipped with security cameras after vandals left excrement, vomit, condoms, cigarettes and beer cans scattered throughout the building. The church, which dates to 1796, has also been spray-painted with Satanist graffiti.
  • August 25. Argenthal, Germany. An exhibitionist exposed himself to worshippers at a Catholic Mass.
  • August 20. Giovo, Italy. The doors of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta di Verla were smeared with excrement.
  • August 1. Crebio, Italy. The Church of Sant Antonio was desecrated with excrement that was smeared on the doors, walls and holy water fonts.
  • July 26. Jaén, Spain. An 18-year-old man defecated in front of the altar of the Roman Catholic Santuario de la Fuensanta de Villanueva and then smeared his feces on a statue of Jesus Christ. The act was captured on CCTV.
  • May 31. Lahntal-Caldern, Germany. Vandals broke into the Nikolaikirche, a Lutheran church, set fire to a Bible and a hymnal and left a pile of feces at the entranceway.
  • May 17. Großholbach, Germany. Vandals ransacked the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, burned a Jesus statue and urinated on the pews. "This hurts," said Mayor Michael Kohlhass. "These are values ​​that have simply been trampled upon."
  • February 5. Nîmes, France. Vandals broke into the Notre Dame des Enfants church, forced open the tabernacle which houses the Eucharist, scattered consecrated hosts and spread excrement on the walls and inside and outside the church.
Anarcho-Feminist-Satanist and Politically-Motivated Attacks on Churches in Europe in 2019:
  • December 5. Munich, Germany. Four churches in the Munich area were defaced with political graffiti.
  • November 27. Mordelles, France. The Church of Saint-Pierre was defaced with anarchist graffiti.
  • November 26. Rennes, France. November 26. Vandals defaced the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle with Satanist graffiti.
  • November 13. Segovia, Spain. November 13. The Church of San Agustín, which dates to the 16th century, was spray-painted with anarchist graffiti. An "anti-fascist" group called Yesca claimed responsibility for the vandalism.
  • August 18. Singen, Germany. Vandals spray-painted Herz-Jesu Catholic Church with the number, "666."
  • June 19. London, England. Vandals lit fires outside the doors of four churches in east London. At each church, occult symbols and messages including pentagrams, spirals, the number 666 and the word "hell" were etched into the doors.
  • March 8. Madrid, Spain. The Church of Santa Mónica in Rivas Vaciamadrid was spray-painted with anti-Catholic and radical feminist graffiti to mark International Women's Day.
  • March 8. Logroño, Spain. The Cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda was defaced with feminist propaganda.
  • March 8. Seville, Spain. The Church of San Roque was defaced with anarcho-feminist graffiti.
  • March 8. Valladolid, Spain. Radical feminists broke into the archbishopric of Valladolid.
  • March 5. Reichstett, France. Vandals smashed the stained-glass windows of a Catholic church and painted "666" and "Satan" on the church walls.
  • March 4. Alicante, Spain. Satanists performed an occultist ceremony in front of an evangelical church. They then defaced the entrance to the church with Satanist graffiti.
  • February 22. Katowice, Poland. Four local chapels and churches were defaced with Satanist graffiti.
  • January 31. Vendôme, France. Thieves broke into the Church of Madeleine and stole a wooden tabernacle containing a ciborium and consecrated hosts. "The consecrated hosts are sometimes used during black magic rituals," said Father Pierre Cabarat. "This theft is a profanation, an assault on the Christian community."
  • January 16. Córdoba, Spain. The Santa Victoria de Córdoba Roman Catholic school was defaced with anarchist graffiti.
Attacks on Nativity Scenes in Europe in 2019:
  • December 25. Ourense, Spain. A municipal nativity scene was damaged and a statue of the Christ Child was stolen. The same nativity scene was damaged on December 21.
  • December 19. Dijon, France. A nativity scene at the Church of Notre-Dame was destroyed.
  • December 18. Saint-Éloy-les-Mines, France. A municipal nativity scene was damaged. Mayor Marie-Thérèse Sikora said: "We are still a Judeo-Christian country. It is deplorable to attack a crib and decorations. We do this for the children, but this morning, they were devastated in front of the crib."
  • December 17. Torrelavega, Spain. Vandals a municipal nativity scene was ransacked and a statue of the Christ Child was decapitated.
  • December 16, Tárrega, Spain. Town councilors representing the far-left parties ERC and CUP dismantled the municipal nativity scene in order to "preserve the secular character" of the municipality.
  • November 26, Vienna, Austria. A statue of the Christ Child was stolen twice from a nativity scene at a Christmas market in the Simmering district.
  • January 1. Valencia, Spain. An historic nativity scene in Callosa de Segura was destroyed.
Islam-related Attacks on Christians and Christian Sites in Europe in 2019:
  • December 6. Bandol, France. Vandals defaced with spray paint a memorial to Franco-Armenian friendship. The graffiti included the word "Turk." In a statement, the city said: "The mayor and the elected officials condemn with the utmost firmness this act which stains the memory of Armenians. Armenia was the victim of an atrocious genocide which resulted in more than a million victims between 1915 and 1916. France recognized this genocide in 2001."
