<![CDATA[The Catacombs - Anti-Catholic Violence]]> https://thecatacombs.org/ Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:34:35 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Belgian TV segment shows people destroying statues of Our Lord, Our Lady]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=8118 Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:43:02 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=8118 Blasphemous Belgian TV segment shows people destroying statues of Our Lord, Our Lady
An EWTN correspondent confronted the people involved in the segment at a recent media event – and got them to admit that what they did was wrong.

[Image: shutterstock_644796925.jpg]

Our Lady of Fatima statue
Ricardo Perna/Shutterstock
Mar 24, 2026
(LifeSiteNews) — A blasphemous sketch that aired on a taxpayer-funded Belgian television channel is garnering international attention for showing people smashing statues of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary to pieces.

EWTN International Correspondent Colm Flynn appeared at a recent media event in Latvia called Radiodays Europe where he confronted Eva De Roo, Dries Lenaerts, and Sam De Bruyn about the segment, which reportedly aired several months ago.

The channel that broadcast the footage, Studio Brussels, had shared a video of persons hitting the statues with what appeared to be iron rods. The stunt was part of a “rage room” stun where participants could destroy objects of their liking in order to supposedly make themselves feel better. The initiative was part of “Blue Monday,” a day that is recognized for drawing attention to people feeling sad or depressed.

Flynn asked the trio about why the statues were allowed to be destroyed given their religious character.

“It might offend people,” one man replied. But “we’re not a very religious country.”

“We all come from the Christian tradition ourselves,” Eva De Roo added. “So it’s more laughing with ourselves.”


To his credit, Flynn did not let the matter go. He pressed them to further explain the reasoning behind the sketch.

“The statue [of Jesus] was turned, faced towards the back of the room so you wouldn’t see the face,” one man said, attempting to deflect from the obvious sacrilegious nature of the program. “I would have been more careful in another country. In Belgium, it is not a big issue.”

Flynn then asked if they would air footage of someone destroying a statue of Mohamed or a six-pointed Star of David.

That is a “very dangerous” question, one man replied.

“That would be inappropriate,” De Roo interjected. “In Belgium there are many…” at which put she caught herself before saying there are many Muslims in the country. After stuttering for a moment, she admitted that, “I know there are Christians” in Belgium.

Seemingly recognizing the hypocrisy of their comments, the trio tried to justify themselves before eventually admitting it was wrong.

“We have all been raised Catholic so that gives us a little more credit to do this, but it’s harder if you do it from a religion that you know nothing about,” one of them said.

“[I] would not do this on every station” but Studio Brussels is “very alternative” and its viewers “are not very religious in any way.”

De Roo was the first to express regret over the situation.

“Now [that] we [are] having this conversation, I’m so sorry Colm, we shouldn’t have done it because we didn’t think that much about it,” she confessed. “We’re just smashing all kinds of stuff and it happens to be an old Jesus [statue] and we smashed it.”

“We do some things out of the silliness and someone lets us know this was really inappropriate and that becomes a topic for us to sort this out and to be able to say, ‘oh yeah, we never thought about this, actually. That’s pretty stupid,’” one of the men commented.

It is a good thing that they admitted the footage was indefensible. No one has the right to destroy religious art.

Religious symbols and icons reflect sacred things. They are to be revered, unlike ordinary objects such as paintings of waterfalls or old lamps. To destroy them, even if they are already cracking or are irreparable, in the way in which they were smashed on Studio Brussels is not only offensive but sacrilegious.

Fortunately, De Roo and Lenaerts issued an apology. So did Studio Brussels, which admitted in a statement that “today, we would make different choices.”

“Eva and Dries apologize. The video was intended as a humorous act, and they underestimated how sensitive religious symbols can be. They understand that this was hurtful to some people and would make different choices today,” the company said in a statement.


Kudos to Colm Flynn for putting their feet to the fire and for defending the sacred nature of statues that depict Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. If nothing else, this minor victory is worth celebrating in a world that all too often only doubles down on attacking that which is holy.]]> Blasphemous Belgian TV segment shows people destroying statues of Our Lord, Our Lady
An EWTN correspondent confronted the people involved in the segment at a recent media event – and got them to admit that what they did was wrong.

[Image: shutterstock_644796925.jpg]

Our Lady of Fatima statue
Ricardo Perna/Shutterstock
Mar 24, 2026
(LifeSiteNews) — A blasphemous sketch that aired on a taxpayer-funded Belgian television channel is garnering international attention for showing people smashing statues of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary to pieces.

EWTN International Correspondent Colm Flynn appeared at a recent media event in Latvia called Radiodays Europe where he confronted Eva De Roo, Dries Lenaerts, and Sam De Bruyn about the segment, which reportedly aired several months ago.

The channel that broadcast the footage, Studio Brussels, had shared a video of persons hitting the statues with what appeared to be iron rods. The stunt was part of a “rage room” stun where participants could destroy objects of their liking in order to supposedly make themselves feel better. The initiative was part of “Blue Monday,” a day that is recognized for drawing attention to people feeling sad or depressed.

Flynn asked the trio about why the statues were allowed to be destroyed given their religious character.

“It might offend people,” one man replied. But “we’re not a very religious country.”

“We all come from the Christian tradition ourselves,” Eva De Roo added. “So it’s more laughing with ourselves.”


To his credit, Flynn did not let the matter go. He pressed them to further explain the reasoning behind the sketch.

“The statue [of Jesus] was turned, faced towards the back of the room so you wouldn’t see the face,” one man said, attempting to deflect from the obvious sacrilegious nature of the program. “I would have been more careful in another country. In Belgium, it is not a big issue.”

Flynn then asked if they would air footage of someone destroying a statue of Mohamed or a six-pointed Star of David.

That is a “very dangerous” question, one man replied.

“That would be inappropriate,” De Roo interjected. “In Belgium there are many…” at which put she caught herself before saying there are many Muslims in the country. After stuttering for a moment, she admitted that, “I know there are Christians” in Belgium.

Seemingly recognizing the hypocrisy of their comments, the trio tried to justify themselves before eventually admitting it was wrong.

“We have all been raised Catholic so that gives us a little more credit to do this, but it’s harder if you do it from a religion that you know nothing about,” one of them said.

“[I] would not do this on every station” but Studio Brussels is “very alternative” and its viewers “are not very religious in any way.”

De Roo was the first to express regret over the situation.

“Now [that] we [are] having this conversation, I’m so sorry Colm, we shouldn’t have done it because we didn’t think that much about it,” she confessed. “We’re just smashing all kinds of stuff and it happens to be an old Jesus [statue] and we smashed it.”

“We do some things out of the silliness and someone lets us know this was really inappropriate and that becomes a topic for us to sort this out and to be able to say, ‘oh yeah, we never thought about this, actually. That’s pretty stupid,’” one of the men commented.

It is a good thing that they admitted the footage was indefensible. No one has the right to destroy religious art.

Religious symbols and icons reflect sacred things. They are to be revered, unlike ordinary objects such as paintings of waterfalls or old lamps. To destroy them, even if they are already cracking or are irreparable, in the way in which they were smashed on Studio Brussels is not only offensive but sacrilegious.

Fortunately, De Roo and Lenaerts issued an apology. So did Studio Brussels, which admitted in a statement that “today, we would make different choices.”

“Eva and Dries apologize. The video was intended as a humorous act, and they underestimated how sensitive religious symbols can be. They understand that this was hurtful to some people and would make different choices today,” the company said in a statement.


Kudos to Colm Flynn for putting their feet to the fire and for defending the sacred nature of statues that depict Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. If nothing else, this minor victory is worth celebrating in a world that all too often only doubles down on attacking that which is holy.]]> <![CDATA[Vandals desecrate Catholic school in California]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7954 Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:30:03 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7954 Vandals desecrate Catholic school in California, destroy statue of Our Lady, throw tabernacle to floor
Attackers devastated Holy Innocents Catholic School in Long Beach, destroying a large statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, attempting to break into the tabernacle, and destroying objects made by religious sisters.

[Image: shutterstock_1238107159-e1765368153829.jpg]

Immaculate Heart of Mary
Shutterstock
Feb 3, 2026
LONG BEACH, California (LifeSiteNews) — Staff arriving at Holy Innocents Catholic School in Long Beach, California, on Monday morning found the school assembly hall, chapel, and classrooms had been ransacked, with smashed statues, ruined images of Our Lady, and the tabernacle knocked to the floor.

Vandals had evidently attempted to break into the tabernacle, but were unsuccessful. “The tabernacle was not breached and the hosts, though damaged, remained inside,” noted a statement by the school.

The school was forced to cancel Mass, though the school was able to open for the day.

One statue of Our Lady, which has been in the school since 1958, was worth at least $40,000, Tony Tripp, director of advancement for the school, told the Long Beach Post. Another was valued around $10,000. “Many of the religious articles couldn’t be priced, as they had been handmade by the sisters,” Tripp said, according to the Post.

After inspecting the damage, Bishop Mark Trudeau said that it is the worst case of vandalism that he’s ever seen in the region.


“The sound equipment and that sort of thing was ripped out of the wall,” Tripp told local news outlet, KTLA. “Any closet that was there, everything was pulled out, so we thought, ‘Oh, OK. This is to be expected,’ but what was not to be expected is the sanctuary part. We have a large statue of Mary that was pushed down and destroyed. We had the tabernacle, the gold tabernacle where our Lord is kept here, they tried to break that open to get the host out of there.”

“I want to know why you could do this to kids,” said the school’s principal, Cyril Cruz. “What kind of heart do you have to do this?”

“This is horrific, there are some demonic forces at work in our country,” noted Jeremy Wayne Tate, the leading promoter of classical education in the United States.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division immediately promised to investigate what she described as “an awful crime.”


Activist Robby Starbuck, a Protestant, and Catholic convert and entertainer Rob Schneider stepped forward and offered to cover the cost of replacing Bibles destroyed in the attack on the school.


The desecration of the Catholic school comes just two weeks after an angry mob stormed a Baptist church in St. Paul, Minnesota, while a Sunday worship service was in progress.

A GoFundMe account created to help the school recover from the vandalism has quickly garnered nearly $90,000 in donations.]]> Vandals desecrate Catholic school in California, destroy statue of Our Lady, throw tabernacle to floor
Attackers devastated Holy Innocents Catholic School in Long Beach, destroying a large statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, attempting to break into the tabernacle, and destroying objects made by religious sisters.

[Image: shutterstock_1238107159-e1765368153829.jpg]

Immaculate Heart of Mary
Shutterstock
Feb 3, 2026
LONG BEACH, California (LifeSiteNews) — Staff arriving at Holy Innocents Catholic School in Long Beach, California, on Monday morning found the school assembly hall, chapel, and classrooms had been ransacked, with smashed statues, ruined images of Our Lady, and the tabernacle knocked to the floor.

Vandals had evidently attempted to break into the tabernacle, but were unsuccessful. “The tabernacle was not breached and the hosts, though damaged, remained inside,” noted a statement by the school.

The school was forced to cancel Mass, though the school was able to open for the day.

One statue of Our Lady, which has been in the school since 1958, was worth at least $40,000, Tony Tripp, director of advancement for the school, told the Long Beach Post. Another was valued around $10,000. “Many of the religious articles couldn’t be priced, as they had been handmade by the sisters,” Tripp said, according to the Post.

After inspecting the damage, Bishop Mark Trudeau said that it is the worst case of vandalism that he’s ever seen in the region.


“The sound equipment and that sort of thing was ripped out of the wall,” Tripp told local news outlet, KTLA. “Any closet that was there, everything was pulled out, so we thought, ‘Oh, OK. This is to be expected,’ but what was not to be expected is the sanctuary part. We have a large statue of Mary that was pushed down and destroyed. We had the tabernacle, the gold tabernacle where our Lord is kept here, they tried to break that open to get the host out of there.”

“I want to know why you could do this to kids,” said the school’s principal, Cyril Cruz. “What kind of heart do you have to do this?”

“This is horrific, there are some demonic forces at work in our country,” noted Jeremy Wayne Tate, the leading promoter of classical education in the United States.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division immediately promised to investigate what she described as “an awful crime.”


Activist Robby Starbuck, a Protestant, and Catholic convert and entertainer Rob Schneider stepped forward and offered to cover the cost of replacing Bibles destroyed in the attack on the school.


The desecration of the Catholic school comes just two weeks after an angry mob stormed a Baptist church in St. Paul, Minnesota, while a Sunday worship service was in progress.

A GoFundMe account created to help the school recover from the vandalism has quickly garnered nearly $90,000 in donations.]]> <![CDATA[Man desecrates altar, Blessed Sacrament inside St. Peter’s Basilica]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7903 Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:38:11 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7903 Man desecrates altar, Blessed Sacrament inside St. Peter’s Basilica
The January 17 profanation follows a series of desecrations that have occurred inside St. Peter's Basilica in recent times.

[Image: Shutterstock_1658152387.jpg]

St. Peter's Basilica
Shutterstock
Jan 21, 2026
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted, not all hyperlinks included from original]) — A man desecrated the altar of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica, prompting an immediate rite of reparation.

On Saturday, an unidentified man climbed onto the altar of the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament inside St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and violently threw candlesticks, the monstrance, and the altar cross to the ground in front of worshippers gathered for prayer, an act considered particularly serious because the Blessed Sacrament was exposed for perpetual adoration. Authorities carried out an immediate penitential rite of reparation in accordance with canon law.

“A rite of reparation was celebrated immediately after the profanation,” a witness told journalist Nico Spuntoni. However, security tried to cover up what had happened.

The man reportedly managed to reach the altar and knock down the liturgical furnishings before being stopped. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is one of the most sensitive areas of the basilica, as it is reserved for Eucharistic adoration during daytime hours, meaning that the consecrated Host is exposed.

Spuntoni confirmed to LifeSiteNews that, according to the witness, the incident would have taken place in the early afternoon. Although there is no certainty on this point and authorities are evasive on the issue, it is highly likely that the desecration occurred while the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. According to the adoration schedule published on the website of St. Peter’s Basilica, on Saturdays adoration is uninterrupted until the Eucharistic blessing at 6:45 p.m.

Under the Code of Canon Law, when a sacred place or altar is gravely violated, the celebration of the liturgy is not permitted until a penitential rite of reparation has been performed (see can. 1211). The witness cited by Spuntoni stated that this rite was celebrated immediately following the incident, restoring the chapel for worship.

The January 17 profanation follows a series of desecrations that have occurred inside St. Peter’s Basilica in recent times. On June 1, 2023, a naked man climbed onto the Altar of the Confession inside the basilica and shouted a pro-Ukraine message.

On February 7, 2025, a Romanian citizen climbed onto the same altar, threw candlesticks to the ground and removed the altar cloth. On that occasion, however, no penitential rite was carried out.

On October 10, 2025, another drunk man carried out what was described as a grave profanation at the same altar by stripping naked and urinating in front of those present. As for this most serious case, Silere non possum reported that an immediate rite of reparation was not initially planned. According to the same source, direct intervention by Pope Leo XIV was required in order for Cardinal Mauro Gambetti to celebrate a reparatory rite without delay.

Multiple witnesses to these acts of vandalism have stated that, on several occasions, members of the Vatican staff known as sampietrini and officers of the Vatican Gendarmerie instructed people present, including tourists, to delete videos recorded on their mobile phones and to remain silent. Despite these instructions, information about these incidents have circulated online.