  • November 30. Marienthal, France. A 23-year-old man who claimed to be wearing a suicide vest ransacked a chapel adjacent to the Convent of Carmel of the Sacred Heart. Sister Donata, prioress of Carmel, explained: "A young man came to see us. He was calm. He asked to go to the chapel to pray, and there, at one point, madness took him. He started to ransack everything. He knocked over the crucifix and the statue of the Sacred Heart, which he damaged. He knocked down the candlesticks as well as the stalls. He chipped the altar. He attacked everything. Never has such a thing happened here." The Strasbourg public prosecutor's office requested a psychiatric assessment of the man, whose identity has not been made public.
  • November 27. Trondheim, Norway. Four Muslim men threatened to kill a Christian street preacher unless he converted to Islam.
  • September 6. Marseille, France. A teenager armed with a knife entered the La Pauline elementary school, stabbed the canteen manager, and shouted, "I am a Muslim. Today I am going to kill all Christians. 'Allahu Akbar!'" (Allah is greater [than your God!]).
  • June 19. Graz, Austria. A 45-year-old Iraqi man set fire to four churches in the city.
  • May 5. Toulouse, France. The Notre Dame du Taur church was defaced with the words, "Allahu Akbar!" ("Allah is greater [than your God]!")
  • April 21. Rome, Italy. A Moroccan man stabbed a Georgian man for wearing a crucifix. "Italian Catholic Sh*t," the Moroccan shouted as he tried to cut the man's throat. The incident took place near Termini Station, the main railway station in Rome.
  • April 17. Seville, Spain. A 23-year-old Moroccan jihadi plotted to attack Holy Week processions.
  • April 1. Hendaye, France. Three Lebanese teenagers vandalized St. Vincent's nursery school. They ransacked eight classrooms, destroyed computers and covered the walls and floors with paint.
Country-by-Country Attacks on Christian Churches and Symbols in Europe in 20191. France
The French government recorded 1,063 anti-Christian attacks in 2018, compared to 1,038 such attacks in 2017 and 949 in 2016. Overall, the number of attacks surged by 245% between 2008 and 2016, according to the Interior Ministry, which noted that attacks on Christian sites account for approximately 90% of all attacks on places of worship in France.
The trend shows no signs of abating. There were more than 1,000 anti-Christian attacks in France during 2019, according to data compiled by Daniel Hamiche, Editor-in-Chief of the blog, Observatory of Christianophobia. Hamiche has been an indefatigable chronicler of the destruction of Christian heritage in France. Gatestone Institute also consulted hundreds of national and local newspapers, as well as dozens of blogs, specialized websites and police blotters. Following are a few examples of anti-Christian attacks in 2019:
  • Billy-sous-Mangiennes, December 20. Vandals destroyed the stained-glass windows at the Church of Saint-Loup.
  • Aire-sur-l'Adour, December 19. A man set fire to an altar at the Cathedral of Saint-Jean-Baptiste d'Aire.
  • Amiens, December 16. Vandals destroyed a statue of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes at the Amiens Cathedral.
  • La Douze, December 11. Thieves stole copper pipes from the Church of Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, a Gothic church dating to the 14th century.
  • Châtillon-sur-Seine, December 4. Thieves broke into the Church of Saint-Nicolas.
  • Rennes, November 24. Thieves broke into two churches on the same night: offering boxes were stolen at the Church of Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Melaine and the Basilica of Saint-Sauveur.
  • Avolsheim, November 23. Vandals defaced the grotto of the Church of Dompeter, one of the oldest churches in Alsace.
  • Porto-Vecchio, November 21. Vandals desecrated an open-air oratory at the Church of San Ciprianu.
  • Tournissan, November 16. Thieves ransacked the Church of Saint-Adrien. They then covered the site with bleach, apparently in an effort to erase traces of DNA.
  • Marseille, November 9. Vandals defaced the Red Cross Mission Cross adjacent to the Church of Saint-Patrice. The cross was defaced a total of six times in 2019.
  • Tonnay-Charente, November 9. Vandals desecrated the Church of Saint-Etienne. Crosses were overturned, the tabernacle was broken, the hosts were scattered on the ground and the lunette containing a host for worship was stolen.
  • Carentan-les-Marais, November 5. Vandals broke into the Church of Notre-Dame de Carentan. The same church was vandalized in July 2019.
  • Clermont-Ferrand, October 21. Three teenagers ransacked the Church of Notre-Dame de Prospérité de Montferrand.
  • Renazé, October 14. Thieves broke into the Church of Renazé and stole the tabernacle, which stores the consecrated hosts.
  • Veynes, September 13. Vandals desecrated the Church of Saint-Sauveur and stole the ciborium, a chalice used to hold consecrated communion wafers.
  • Saint-Christol-de-Rodières, September 7. Vandals desecrated the Church of Saint Christophe and stole the ciborium.