Outside St. Peter’s Basilica, security is provided by the Italian State Police, which maintains a constant presence in St. Peter’s Square. Inside the basilica, security falls under Vatican jurisdiction. In recent years, security in St. Peter’s appears to have been significantly reduced. According to reports carried out over the years by Silere non possum, the responsibility would lie with “an incompetent and nepotistic management of resources: many sampietrini have been removed from the Basilica and reassigned to office positions within the Fabric of Saint Peter.”

Responsibility for the internal governance of St. Peter’s Basilica lies with Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, an Italian Conventual Franciscan. He serves as archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter, vicar general of the Pope for Vatican City State, and president of the Fabric of St. Peter. Gambetti was created cardinal by Pope Francis in 2020.

Gambetti has been at the center of several controversies. Since 2023, following the implementation of Pope Francis’s motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, he has not permitted participants in the annual traditional pilgrimage Summorum Pontificum to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica, allowing only a brief liturgical service instead.]]> Man desecrates altar, Blessed Sacrament inside St. Peter’s Basilica
The January 17 profanation follows a series of desecrations that have occurred inside St. Peter's Basilica in recent times.

[Image: Shutterstock_1658152387.jpg]

St. Peter's Basilica
Shutterstock
Jan 21, 2026
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted, not all hyperlinks included from original]) — A man desecrated the altar of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica, prompting an immediate rite of reparation.

On Saturday, an unidentified man climbed onto the altar of the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament inside St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and violently threw candlesticks, the monstrance, and the altar cross to the ground in front of worshippers gathered for prayer, an act considered particularly serious because the Blessed Sacrament was exposed for perpetual adoration. Authorities carried out an immediate penitential rite of reparation in accordance with canon law.

“A rite of reparation was celebrated immediately after the profanation,” a witness told journalist Nico Spuntoni. However, security tried to cover up what had happened.

The man reportedly managed to reach the altar and knock down the liturgical furnishings before being stopped. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is one of the most sensitive areas of the basilica, as it is reserved for Eucharistic adoration during daytime hours, meaning that the consecrated Host is exposed.

Spuntoni confirmed to LifeSiteNews that, according to the witness, the incident would have taken place in the early afternoon. Although there is no certainty on this point and authorities are evasive on the issue, it is highly likely that the desecration occurred while the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. According to the adoration schedule published on the website of St. Peter’s Basilica, on Saturdays adoration is uninterrupted until the Eucharistic blessing at 6:45 p.m.

Under the Code of Canon Law, when a sacred place or altar is gravely violated, the celebration of the liturgy is not permitted until a penitential rite of reparation has been performed (see can. 1211). The witness cited by Spuntoni stated that this rite was celebrated immediately following the incident, restoring the chapel for worship.

The January 17 profanation follows a series of desecrations that have occurred inside St. Peter’s Basilica in recent times. On June 1, 2023, a naked man climbed onto the Altar of the Confession inside the basilica and shouted a pro-Ukraine message.

On February 7, 2025, a Romanian citizen climbed onto the same altar, threw candlesticks to the ground and removed the altar cloth. On that occasion, however, no penitential rite was carried out.

On October 10, 2025, another drunk man carried out what was described as a grave profanation at the same altar by stripping naked and urinating in front of those present. As for this most serious case, Silere non possum reported that an immediate rite of reparation was not initially planned. According to the same source, direct intervention by Pope Leo XIV was required in order for Cardinal Mauro Gambetti to celebrate a reparatory rite without delay.

Multiple witnesses to these acts of vandalism have stated that, on several occasions, members of the Vatican staff known as sampietrini and officers of the Vatican Gendarmerie instructed people present, including tourists, to delete videos recorded on their mobile phones and to remain silent. Despite these instructions, information about these incidents have circulated online.

Outside St. Peter’s Basilica, security is provided by the Italian State Police, which maintains a constant presence in St. Peter’s Square. Inside the basilica, security falls under Vatican jurisdiction. In recent years, security in St. Peter’s appears to have been significantly reduced. According to reports carried out over the years by Silere non possum, the responsibility would lie with “an incompetent and nepotistic management of resources: many sampietrini have been removed from the Basilica and reassigned to office positions within the Fabric of Saint Peter.”

Responsibility for the internal governance of St. Peter’s Basilica lies with Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, an Italian Conventual Franciscan. He serves as archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter, vicar general of the Pope for Vatican City State, and president of the Fabric of St. Peter. Gambetti was created cardinal by Pope Francis in 2020.

Gambetti has been at the center of several controversies. Since 2023, following the implementation of Pope Francis’s motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, he has not permitted participants in the annual traditional pilgrimage Summorum Pontificum to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica, allowing only a brief liturgical service instead.]]> <![CDATA[French Government Targets Catholic Schools - Illegitimate Inspections]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7794 Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:59:30 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7794 French Government Targets Catholic Schools - Illegitimate Inspections

[Image: 7ztts50mdd4sksy9v7bbyy1il103jl4aorazw9m?...1766186045]

gloria.tv | December 18, 2025

The French Ministry of Education started a series of controls in Catholic private schools, carried out mainly in late 2025.

The issue gained national attention following a parliamentary hearing of Guillaume Prévost, Secretary General of Catholic Education, held on December 2.

Prévost presented feedback collected from school heads and teachers.

On December 8, the Secretariat General of Catholic Education published a 14-page document summarizing incidents. They include:


Intrusive questioning

Inspectors asked young students and staff intrusive questions about their religious beliefs and practices, including about attendance at mass and private spiritual life.

Searches and documentation

Inspectors searched pupils’ belongings, such as schoolbags, and examined or photographed private materials, including spiritual journals or documents.


Questioning of very young pupils

Children were questioned without the presence of a neutral adult.


Undermining the Catholic identity

Certain inspection practices sought to neutralise the Catholic identity of schools. Inspectors expressed suspicion toward religious expression.

Furthermore, inspectors requested to remove religious signs.

The compiled testimonies described the inspections as arbitrary, anxiety-inducing, and overbearing. Catholic leaders said the methods had a deeply negative impact on school personnel and added stress.

The issue received wide coverage across French media outlets, including radio, national newspapers, religious publications, and press agencies.

In response, the Ministry of Education acknowledged the publication of the report. It "had taken note" of the allegations.]]> French Government Targets Catholic Schools - Illegitimate Inspections

[Image: 7ztts50mdd4sksy9v7bbyy1il103jl4aorazw9m?...1766186045]

gloria.tv | December 18, 2025

The French Ministry of Education started a series of controls in Catholic private schools, carried out mainly in late 2025.

The issue gained national attention following a parliamentary hearing of Guillaume Prévost, Secretary General of Catholic Education, held on December 2.

Prévost presented feedback collected from school heads and teachers.

On December 8, the Secretariat General of Catholic Education published a 14-page document summarizing incidents. They include:


Intrusive questioning

Inspectors asked young students and staff intrusive questions about their religious beliefs and practices, including about attendance at mass and private spiritual life.

Searches and documentation

Inspectors searched pupils’ belongings, such as schoolbags, and examined or photographed private materials, including spiritual journals or documents.


Questioning of very young pupils

Children were questioned without the presence of a neutral adult.


Undermining the Catholic identity

Certain inspection practices sought to neutralise the Catholic identity of schools. Inspectors expressed suspicion toward religious expression.

Furthermore, inspectors requested to remove religious signs.

The compiled testimonies described the inspections as arbitrary, anxiety-inducing, and overbearing. Catholic leaders said the methods had a deeply negative impact on school personnel and added stress.

The issue received wide coverage across French media outlets, including radio, national newspapers, religious publications, and press agencies.

In response, the Ministry of Education acknowledged the publication of the report. It "had taken note" of the allegations.]]> <![CDATA[More than 300 students, staff abducted from Catholic school in Nigeria last week]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7718 Tue, 25 Nov 2025 16:12:27 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7718 More than 300 students, staff abducted from Catholic school in Nigeria last week
Initial estimates were that 52 children were abducted from St. Mary's Catholic boarding school, but recent reports indicate that it was 315 students and 12 teachers.