  • Les Houches, August 24. Vandals broke into the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church and overturned pews, broke windows, destroyed a confessional booth and spray-painted anti-religious insults on the walls.
  • Clermont, August 14. Vandals desecrated the Church of Saint-Samson. Hosts were scattered and stolen, and the ciborium which contained them was also stolen.
  • Compiègne, August 10. Vandals desecrated the Church of Saint Éloi and stole the ciborium and other liturgical items.
  • Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, July 17. A 44-year-old man was arrested for vandalizing several churches in the area. He decapitated religious statues, including one of Jesus, smashed stained-glass windows and destroyed paintings. Police discarded an "anti-Christian motif" because the man "operated alone, on impulse and without any real organization."
  • Bois de Cené, April 4. Vandals ransacked the Church of Saint-Etienne.
  • Uffholtz, March 30. Vandals destroyed a crucifix.
  • Péronne, March 27. A 40-year-old man was arrested for stealing at least 30 objects from the Church of Saint Jean Baptiste.
  • Strasbourg, March 11. Vandals ransacked the Catholic Church of St. Louis de la Robertsau.
  • Angoulême, March 9. Vandals ransacked the Hope & Life Evangelical Church and caused more than €10,000 ($11,000) in damage. The vandalism was aimed at "defiling, destroying and preventing worship services from taking place," according to Pastor Joseph Miall.
  • Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, February 25. Vandals ransacked two churches: The Church of Saint-Gilles and the Church of Saint-Croix. They overturned statues and smashed stained-glass windows.
  • Maisons-Laffitte, February 10. Vandals ransacked the Saint Nicolas church.
  • Dijon, February 9. Vandals desecrated the Notre Dame church and stole the consecrated hosts.
  • Houilles, February 4. Vandals ransacked the Church of Saint Nicolas and destroyed a statue dating to the 19th century. It was the third attack at the church in ten days.
  • Lusignan, February 3. Thieves broke into the Chapel of St. Anne, forced open the tabernacle and stole the ciborium. The consecrated hosts were strewn across the floor.
2. Germany
  • Aue-Bad Schlema, December 25. A parish worker was stabbed to death when he tried to stop a fight between a Syrian and an Iranian migrant.
  • Mettlach, December 23. Vandals ransacked the Church of Sankt Martin.
  • Schwenningen, September 23. Vandals ransacked the St. Franziskus-Mariä Himmelfahrt Kirche, a Catholic church.
  • Herxheim, September 13. Vandals damaged the front door of St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church.
  • Goch, September 12. Thieves forcibly ripped out and stole the copper water pipes from inside the walls of Maria Magdalena-Kirche, a Catholic church.
  • Iserlohn, September 11. Thieves dismantled and stole the copper drainpipes of St. Gertrudis Kirche, a Catholic church.
  • Coesfeld, September 11. Vandals broke into St. Lamberti Catholic Church and poured a strong-smelling liquid into the holy water font.
  • Sulingen, September 9. Thieves broke into St. Nicolai-Kirche, a Lutheran church.
  • Koblenz, September 9. Thieves broke into New Apostolic Church.
  • Weilburg, September 8. Thieves broke into a church on Limburger Straße.
  • Neustadt/Orla, September 8. Thieves broke into a church and stole property worth €1,000 ($1,120).
  • Lahr, September 6. Thieves broke into Peter und Paul Kirche, a Roman Catholic church.
  • Kusel, September 5. Vandals smashed the windows of a Protestant church.
  • Kirchhatten, September 4. Vandals damaged property at St. Ansgari Church.
  • Runkel, September 3. Vandals ransacked the Heilig Geist church.
  • Eisenach, September 3. Vandals spray-painted a statue at St. Elisabeth Catholic Church.
  • Gosheim, September 3. Vandals broke into Längenberg Chapel.
  • Apolda, September 2. Thieves dismantled and stole the lightning rods and cables of St. Bonifatius Catholic Church.
  • Velen-Ramsdorf, September 1. Vandals spray-painted the façade of St. Walburga Catholic Church.
  • Pirmasens, August 31. Vandals ransacked Luther Church. The total damage is estimated at €5,000 ($5,600).
  • Clingen, August 30. Thieves stole an outdoor pavilion from St. Gumbert Lutheran Church.
  • Kevelaer-Winnekendonk, August 29. Thieves dismantled and stole copper pipes from St. Antonius Catholic Church.
  • Mettmann, August 29. Thieves broke into St. Johannes Catholic Church.
  • Stuttgart-Möhringen, August 25. Thieves broke into a church and kindergarten.
  • Bochum, August 24. Thieves broke into St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church.
  • Altenhagen, August 21. Thieves broke into a Lutheran Church and tried to steal the organ pipes, apparently to sell them as scrap metal for cash.
  • Ganderkesee, August 19. Thieves broke into St. Hedwig Catholic Church.
  • Ostbevern, August 19. Vandals desecrated St. Ambrosius Catholic Church; vandals attacked the same church a day earlier.
  • Bad Waldsee, August 18. Vandals spray-painted St. Peter Catholic Church with the words, "God is Dead."