[Image: shutterstock_1326882539-e1710419042128-810x500.jpg]

hyotographics/Shutterstock
Nov 24, 2025
(LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted - not all hyperlinks included from original]) — Attacks on Christians in Nigeria have reached new heights after more than 300 students and staff at a Catholic school in Papiri were abducted last week.

“I make a heartfelt appeal that the hostages be immediately released, and I urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their liberation,” Pope Leo said after Sunday Mass this weekend in St. Peter’s Square.

On Friday, gunmen forcibly took some 315 students and 12 of their teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Niger State, making it one of the worst kidnappings the country has ever seen. Initial estimates were that 52 children were taken.

“The gunmen were on about 50 motorcycle bikes while controlling them,” one of the children’s fathers told the BBC. “Some children were falling and the men would kick them and instruct them to stand up.”

Prayers seem to have been answered as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has reported that 50 students have been returned to their families.

“The pupils escaped between Friday and Saturday and have reunited with their parents as they could not return to the school after they escaped,” a spokesman for CAN’s Niger State chapter said.

Niger State promptly closed all schools after the abduction.

The Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles operate St. Mary’s. The group’s leader, Sr. Mary Barron, asked for “prayers and spiritual solidarity” in an appeal following news of the kidnapping.

“We believe deeply in the power of unified prayer. We need as many people as possible to lift this community before God during this moment of suffering and uncertainty. May God, in God’s infinite mercy, protect the innocent, guide leaders to act with justice, and bring all those taken back home safely,” she said.

READ: Trump’s UN ambassador calls persecution of Nigerian Christians a ‘genocide’

Friday’s attack is the third major incident reported in recent weeks. Last Wednesday, gunmen killed at least two people and kidnapped several more in an attack on a church in Eruku, a town in the central Kwara State. Also last week attackers abducted 25 girls from a predominantly Muslim boarding school.

On Tuesday, November 18, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz described the ongoing slaughter of Christians in the country as a “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.”

Waltz made his remarks during an event hosted by the United States Mission to the United Nations. Following Waltz’s address, best-selling rapper Nicki Minaj took to the podium to express her own concerns. She previously praised President Donald Trump’s social media posts condemning the killings.

Trump previously announced that he is preparing the U.S. military to potentially “wipe out” Islamic terrorists who are killing and kidnapping Christians in the country.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has canceled foreign trips to South Africa and Angola, where he was scheduled to attend an African Union-European Union summit and a G20 summit. Tinubu has sent a delegation of government officials led by Nigeria’s national security advisor to the U.S. to meet with American government officials about the situation.

Findings published by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlight many of the state-sponsored attacks on Christians in the country. In its 2025 report, the USCIRF urged the U.S. government to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.” It also noted that “the Nigerian government remains slow or, at times, appears unwilling to respond to this violence, creating an environment of impunity for the attackers.”

Shockingly, during a keynote address for an event held at the Vatican last month, the current Secretary of State Pietro Parolin diminished the influence that Islam has played in the attacks.

The violence is “not a religious conflict, but rather more a social one, for example, disputes between herders and farmers. We should also recognize that many Muslims in Nigeria are themselves victims of this same intolerance,” he claimed.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who served as Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria from 1992 until 1998, denounced Parolin’s remarks.

“The shameful words of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on the alleged ‘social conflict’ in Nigeria misrepresent the reality of a ferocious and genocidal persecution against Catholics, martyred while Rome rambles on about synodality and inclusiveness,” His Excellency remarked.]]> More than 300 students, staff abducted from Catholic school in Nigeria last week
Initial estimates were that 52 children were abducted from St. Mary's Catholic boarding school, but recent reports indicate that it was 315 students and 12 teachers.

[Image: shutterstock_1326882539-e1710419042128-810x500.jpg]

hyotographics/Shutterstock
Nov 24, 2025
(LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted - not all hyperlinks included from original]) — Attacks on Christians in Nigeria have reached new heights after more than 300 students and staff at a Catholic school in Papiri were abducted last week.

“I make a heartfelt appeal that the hostages be immediately released, and I urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their liberation,” Pope Leo said after Sunday Mass this weekend in St. Peter’s Square.

On Friday, gunmen forcibly took some 315 students and 12 of their teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Niger State, making it one of the worst kidnappings the country has ever seen. Initial estimates were that 52 children were taken.

“The gunmen were on about 50 motorcycle bikes while controlling them,” one of the children’s fathers told the BBC. “Some children were falling and the men would kick them and instruct them to stand up.”

Prayers seem to have been answered as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has reported that 50 students have been returned to their families.

“The pupils escaped between Friday and Saturday and have reunited with their parents as they could not return to the school after they escaped,” a spokesman for CAN’s Niger State chapter said.

Niger State promptly closed all schools after the abduction.

The Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles operate St. Mary’s. The group’s leader, Sr. Mary Barron, asked for “prayers and spiritual solidarity” in an appeal following news of the kidnapping.

“We believe deeply in the power of unified prayer. We need as many people as possible to lift this community before God during this moment of suffering and uncertainty. May God, in God’s infinite mercy, protect the innocent, guide leaders to act with justice, and bring all those taken back home safely,” she said.

READ: Trump’s UN ambassador calls persecution of Nigerian Christians a ‘genocide’

Friday’s attack is the third major incident reported in recent weeks. Last Wednesday, gunmen killed at least two people and kidnapped several more in an attack on a church in Eruku, a town in the central Kwara State. Also last week attackers abducted 25 girls from a predominantly Muslim boarding school.

On Tuesday, November 18, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz described the ongoing slaughter of Christians in the country as a “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.”

Waltz made his remarks during an event hosted by the United States Mission to the United Nations. Following Waltz’s address, best-selling rapper Nicki Minaj took to the podium to express her own concerns. She previously praised President Donald Trump’s social media posts condemning the killings.

Trump previously announced that he is preparing the U.S. military to potentially “wipe out” Islamic terrorists who are killing and kidnapping Christians in the country.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has canceled foreign trips to South Africa and Angola, where he was scheduled to attend an African Union-European Union summit and a G20 summit. Tinubu has sent a delegation of government officials led by Nigeria’s national security advisor to the U.S. to meet with American government officials about the situation.

Findings published by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlight many of the state-sponsored attacks on Christians in the country. In its 2025 report, the USCIRF urged the U.S. government to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.” It also noted that “the Nigerian government remains slow or, at times, appears unwilling to respond to this violence, creating an environment of impunity for the attackers.”

Shockingly, during a keynote address for an event held at the Vatican last month, the current Secretary of State Pietro Parolin diminished the influence that Islam has played in the attacks.

The violence is “not a religious conflict, but rather more a social one, for example, disputes between herders and farmers. We should also recognize that many Muslims in Nigeria are themselves victims of this same intolerance,” he claimed.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who served as Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria from 1992 until 1998, denounced Parolin’s remarks.

“The shameful words of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on the alleged ‘social conflict’ in Nigeria misrepresent the reality of a ferocious and genocidal persecution against Catholics, martyred while Rome rambles on about synodality and inclusiveness,” His Excellency remarked.]]> <![CDATA[Arson attacks on European churches have doubled in one year: report]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7691 Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:15:29 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7691 Arson attacks on European churches have doubled in one year: report
According to the report, a total of 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes were recorded in Europe in 2024, including 274 attacks on individuals.

[Image: Untitled-14.png]

Kratka Photography/Shutterstock
Nov 17, 2025
(LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted, not all hyperlinks included from original]) — A new report has shown that arson attacks on churches in Europe have doubled in one year.

OIDAC Europe (Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe), an NGO, released its 2025 report on Monday, raising the alarm regarding attacks on Christians in Europe.

Notably, the number of arson attacks on churches and other Christian buildings doubled in 2024, compared to the previous year, with 94 reported cases. Germany experienced the highest number of documented arson attacks with 33.

According to the report, a total of 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes were recorded in 2024, including 274 attacks on individuals. “Behind these figures are specific cases of church vandalism, arson, and physical violence that have real consequences for the lives of local communities,” explained Anja Tang, director of OIDAC Europe.

Most anti-Christian crimes in 2024 occurred in France (770), the United Kingdom (502), Germany (337), and Austria (116). According to the report, the crimes range from graffiti on buildings and smashed windows to murder.

OIDAC warned of a dangerous shift: although the total number has fallen slightly compared to 2023, attacks against individuals, as well as arson attacks, have increased.

Among the most severe cases, OIDAC names the murder of a 76-year-old monk who was killed during an attack on a Spanish monastery, and a man who was shot in “an ISIS-related attack during Sunday mass at a Catholic church in Istanbul.”

The report criticized the U.K.’s “buffer zone laws” around abortion facilities, criminalizing silent prayer for the unborn in those areas. It names U.K. army veteran Adam Smith-Connor, who was convicted for silently praying in one of these buffer zones.

OIDAC warned that increasing secularization would often lead to legal issues for Christians who expressed their beliefs about marriage or gender.

“In particular, traditional Christian beliefs – such as the view that God created human beings as male and female for one another – may be labelled as ‘discriminatory,’ even where no act of discrimination has occurred,” the report states. “The mere expression of such beliefs can result in disciplinary measures, including interrogation, suspension, or dismissal.”

OIDAC noted that surveys indicate a high number of unreported anti-Christian cases. Half of the priests in Poland said they faced aggression in the past year, while almost 50 percent of the youth in Germany said that hostility toward Christians is widespread in the country.

“When half of the priests in a predominantly Catholic country experience abuse, hostile attitudes toward Christians can no longer be dismissed as a marginal issue,” Tang said.

In light of the continuing high numbers of attacks against Christians, OIDAC Europe called for political action at the EU level. Specifically, the NGO advocated the appointment of an EU coordinator to combat anti-Christian hate crimes, comparable to the existing mandates against anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred.

At the same time, OIDAC appealed to member states to implement the new OSCE guidelines on anti-Christian hate crimes. The systematic recording of attacks against Christians is particularly urgent, as it is still incomplete or non-existent in many European countries.]]> Arson attacks on European churches have doubled in one year: report
According to the report, a total of 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes were recorded in Europe in 2024, including 274 attacks on individuals.

[Image: Untitled-14.png]

Kratka Photography/Shutterstock
Nov 17, 2025
(LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted, not all hyperlinks included from original]) — A new report has shown that arson attacks on churches in Europe have doubled in one year.

OIDAC Europe (Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe), an NGO, released its 2025 report on Monday, raising the alarm regarding attacks on Christians in Europe.

Notably, the number of arson attacks on churches and other Christian buildings doubled in 2024, compared to the previous year, with 94 reported cases. Germany experienced the highest number of documented arson attacks with 33.

According to the report, a total of 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes were recorded in 2024, including 274 attacks on individuals. “Behind these figures are specific cases of church vandalism, arson, and physical violence that have real consequences for the lives of local communities,” explained Anja Tang, director of OIDAC Europe.

Most anti-Christian crimes in 2024 occurred in France (770), the United Kingdom (502), Germany (337), and Austria (116). According to the report, the crimes range from graffiti on buildings and smashed windows to murder.

OIDAC warned of a dangerous shift: although the total number has fallen slightly compared to 2023, attacks against individuals, as well as arson attacks, have increased.

Among the most severe cases, OIDAC names the murder of a 76-year-old monk who was killed during an attack on a Spanish monastery, and a man who was shot in “an ISIS-related attack during Sunday mass at a Catholic church in Istanbul.”

The report criticized the U.K.’s “buffer zone laws” around abortion facilities, criminalizing silent prayer for the unborn in those areas. It names U.K. army veteran Adam Smith-Connor, who was convicted for silently praying in one of these buffer zones.

OIDAC warned that increasing secularization would often lead to legal issues for Christians who expressed their beliefs about marriage or gender.

“In particular, traditional Christian beliefs – such as the view that God created human beings as male and female for one another – may be labelled as ‘discriminatory,’ even where no act of discrimination has occurred,” the report states. “The mere expression of such beliefs can result in disciplinary measures, including interrogation, suspension, or dismissal.”

OIDAC noted that surveys indicate a high number of unreported anti-Christian cases. Half of the priests in Poland said they faced aggression in the past year, while almost 50 percent of the youth in Germany said that hostility toward Christians is widespread in the country.

“When half of the priests in a predominantly Catholic country experience abuse, hostile attitudes toward Christians can no longer be dismissed as a marginal issue,” Tang said.

In light of the continuing high numbers of attacks against Christians, OIDAC Europe called for political action at the EU level. Specifically, the NGO advocated the appointment of an EU coordinator to combat anti-Christian hate crimes, comparable to the existing mandates against anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred.

At the same time, OIDAC appealed to member states to implement the new OSCE guidelines on anti-Christian hate crimes. The systematic recording of attacks against Christians is particularly urgent, as it is still incomplete or non-existent in many European countries.]]> <![CDATA[Germany records highest number of arson attacks on Christian churches]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7689 Mon, 17 Nov 2025 22:45:50 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7689 Germany records highest number of arson attacks on Christian churches


disclose.tv | November 17, 2025

Anti-Christian violence is on the rise. Christianity in Europe faces increasing intolerance, according to a report from the Austrian NGO OIDAC Europe. In 2024, there were 2,211 documented anti-Christian offenses, including vandalism and physical violence, affecting local communities.

Despite a slight decrease from 2023's 2,444 incidents, OIDAC cautions that this may be due to inadequate reporting. Notably, attacks on individuals increased from 232 to 274.

Germany reported 337 anti-Christian crimes, up 22% from the previous year, leading Europe in church arson incidents. One survey indicated that many attacks in predominantly Catholic Poland go unreported, suggesting a broader issue of hostility towards Christians.


Original article in German here: https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/arti...hland.html]]> Germany records highest number of arson attacks on Christian churches


disclose.tv | November 17, 2025

Anti-Christian violence is on the rise. Christianity in Europe faces increasing intolerance, according to a report from the Austrian NGO OIDAC Europe. In 2024, there were 2,211 documented anti-Christian offenses, including vandalism and physical violence, affecting local communities.

Despite a slight decrease from 2023's 2,444 incidents, OIDAC cautions that this may be due to inadequate reporting. Notably, attacks on individuals increased from 232 to 274.

Germany reported 337 anti-Christian crimes, up 22% from the previous year, leading Europe in church arson incidents. One survey indicated that many attacks in predominantly Catholic Poland go unreported, suggesting a broader issue of hostility towards Christians.


Original article in German here: https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/arti...hland.html]]> <![CDATA[Lourdes parish church vandalized as anti-Christian attacks soar in France]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7671 Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:54:32 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7671 Lourdes parish church vandalized as anti-Christian attacks soar in France
The Sacré-Cœur church in Lourdes was defaced with slurs against Christ as France faces 
an alarming surge in anti-Christian vandalism, arson, and assaults across the nation.

[Image: Untitled-9.png]

Church of the Sacred Heart in Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrenees, France
Sergey Dzyuba/Shutterstock

Nov 13, 2025
LOURDES, France (LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted, not all hyperlinks included from original.] ) — Authorities have opened an investigation after the Sacré-Cœur parish church in Lourdes, located in the Hautes-Pyrénées region of southern France, was vandalized with anti-Christian messaging earlier this week.

According to Le Figaro, Police discovered the damage during a morning patrol on November 11. The church was defaced with blasphemous graffiti in France’s most prominent city of pilgrimage amid an upsurge in anti-Christian crimes across the nation.