  • Herne, August 18. Thieves broke into Cranger Kirche, a Lutheran church.
  • Kirchhundem, August 17. Vandals broke into the St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic Church.
  • Greven-Reckenfeld, August 16. Vandals smashed the windows of St. Franziskus Catholic Church.
  • Brakel, August 16. Vandals broke into St. Michael's Catholic Church.
  • Bösensell, August 16. Thieves broke into a church and stole intercession letters from a mailbox.
  • Rheine-Schotthock, August 6. Thieves broke into St. Ludgeruskirche Catholic Church.
  • Lahn, August 13. A man broke into St. Martinus Catholic Church and tried to steal money.
  • Gevelsberg, August 12. Thieves entered St. Engelbert Catholic Church and stole the tabernacle, a box holding consecrated hosts.
  • Karlsruhe, August 12. A thief tried to steal money from donation boxes at St. Stephen's Catholic Church.
  • Greiz, August 11. Vandals broke into the Gottesackerkirche.
  • Zell im Wiesental, August 10. Thieves looted the Evangelical Church.
  • Lauenbrück, July 31. Thieves broke into Martin-Luther-Kirchengemeinde, a Protestant church; they damaged windows and doors and stole donation money.
  • Heiden, July 23. Vandals attacked St. Paulus Kirche, an evangelical church. They broke windows, spray-painted the walls and destroyed furniture.
  • Lübbecke, July 5. Vandals broke into St. Nikolaus Lutheran Church. The church has been the target of repeated attacks and there are fears that the vandalism will escalate to the point that arsonists try to burn it down.
  • Albstadt-Ebingen, June 9. Vandals ransacked a shrine at St. Joseph's Church.
  • Esslingen, May 31. Thieves broke into the Osterfeldkirche, a Lutheran church in Berkheim, and stole property valued at €1,000 ($1,120).
  • Löffingen, May 24. Vandals ransacked St. Michael's Catholic Church. They damaged or destroyed paintings, statues, the altar and the organ.
  • Kronach, May 22. Vandals spray-painted graffiti on the doors of the Cristuskirche, a Lutheran church.
  • Rudolstadt, May 7. Vandals spray-painted the walls of the Lutheran Stadtkirche.
  • Winnweiler, May 6. Vandals broke into the Herz-Jesu-Kirche, a Roman Catholic church, built a campfire and defaced the walls.
  • Hoxel, May 5. Vandals smashed a stained-glass window at a Roman Catholic chapel in Morbach-Hoxel.
  • Bad Oldesloe, May 4. A thief broke into the Peter-Paul Lutheran Church stole an intricately-carved wooden cross valued at €5,000 ($5,600).
  • Mannheim, April 29. Vandals ransacked the Liebfrauenkirche, a Roman Catholic church.
  • Kirchberg, April 25. Vandals spray-painted graffiti on the doors of St. Margaret Lutheran Church.
  • Wilhelmshaven, April 24. Vandals smashed nine windows in a downtown church.
  • Ennepetal, April 20. Vandals smashed the windows of Herz-Jesu Roman Catholic Church.
  • Dillenburg, April 14. Vandals ransacked the Herz-Jesu Roman Catholic Church.
  • Ratingen-Hösel, April 11. Burglars broke into the Adolf-Clarenbach-Kirche, a Lutheran church, and physically removed the safe.
  • Bremerhaven, April 8. A burglar broke into St. Mary's Catholic Church and stole several weeks' worth of donations.
  • Oberschopfheim, April 7. Vandals destroyed the restrooms of the St. Leodegar Catholic Church.
  • Münster, April 6. Vandals spray-painted the front door of a Roman Catholic church.
  • Bösensell, April 5. Vandals ransacked the St.-Johannes-Kirche, a Roman Catholic church. The church has been the target of repeated attacks. "We do not want just to accept this anymore," a church member said.
  • Hamburg, March 14. A swastika was spray-painted on the front door of the Kreuzkirche, a Lutheran church in the Wandsbeck district. State prosecutors launched a criminal investigation.
  • Wenden, March 11. Vandals ransacked the St. Elisabeth of Schönau Roman Catholic Church.
  • Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock, February 24. Vandals damaged the St. Ursula Roman Catholic Church.
  • Kaiserslautern, February 2. The Christuskirche Lutheran Church was defaced with graffiti.
3. Ireland
  • Dublin, November 11. Vandals desecrated the Star of the Sea Carmelite Nuns monastery in Malahide. They broke into the monastery in broad daylight, spray-painted a chapel with graffiti and shouted offensive slurs against the nuns.
  • Longford, August 1. Vandals smashed the stained-glass windows of St. Michael's, the oldest serving Catholic church building in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. This was the second attack on the church in two years.
  • Clonmel, July 30. The Holy Year Cross, a Catholic holy site in Tipperary, was spray-painted with swastikas days before an annual pilgrimage. This is not the first time the site was attacked in the days running up to the annual pilgrimage; in 2011 someone vandalized the altar and burned statues.
  • Dundalk, July 21. Several people were injured when a man drove a car at high speed into a crowd of people at St. Patrick's Cemetery. The man was charged with reckless driving.
  • Thurles, June 27. Vandals decapitated a marble statue of Archbishop Patrick Leahy outside the Cathedral of the Assumption, where the archbishop was buried in 1875. Thurles Police Superintendent Pat Murphy said that the statue is "a piece of the fabric of Thurles" and appealed to the public for information related to the attack.
4. Italy
  • Scorrano, November 18. A thief broke into the Church of the Transfiguration and stole a collection box as well as a gold necklace from a statue of Mary. He then urinated on the altar. The crime was captured on CCTV.
  • Comacchio, September 9. Vandals destroyed donation boxes at the Church of the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows. No money was taken.
  • Ceriano Laghetto, August 25. Vandals broke into the shrine of the Madonna del Santo Rosario and spray-painted a painting depicting Jesus and Mary.
  • Naples, August 23. Vandals damaged a statue of San Gennaro at the Church of Santa Croce.
  • Lecco, June 29. Vandals destroyed the outdoor lights of the Monumental Cemetery.
  • Lecco, June 3. Vandals uprooted crosses at Monte Magnodeno.
  • Montebelluna, May 25. The Church of Santa Maria in Colle was defaced with graffiti. The church was previously defaced with graffiti in April.
  • Santorso, May 17. Vandals spray-painted the front of the Church of Sant Orso. They were filmed by CCTV and two individuals, aged 27 and 17, were subsequently arrested after they boasted about the crime on social media.
  • Orvieto, May 12. The Church of San Giovenale, which dates to the year 1004, was defaced with blasphemous graffiti.
  • Narni, May 5. The Church of San Girolamo was ransacked by vandals who threw down a large statue of Jesus and damaged sacred books.
  • Cesena, April 28. The church of the Istituto Lugaresi was ransacked during a scuffle between two Romanians who were drunk. "Two immigrants entered the church 'Dei Lugaresi,' reducing it to this state," said Massimo Bitonci, representative of the Lega party. "There are no words to describe so much barbarism."
  • Sasso della Vecchia, April 23. Vandals destroyed an iconic statue of Mary and Jesus.
  • Trieste, April 21. A man entered the Church of San Giovanni on Easter Sunday, took a communion wafer and began cursing Roman Catholicism.
  • Naples, April 8. An arsonist tried to set fire to an evangelical church. The attack was captured on CCTV.
  • San Fior, April 5. Vandals ransacked the sacristy of the church of San Fior. Three Romanians were arrested in connection with the crime.
  • Calolziocorte, March 27. Vandals damaged the walls of an old church in Sala.
  • Montevaccino, February 20. The Church of San Leonardo was damaged by vandals who broke crosses, statues and windows.
  • San Fior, February 19. Vandals defaced the walls of the Church of Castello Roganzuolo.
  • Rome, February 12. Vandals destroyed a marble plaque of the Martin Luther square. The square was named in 2015 in recognition of the role that the Protestant reformer played both in the church and in European culture. "We lament this act of vandalism, which shows the lack of values we breath and the climate of deterioration in which we live," said Leonardo de Chirico of the Italian Evangelical Alliance.
  • Farra di Soligo, February 6. The Chapel of San Michele was ransacked by vandals who broke open the iron gate and smashed statues.
5. United Kingdom
In Northern Ireland, churches and cemeteries are attacked, on average, every other day, according to police statistics obtained in August 2019 under the Freedom of Information Act. A total of 445 crimes were recorded as criminal damage to religious buildings, churchyards or cemeteries across Northern Ireland's 11 policing districts during the last three years, according to data obtained by Christian Action Research and Education (Care NI) from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Incidents in 2019 include:
  • Abertridwr, September 16. Vandals damaged the Church of St. Ilan Eglwysilan, which dates to the year 1188.
  • Hamble, September 4. Vandals destroyed a fence at St. Andrew's, a 900-year-old church.
  • Ebbw Vale, August 30. Vandals broke into Christ Church.
  • Ballyclare, August 23. Unidentified vandals destroyed a large section of the wooden walls of Ballyclare Free Presbyterian Church. Several of the church's windows were smashed in a separate incident in late December. The church has been attacked four times during the past year.
  • Glasgow, August 21. Vandals ransacked Carnwadric Church of Scotland.
  • Kimberley, August 11. Vandals smashed windows of Holy Trinity Church.
  • Scarborough, August 13. Thieves broke into the Church of the Holy Nativity, stole items from inside the building and spray-painted the steps.
  • Liverpool, August 3. Vandals defaced St. Oswald King & Martyr Catholic Church with graffiti and smashed windows.
  • Tamworth, June 14. Vandals defaced St. Editha's Church, one of the oldest churches in the West Midlands, with anti-Christian graffiti. Among the messages scrawled were, "God has failed," "Deliver us to evil," and "Lucifer runs this capitalist ruin." Church warden Dawn Perry said: "We are totally shocked, saddened and angered by this."
  • South Cerney, June 12. Vandals smashed a stained-glass window at All Hallows Church.