Officers found the church’s main entrance covered in graffiti written with white marker. On November 11, police revealed the messages contained expressions “insulting to the Catholic religion.” Municipal workers were dispatched shortly after to remove the defacement from the building’s exterior.

However, further details have now been revealed as images released on November 12 confirm that two messages had been written directly on the central wooden doors of the neo-Gothic church. The left-hand panel read “À mort Jésus-Christ” (“Death to Jesus Christ”), and the right-hand side carried the words “Sale race de Jésus-Christ” (“Dirty race of Jesus Christ”).


The national police have launched an inquiry into the incident. As of Wednesday, investigators had not identified the perpetrators, and no organization had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Completed between 1875 and 1903, the Church of the Sacred Heart is among Lourdes’ principal places of worship outside the renowned Marian sanctuary, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette in 1858. The structure, notable for its 213-foot spire and pale stone façade, was built to accommodate the influx of pilgrims following the apparitions receiving papal recognition. It remains a central part of the town’s spiritual and community life.

The incident coincided with the popular release of the devotional film Sacré Cœur (2025), which recently became an unexpected box office success across France and is now being distributed abroad.

“The fact that a building dedicated to the Sacred Heart was attacked while the film ‘Sacré Cœur’ was a box office hit in France and being exported seems particularly telling,” commented a reporter for Reinformation.TV.

READ: French court overturns mayor’s cancellation of ‘Sacred Heart’ film screening

The vandalism in Lourdes adds to a growing list of anti-Christian incidents reported across France in recent years.

Data presented to the European Parliament in February 2025 by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe recorded 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2023 across the continent. Nearly 1,000 of those occurred in France, representing 41 percent of all such cases in Europe.

According to the Observatory, 62 percent of these incidents involved vandalism, 10 percent arson, and 7 percent physical assaults. The following year saw a sharp increase in France, where actual and attempted arson attacks on churches rose by more than 30 percent.

In the first five months of 2025 alone, French authorities documented 322 anti-Christian acts, marking a 13 percent rise compared with the same period in 2024, Valeurs Actuelles reported.

Concern over the frequency of such attacks has prompted calls for action. In September, 86 French senators signed a joint statement urging enhanced security for churches and Christian sites nationwide. Senator Sylviane Noël of France’s foremost conservative and centre-right party wrote that “Christians must be protected in France, as all other believers are.”]]> Lourdes parish church vandalized as anti-Christian attacks soar in France
The Sacré-Cœur church in Lourdes was defaced with slurs against Christ as France faces 
an alarming surge in anti-Christian vandalism, arson, and assaults across the nation.

[Image: Untitled-9.png]

Church of the Sacred Heart in Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrenees, France
Sergey Dzyuba/Shutterstock

Nov 13, 2025
LOURDES, France (LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted, not all hyperlinks included from original.] ) — Authorities have opened an investigation after the Sacré-Cœur parish church in Lourdes, located in the Hautes-Pyrénées region of southern France, was vandalized with anti-Christian messaging earlier this week.

According to Le Figaro, Police discovered the damage during a morning patrol on November 11. The church was defaced with blasphemous graffiti in France’s most prominent city of pilgrimage amid an upsurge in anti-Christian crimes across the nation.

Officers found the church’s main entrance covered in graffiti written with white marker. On November 11, police revealed the messages contained expressions “insulting to the Catholic religion.” Municipal workers were dispatched shortly after to remove the defacement from the building’s exterior.

However, further details have now been revealed as images released on November 12 confirm that two messages had been written directly on the central wooden doors of the neo-Gothic church. The left-hand panel read “À mort Jésus-Christ” (“Death to Jesus Christ”), and the right-hand side carried the words “Sale race de Jésus-Christ” (“Dirty race of Jesus Christ”).


The national police have launched an inquiry into the incident. As of Wednesday, investigators had not identified the perpetrators, and no organization had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Completed between 1875 and 1903, the Church of the Sacred Heart is among Lourdes’ principal places of worship outside the renowned Marian sanctuary, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette in 1858. The structure, notable for its 213-foot spire and pale stone façade, was built to accommodate the influx of pilgrims following the apparitions receiving papal recognition. It remains a central part of the town’s spiritual and community life.

The incident coincided with the popular release of the devotional film Sacré Cœur (2025), which recently became an unexpected box office success across France and is now being distributed abroad.

“The fact that a building dedicated to the Sacred Heart was attacked while the film ‘Sacré Cœur’ was a box office hit in France and being exported seems particularly telling,” commented a reporter for Reinformation.TV.

READ: French court overturns mayor’s cancellation of ‘Sacred Heart’ film screening

The vandalism in Lourdes adds to a growing list of anti-Christian incidents reported across France in recent years.

Data presented to the European Parliament in February 2025 by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe recorded 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2023 across the continent. Nearly 1,000 of those occurred in France, representing 41 percent of all such cases in Europe.

According to the Observatory, 62 percent of these incidents involved vandalism, 10 percent arson, and 7 percent physical assaults. The following year saw a sharp increase in France, where actual and attempted arson attacks on churches rose by more than 30 percent.

In the first five months of 2025 alone, French authorities documented 322 anti-Christian acts, marking a 13 percent rise compared with the same period in 2024, Valeurs Actuelles reported.

Concern over the frequency of such attacks has prompted calls for action. In September, 86 French senators signed a joint statement urging enhanced security for churches and Christian sites nationwide. Senator Sylviane Noël of France’s foremost conservative and centre-right party wrote that “Christians must be protected in France, as all other believers are.”]]> <![CDATA[Video of Statue of Our Lord being toppled in the Netherlands]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7618 Thu, 30 Oct 2025 16:07:01 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7618 It's Here Now: When they desecrated my Parish

[Image: AVvXsEhca-HVS8xwk0JV4Ezi5y5p9lF03KiSxpCo...9kvr-asifw]

Desecration of my parish church
by Serre Verweij
A video is going viral of a vandal toppling a statue of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in a church in Utrecht. That’s my parish church. A parish of the Archdiocese of Utrecht, led by a pillar of orthodoxy, Cardinal Eijk. An oasis of the true faith in the corrupted and decadent nation that is the modern Netherlands.

It’s a parish where confessions are heard for nearly an hour every evening along with Eucharistic Adoration. One where liturgical abuse is avoided. It is the church where the late Father Elias, co-founder of the EWTN branch for the Low Countries, would hold sermons condemning homosexual acts, abortion, and the push by progressives in the Netherlands to normalize pedophilia.

Nothing seems sacred anymore. Someone acted with impunity. With no other desire than to attack Christ and His Church, apparently. I learned about it online, even though I visit the parish regularly. News of evil travels fast, but especially fast online. Now the bad news is no longer coming from far away, but it is present right here. Here in my parish.

But, this will not break our parish. It will not stop the Church! We also kept celebrating the mass with acolytes and all, during the height of the Covid restrictions during Christmastime, entering by a side door, with less noise and less lights. No official announcement, those who were close to the parish were there. It felt like a secret mass in the catacombs.

We do not fear vandals or desecration. They should fear Christ if they don’t repent. Let us spray for all the ungodly that Christ may turn their hearts. The Church does not have to fear persecution anywhere.

If the faith can grow after tens of thousands have been martyred in Nigeria, then we must never give up!


[Video here: https://gloria.tv/share/UzKwAAZ3PPK64UaNNrG9tSc7r]]]> It's Here Now: When they desecrated my Parish

[Image: AVvXsEhca-HVS8xwk0JV4Ezi5y5p9lF03KiSxpCo...9kvr-asifw]

Desecration of my parish church
by Serre Verweij
A video is going viral of a vandal toppling a statue of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in a church in Utrecht. That’s my parish church. A parish of the Archdiocese of Utrecht, led by a pillar of orthodoxy, Cardinal Eijk. An oasis of the true faith in the corrupted and decadent nation that is the modern Netherlands.

It’s a parish where confessions are heard for nearly an hour every evening along with Eucharistic Adoration. One where liturgical abuse is avoided. It is the church where the late Father Elias, co-founder of the EWTN branch for the Low Countries, would hold sermons condemning homosexual acts, abortion, and the push by progressives in the Netherlands to normalize pedophilia.

Nothing seems sacred anymore. Someone acted with impunity. With no other desire than to attack Christ and His Church, apparently. I learned about it online, even though I visit the parish regularly. News of evil travels fast, but especially fast online. Now the bad news is no longer coming from far away, but it is present right here. Here in my parish.

But, this will not break our parish. It will not stop the Church! We also kept celebrating the mass with acolytes and all, during the height of the Covid restrictions during Christmastime, entering by a side door, with less noise and less lights. No official announcement, those who were close to the parish were there. It felt like a secret mass in the catacombs.

We do not fear vandals or desecration. They should fear Christ if they don’t repent. Let us spray for all the ungodly that Christ may turn their hearts. The Church does not have to fear persecution anywhere.

If the faith can grow after tens of thousands have been martyred in Nigeria, then we must never give up!


[Video here: https://gloria.tv/share/UzKwAAZ3PPK64UaNNrG9tSc7r]]]> <![CDATA[Anti-Catholic man with lethal weapons arrested after threatening St. Michael’s Abbey in California]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7436 Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:00:48 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7436 Anti-Catholic man with lethal weapons arrested after threatening St. Michael’s Abbey in California
An Alabama man who calls himself the ‘Angel of Death’ drove across the country with
high capacity magazines, brass knuckles, knives, and body armor to target the renowned Catholic abbey.

[Image: Abbey.png]

St. Michael's Abbey/YouTube

Sep 8, 2025 - 5:07 pm EDT
(LifeSiteNews [slighlty adapted, not all hyperlinks included from original]) — An Alabama man who drove across the country with lethal weapons in tow to threaten priests at their Norbertine abbey has been arrested.

A 38-year-old man who referred to himself as the “Angel of Death” packed high capacity magazines of ammunition, brass knuckles, knives, and body armor as he drove about 2,000 miles to St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, California.

Joshua Michael Richardson had first threatened the Norbertine priests by email, calling himself in his message the “rider of the pale horse,” CBS News reported, a reference to the fourth and last horseman of the Apocalypse in Scripture.

He targeted the church because it is one of the few in the country that continues to celebrate Michaelmas, the feast of St. Michael, his threatening email to the priests indicated.

Richardson apparently has strong anti-Catholic sentiment, as shown by a video in which he castigates Catholics for allegedly “worshipping” the Blessed Virgin Mary. Catholics do not worship Her, but honor Her as the Mother of God and the holiest of His creatures.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department told local news outlets Richardson then visited the Abbey to threaten the priests in person. “He was seen in the Church, he was sitting in the pew,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told CBS. After a service there ended, he entered a private area where he spoke with someone at the church and was then “walked back purposefully” in order to “get him on surveillance.”

The Alabama man “not only visited St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado, but he visited a St. Michael’s … up in Los Angeles,” Spitzer said. “That scares me immeasurably.”

Richardson has been charged with criminal threats and possession of a deadly weapon – both felonies. The felony complaint filed against him states that his plans thus far have been “carried out with planning, sophistication, and professionalism.”

According to Spitzer, prosecutors will argue that Richardson should be forbidden from posting bail. He reportedly faces more than five years in prison if convicted.

“The walls of our churches are not just symbols of sanctuary; they represent the most sacred places of worship and of peace,” said Spitzer. “No one should have to worship in fear that a stranger would walk through the door with the intent to carry out their own day of judgment and determine who lives and who dies. A threat on one house of worship is an attack on every place of worship, and we refuse to allow threats and terror dissuade any person from practicing their faith without fear.”

St. Michael’s Abbey currently consists of over 60 priests and over 40 seminarians. In addition to offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (in Latin on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), its Norbertines daily pray the Divine Office and adore the Blessed Sacrament, and run the Archangel Institute, a faith formation program, as well as give retreats.

Father James Altman, who came to prominence for warning voters that they cannot vote Democrat and be Catholic, told LifeSiteNews the Norbertines at St. Michael’s, unlike in some other places across the country, are “incredibly solid.”

Altman said that Richardson is “certainly in league with Satan.”

The abbey publishes talks on the spiritual life on its YouTube channel.]]> Anti-Catholic man with lethal weapons arrested after threatening St. Michael’s Abbey in California
An Alabama man who calls himself the ‘Angel of Death’ drove across the country with
high capacity magazines, brass knuckles, knives, and body armor to target the renowned Catholic abbey.

[Image: Abbey.png]

St. Michael's Abbey/YouTube

Sep 8, 2025 - 5:07 pm EDT
(LifeSiteNews [slighlty adapted, not all hyperlinks included from original]) — An Alabama man who drove across the country with lethal weapons in tow to threaten priests at their Norbertine abbey has been arrested.

A 38-year-old man who referred to himself as the “Angel of Death” packed high capacity magazines of ammunition, brass knuckles, knives, and body armor as he drove about 2,000 miles to St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, California.

Joshua Michael Richardson had first threatened the Norbertine priests by email, calling himself in his message the “rider of the pale horse,” CBS News reported, a reference to the fourth and last horseman of the Apocalypse in Scripture.

He targeted the church because it is one of the few in the country that continues to celebrate Michaelmas, the feast of St. Michael, his threatening email to the priests indicated.

Richardson apparently has strong anti-Catholic sentiment, as shown by a video in which he castigates Catholics for allegedly “worshipping” the Blessed Virgin Mary. Catholics do not worship Her, but honor Her as the Mother of God and the holiest of His creatures.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department told local news outlets Richardson then visited the Abbey to threaten the priests in person. “He was seen in the Church, he was sitting in the pew,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told CBS. After a service there ended, he entered a private area where he spoke with someone at the church and was then “walked back purposefully” in order to “get him on surveillance.”

The Alabama man “not only visited St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado, but he visited a St. Michael’s … up in Los Angeles,” Spitzer said. “That scares me immeasurably.”

Richardson has been charged with criminal threats and possession of a deadly weapon – both felonies. The felony complaint filed against him states that his plans thus far have been “carried out with planning, sophistication, and professionalism.”

According to Spitzer, prosecutors will argue that Richardson should be forbidden from posting bail. He reportedly faces more than five years in prison if convicted.

“The walls of our churches are not just symbols of sanctuary; they represent the most sacred places of worship and of peace,” said Spitzer. “No one should have to worship in fear that a stranger would walk through the door with the intent to carry out their own day of judgment and determine who lives and who dies. A threat on one house of worship is an attack on every place of worship, and we refuse to allow threats and terror dissuade any person from practicing their faith without fear.”

St. Michael’s Abbey currently consists of over 60 priests and over 40 seminarians. In addition to offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (in Latin on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), its Norbertines daily pray the Divine Office and adore the Blessed Sacrament, and run the Archangel Institute, a faith formation program, as well as give retreats.

Father James Altman, who came to prominence for warning voters that they cannot vote Democrat and be Catholic, told LifeSiteNews the Norbertines at St. Michael’s, unlike in some other places across the country, are “incredibly solid.”

Altman said that Richardson is “certainly in league with Satan.”

The abbey publishes talks on the spiritual life on its YouTube channel.]]> <![CDATA[Shock over 'brutal' attack on priest in church in Ireland]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7382 Tue, 12 Aug 2025 10:25:26 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7382 Shock over 'brutal' attack on priest in church
[Image: 78d84ff0-75e8-11f0-b124-379f3981c765.jpg.webp]

Fr Murray was due to celebrate Mass at St Patrick's Church


BBC [slightly adapted] | August 10, 2025

A priest is being treated in hospital for a "serious head injury" after being hit with a bottle in a church in Downpatrick.