  • Sussex, May 9. Vandals destroyed an historic lychgate at St. John the Evangelist Church in Copthorne.
  • Glasgow, April 29. A bus stop in front of Holy Family Parish Church in Mossend in North Lanarkshire was defaced with anti-Catholic graffiti. On 26 March, vandals smashed the windows of Holy Family Primary School, which is next door to the church.
  • Glasgow, April 28. St. Simon's Catholic Church was ransacked by vandals in a daytime attack. Police said that there was significant damage to the inside of the church, including damage to the altar area of the church as well as to a shrine which has been in the church since the 1940 and caters to the Polish parishioners who attend mass in their native language.
  • Bacup, April 26. Vandals ransacked St. Saviour's Church. The historic building was defaced with graffiti, the stained-glass windows were smashed, and its organ was stripped bare.
  • Willesden, April 21. Vandals destroyed the windows of Elim Pentecostal Church on Easter Sunday.
  • Belfast, April 21. Sacred Heart Church in Ballyclare was vandalized with paint on Easter Sunday. Police, who described the incident as a hate crime, arrested a 26-year-old man who was later released on bail.
  • Bath, February 16. Vandals toppled a one-ton stone sculpture of loaves and fishes at St. Philip and St. James' Church.
  • West Midlands, January 16. More than a dozen churches received anonymous letters threatening attacks. "Stop all your services straight away," warned one letter sent to a church in Sheffield. "If you don't your church will be petrol bombed while in service. Continue behind closed doors and your congregation members will be stabbed one by one. Blood on your hands. You have been warned."
  • Cirencester, January 13. Burglars smashed stained-glass windows and stole the collection box at Cirencester Parish Church.
6. Spain
  • Granada, December 12. The Church of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores was spray-painted with anti-Catholic graffiti.
  • Barcelona, November 27. A Roman Catholic seminary was spray-painted with anti-Catholic graffiti.
  • Zaragoza, November 16. Vandals ransacked the Chapel of the Santo Sepulcro de Tauste and set fire to a statue of Jesus.
  • Madrid, November 11. The Church of Santa Catalina de Alejandría was spray-painted with Satanist graffiti.
  • Zamora, October 28. The Church of San Esteban, which dates to the 11th century, was defaced with graffiti.
  • Seville, October 28. The Basilica de la Macarena was defaced with graffiti.
  • Valencia, October 24. The Church of San Nicolás was defaced with graffiti.
  • Madrid, October 21. The Cathedral de la Almudena and several other churches in the capital were defaced with graffiti.
  • Barcelona, October 18. The Church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario was defaced with political graffiti.
  • Barcelona, October 14. The Church of San Juan Bautista de Gracia was defaced with Satanist graffiti.
  • Córdoba, October 5. Vandals desecrated the Chapel of Rosa de Montilla.
  • Cuenca, October 1. Thieves broke into the Church of La Concepción de Casas de Fernando Alonso and stole the tabernacle.
  • Madrid, September 27. The Church of San Miguel de Fuencarral was spray-painted with anti-Catholic graffiti.
  • Carbonero, September 6. Vandals overturned large granite bollards in front of the Church of San Juan Bautista.
  • Almería, August 31. The Church of Santiago Apóstol was defaced with graffiti.
  • Cambrils, July 25. A man repeatedly defaced the Church of Sant Pere with graffiti. He was arrested when police observed him carrying paint and walking toward the church.
  • Guadalajara, July 20. Vandals broke into the Church of Santiago Apostle and stole the consecrated host.
  • Castellón, July 18. The Cross of the Fallen was defaced with graffiti.
  • Buelna, July 17. The Cross of the Fallen, a monument in the town center, was defaced with anti-religious and pro-Communist graffiti.
  • Salamanca, July 16. The historic Church of San Marcos was defaced with paint.
  • San Cristóbal de La Laguna, June 21. Vandals defaced several churches with graffiti.
  • Soria, June 23. Vandals damaged the Chapel of San Bartolomé, a 12th Century Romanesque church that is currently undergoing renovations.
  • Córdoba, May 31. Thieves broke into a Roman Catholic fraternity and stole gold crowns from several statues.
  • Málaga, May 24. Vandals broke into a Roman Catholic fraternity and defaced a statue of Jesus with spray paint.
  • Almería, April 21. A Roman Catholic fraternity was defaced with anarchist graffiti.
  • Segovia, April 18. Vandals threw eggs on a Holy Week procession.
  • Andújar, April 16. Vandals broke off the legs of a historic stone statue known as Cristo del Altozano de Santiago.
  • Orense, April 14. On Palm Sunday, a Catholic church in Meside was defaced with far-left anti-religious graffiti.
  • Tavernes de la Valldigna, April 1. Vandals defaced the Church of St Pere with anarchist graffiti.
  • Madrid, March 29. Madrid Mayor Manuela Carmena removed all references to Christianity from the city's Holy Week celebrations. "We seek to transcend the immediate significance of Holy Week to delve into the timeless feeling and universal emotions that this period of recollection arouses," according to the City Hall.
  • Seville, March 19. Two women broke into the sacristy of the Church of San Julián and then left the building wearing vestments used by priests to officiate the mass. The incident was captured on CCTV.
  • Málaga, March 13. Vandals broke into the Sagrada Familia chapel in El Copo.
  • Santiago de Compostela, March 12. The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, a World Heritage Site, was defaced with anti-religious graffiti. The cathedral was previously defaced in August 2018; the cost of removing the graffiti exceeded €10,000 ($11,200).
  • Málaga, March 11. Thieves broke into the Holy Trinity of Antequera church and stole the consecrated host, the sacred bread used in the Roman Catholic Mass.
  • Madrid, March 10. Vandals caused significant damage to the Parish of San Rafael Arnáiz in Sanchinarro. They also stole the consecrated host.
  • Ávila, March 10. Vandals defaced the Chapel of the Risen One.
  • Barcelona, March 8. The entrance to a Christian radio station was spray-painted with anti-religious graffiti.
  • Córdoba, March 6. Arsonists threw a Molotov cocktail against the Parish of San Miguel. The wick was burned but the device did not explode.
  • Camargo, March 5. A cross was defaced with anarchist and Communist graffiti.
  • Gijón, March 2. Vandals destroyed a marble railing in the Church of San José.
  • Jaén, February 18. Vandals broke into the Parish of Santa Isabel and stole the consecrated host.
  • Seville, February 11. Vandals spray-painted the Church of San Martin with the words, "The only church that illuminates is the one that burns."
  • Ávila, February 10. Vandals spray-painted two Roman Catholic churches with anti-religious, pro-anarchist graffiti.
  • Cimadevilla, February 7. Vandals defaced the Church of San Juan Bautista with graffiti.
  • Córdoba, January 30. The Trinidad Roman Catholic school in Vistalegre was defaced with anti-religious graffiti.
  • Vigo, January 22. Two youths broke into a chapel at Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital and stole the consecrated host.
  • Pasaia, January 22. Vandals threw a Jesus statue into the town's harbor.
  • Almería, January 20. Arsonists attempted to burn down the hermitage of Torregarcía; arsonists previously tried to burn down the chapel on January 11.
  • Ondarroa, January 14. Basque separatists destroyed a large cross raised by the Franco regime in 1958 to honor "the children of Ondarroa who heroically gave their lives for God and Spain."
  • Soria, January 4. The Church of Santa María la Mayor was spray-painted with graffiti.
  • Córdoba, January 2. Vandals destroyed a cross commemorating the Spanish Civil War at a cemetery in Puente Genil.
Appendix 3: Select Commentary and Reflections on Church Attacks in Europe in 2019
  • December 18, Saint-Éloy-les-Mines, France: "We are still a Judeo-Christian country. It is deplorable to attack a nativity scene and decorations. We do this for the children, but this morning, they were devastated in front of the crib." — Marie-Thérèse Sikora, Mayor of Saint-Éloy-les-Mines.
  • November 21, Porto-Vecchio, Italy: "This attack reflects a deep lack of respect in a sacred place. It is not normal to degrade a statue of piety in this way. This should not happen in Corsica, a Christian land." — Frédéric Constant, Priest, Church of San Ciprianu, Porto-Vecchio.
  • November 21, Tarbes, France: "The desecration of the Church of Saint Jean in Tarbes takes place in a continuum of a devastating number of abominations of chapels and churches. There is hardly a day when we do not learn of such facts, illustrating an unprecedented increase since the French Revolution of anti-Catholic hatred in France." — The general alliance against racism and for the respect of French and Christian identity (AGRIF).
  • November 16, Zaragoza, Spain: "This has been an attack on a religious and cultural symbol of our people. It is not a simple act of vandalism. It is a place where our ancestors, family and friends have met for centuries." — Miguel Angel Francés Carbonel, Mayor of Tauste.
  • November 16, Zaragoza, Spain: "This time it was not a robbery, it was evil. On other occasions they came to steal but today it was to destroy." — Javier Francés, Custodian, Chapel of the Santo Sepulcro de Tauste.
  • November 9, Tonnay-Charente, France: "This attack is an expression of hatred against Christ and his Church, a manifestation of violence, cowardice and stupidity." — Monsignor Georges Colomb, Bishop of La Rochelle and Saintes.
  • November 4, Oloron-Sainte-Marie, France: "These serious incivilities and this total lack of respect for a sacred heritage are increasing in France. This raises deep concerns about the civilizational values ​​that characterize our society." — Monsignor Marc Aillet, Bishop of Bayonne.
  • August 20, Giovo, Italy. "It is clear that anyone who has performed such an act does not know our values. Such contempt for this place, a religious symbol of yesterday and today that embodies the sensitivity of our people, discredits those who have done this by acting in the shadows, in the illusion that darkness can hide from its own cowardice." — Michael Moser, local resident.
  • August 14, Clermont, France: "As Catholic Christians, this new event saddens us more, insofar as it suggests that people make churches a target to satisfy their addiction or to appease their greed." — Monsignor Jacques Raymond Germain Benoit-Gonnin, Bishop of Beauvais, Senlis and Noyon.
  • August 10, Compiègne, France: "The most essential issue for us is that the tabernacle was forced open, and that the Blessed Sacrament, the presence of Christ was touched and stolen. This is a profanation for us." — Julien Serey, Communications Director, Diocese of Oise.
  • August 1, Longford, Ireland: "Let there be no ambiguity, this is not a victimless crime. Vandalism of this kind is profoundly disrespectful to people of faith and to places of worship. It is threatening and distressing. In a truly pluralist society these examples of vandalism are of concern to our whole community." — Bishop Francis Duffy.
  • May 21, Madrid, Spain: "It is very worrying that, year after year, attacks against churches increase. This can cause fear in believers when they go to pray or practice their faith. Religious freedom is the acid test of human rights. A democracy like ours cannot allow such a high number of attacks on religious freedom to occur. Religious freedom is a person's most intimate right because it involves the conscience." — María García, President, Observatory for Religious Freedom (Observatorio para la Libertad Religiosa y de Conciencia, OLRC).
  • May 24, Belfast, Northern Ireland: "All attacks on property are to be condemned, but the deliberate targeting of a church is particularly heinous. Apart from the obvious danger to life, attacks on churches cause a special revulsion because of their historical role in providing sanctuary and a normally safe place for worship.... This was not only an attack on a church, but as a peace-hungry society, this was an attack on all of us." — The Belfast Telegraph.
  • May 17, Großholbach, Germany: "This hurts. These are values that have simply been trampled upon." — Michael Kohlhass, Mayor of Großholbach .
  • April 4, Bois de Cené, France: "I condemn with the utmost firmness the degradations committed in the church of Bois-de-Céné. They are absolutely unbearable. Whether malicious or anti-Christian, such acts deeply hurt believers who have the right to be able to freely live their faith. Places of worship are places of meditation. Those who profane them at the same time attack secularism which allows 'those who believe in heaven and those who do not believe' to live together with respect for freedom of conscience." — Yves Auvinet, President of the Departmental Council of Bois de Cené.
  • April 2, Paris, France: "The Church has occupied a very important place in French society for so long that some people do not want to pay attention to the attacks of which it is the victim." — Jérôme Fourquet, Director of Opinion, Ifop polling agency.
  • April 2, Paris, France: "Christians, hostages of the war of civilizations in the Middle East, are part of that which rages quietly in our regions." — Elisabeth Lévy, Editor-in-Chief, Causeur magazine.
  • March 23, Leoben, Austria: "This was no simple act of vandalism. It was spiritual anarchism. It is evil. They urinated at the altar and poured out the holy water. This was a manifestation of their attitude toward the church." — Markus Plöbst, Parish Priest, Stadtpfarrkirche Leoben.
  • March 11, Strasbourg, France: "This lack of respect for the sacred in our society is very disturbing." —Alain Fontanel, Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg.
  • March 5, Reichstett, France: "It's a question of respect for religious buildings. On Halloween the Protestant church was targeted, and now it's the Catholic church. It's an attack on the freedom of worship." — Georges Schuler, Mayor of Reichstett.
  • February 25, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, France: "It is the moral prejudice that is important, that is to say that it was an attack on the place of worship, an attack on religion, in a somewhat complicated context in France. Therefore, effectively, the moral prejudice is much more important than financial harm." — François Blanchet, Mayor of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie.
  • February 11, Ávila, Spain: "These acts of vandalism threaten first of all the heritage of our city," said in a statement. Above all, however, they threaten respect and religious freedom, recognized and protected in the Constitution, and that must be the guarantor of a healthy and free peaceful coexistence in Spanish society." — Bishopric of Ávila.
  • February 10, Maisons-Laffitte, France: "This vandalism is an attack on the freedom of worship because it is attacking what is at the heart of belief." — Jean-Jacques Brot, Prefect, Yvelines department.
  • February 5, Lavaur, France: "God will forgive, I will not. I expect justice, an exemplary sanction for these acts of Christianophobia that have upset and outraged the people of Lavaur and, well beyond this, the French who are proud of their religious and cultural heritage." — Bernard Carayon, Mayor of Lavaur.
  • January 17, Grenoble, France: "This criminal action is an attack on freedom of conscience, freedom of worship, and the value of coexistence," — Bishop of Grenoble-Vienne, Guy de Kerimel.
  • January 10, Rovereto, Italy: "Expressing one's thoughts with violence and arrogance by damaging the symbols and property of others is always wrong. In a democracy there are other ways to express one's ideas. Whoever set fire to the entrance of the church of San Rocco is the enemy of dialogue and peaceful debate." — Maurizio Fugatti, President of the Autonomous Province of Trento.

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    Bernadette Porter is a Traditional Catholic, a wife of 42 years with 6 adult home-schooled children and 6 grandchildren. A sincere devotion to Mary, the Mother of God leads me to want to share "The Church's best kept secret" - Mary!

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