Fr John Murray was attacked in St Patrick's Church prior to celebrating Mass at about 10:10 BST on Sunday. It was going to be his last Mass before he retired.

Police said the attack "may be connected" to the death of a man in Downpatrick.

The Diocese of Down and Connor, which includes St Patrick's Church, said Fr Murray was attacked by a man who had asked him to hear confession.

[Image: 8e814840-75f5-11f0-b124-379f3981c765.jpg.webp]

Fr John Murray was attacked prior to Mass on Sunday

An elderly parishioner, who was in the church when the incident occurred, said he heard women saying that Fr Murray was injured.

He said the women would not let him into the sacristy, the room in a church where a priest prepares for a service.

"Then the police arrived - there was commotion, everyone was talking. And then I heard the ambulance arrive," he said.

"It was mayhem in the church. People were aghast at what happened."

The parishioner, who said he knows Fr Murray well, described him as a "really brilliant man".

Police said a man walked into the church on St Patrick's Avenue and hit the priest on the head before leaving.

Det Ch Insp McBurney said: "This was a completely shocking and brutal attack and has left the priest with a serious head injury."

The priest was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where police said he remained in a "serious condition".

In an update on social media on Sunday evening, the church said Fr Murray was receiving "excellent medical care" and it was "hugely appreciative of all the well wishes and prayers".

Mass has been cancelled until further notice, the church said, and the parish office will be closed to the public on Monday.

On Sunday evening hundreds of parishioners gathered for a vigil at St Brigid's Church in Downpatrick.

They told the BBC that Fr Murray was a "good man" and the whole town was devastated by what had happened.

Fr Martin Graham, who took the service, said it was about being with the parishioners and praying with them, for Fr Murray and also "for the other poor man who lost his life".

He said Fr Murray had given the last 11 years of life to the parish and was due to retire on Thursday.

"He is so well thought of by the people here," he said. "It is just heartbreaking for them in what was supposed to be a poignant farewell this morning that it turned into something which was just grotesque."

Sinn Féin councillor Oonagh Hanlon said Fr Murray was "a very much loved and respected parish priest".

"My thoughts go to him and also the parishioners who came across this horrific incident this morning," she added.

SDLP South Down assembly member Colin McGrath condemned the "disgraceful" attack.

"For this to happen in the church is particularly disgusting and I have spoken to many members of the community who are shocked and upset that this has taken place," he said.

Diane Forsythe, a Democratic Unionist Party assembly member for the area, condemned the "shocking and disgraceful attack on a religious leader in a place of worship".

Alliance assembly member Andrew McMurray said the "heartbreaking" incidents had shocked the community.]]> Shock over 'brutal' attack on priest in church
[Image: 78d84ff0-75e8-11f0-b124-379f3981c765.jpg.webp]

Fr Murray was due to celebrate Mass at St Patrick's Church


BBC [slightly adapted] | August 10, 2025

A priest is being treated in hospital for a "serious head injury" after being hit with a bottle in a church in Downpatrick.

Fr John Murray was attacked in St Patrick's Church prior to celebrating Mass at about 10:10 BST on Sunday. It was going to be his last Mass before he retired.

Police said the attack "may be connected" to the death of a man in Downpatrick.

The Diocese of Down and Connor, which includes St Patrick's Church, said Fr Murray was attacked by a man who had asked him to hear confession.

[Image: 8e814840-75f5-11f0-b124-379f3981c765.jpg.webp]

Fr John Murray was attacked prior to Mass on Sunday

An elderly parishioner, who was in the church when the incident occurred, said he heard women saying that Fr Murray was injured.

He said the women would not let him into the sacristy, the room in a church where a priest prepares for a service.

"Then the police arrived - there was commotion, everyone was talking. And then I heard the ambulance arrive," he said.

"It was mayhem in the church. People were aghast at what happened."

The parishioner, who said he knows Fr Murray well, described him as a "really brilliant man".

Police said a man walked into the church on St Patrick's Avenue and hit the priest on the head before leaving.

Det Ch Insp McBurney said: "This was a completely shocking and brutal attack and has left the priest with a serious head injury."

The priest was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where police said he remained in a "serious condition".

In an update on social media on Sunday evening, the church said Fr Murray was receiving "excellent medical care" and it was "hugely appreciative of all the well wishes and prayers".

Mass has been cancelled until further notice, the church said, and the parish office will be closed to the public on Monday.

On Sunday evening hundreds of parishioners gathered for a vigil at St Brigid's Church in Downpatrick.

They told the BBC that Fr Murray was a "good man" and the whole town was devastated by what had happened.

Fr Martin Graham, who took the service, said it was about being with the parishioners and praying with them, for Fr Murray and also "for the other poor man who lost his life".

He said Fr Murray had given the last 11 years of life to the parish and was due to retire on Thursday.

"He is so well thought of by the people here," he said. "It is just heartbreaking for them in what was supposed to be a poignant farewell this morning that it turned into something which was just grotesque."

Sinn Féin councillor Oonagh Hanlon said Fr Murray was "a very much loved and respected parish priest".

"My thoughts go to him and also the parishioners who came across this horrific incident this morning," she added.

SDLP South Down assembly member Colin McGrath condemned the "disgraceful" attack.

"For this to happen in the church is particularly disgusting and I have spoken to many members of the community who are shocked and upset that this has taken place," he said.

Diane Forsythe, a Democratic Unionist Party assembly member for the area, condemned the "shocking and disgraceful attack on a religious leader in a place of worship".

Alliance assembly member Andrew McMurray said the "heartbreaking" incidents had shocked the community.]]> <![CDATA[Half of Polish Priests Say They Were Attacked Last Year]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7330 Thu, 17 Jul 2025 11:38:55 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7330 Half of Polish Priests Say They Were Attacked Last Year

gloria.tv | July 16, 2025

A recent survey by the Church's Institute of Statistics (ISKK) has revealed a concerning increase in violence against priests in Poland (Zenit.org, 14 July). Based on 996 responses, the findings show that almost half of the clergy surveyed (49.7%) had experienced some form of aggression in the previous 12 months.

- 41.6% faced verbal abuse (threats and name-calling)
- 33.6 % experienced online harassment
- 19% had aggression directed towards church properties
- 10.8% reported physical or property damage.

The survey indicates that most incidents go unreported. Over 80% of priests did not file formal reports, often because they did not consider the incidents to be serious enough, or because they lacked trust in the authorities.]]> Half of Polish Priests Say They Were Attacked Last Year

gloria.tv | July 16, 2025

A recent survey by the Church's Institute of Statistics (ISKK) has revealed a concerning increase in violence against priests in Poland (Zenit.org, 14 July). Based on 996 responses, the findings show that almost half of the clergy surveyed (49.7%) had experienced some form of aggression in the previous 12 months.

- 41.6% faced verbal abuse (threats and name-calling)
- 33.6 % experienced online harassment
- 19% had aggression directed towards church properties
- 10.8% reported physical or property damage.

The survey indicates that most incidents go unreported. Over 80% of priests did not file formal reports, often because they did not consider the incidents to be serious enough, or because they lacked trust in the authorities.]]> <![CDATA[Statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Virgin Mary beheaded at Texas church]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7265 Sun, 15 Jun 2025 11:04:10 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7265 Statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Virgin Mary beheaded at Texas church
The Texas incident is part of a pronounced uptick in vandalism and other attacks on Catholic churches over the past several years.

[Image: Shutterstock_2299348933.jpg]

St. Martha Catholic Church in Porter, Texas
Shutterstock
Jun 12, 2025
PORTER, Texas (LifeSiteNews) — Statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Blessed Virgin Mary were found beheaded at a Texas church on Sunday.

Catholic journalist Sachin Jose posted to X on Wednesday a picture of the remaining body of the Sacred Heart statue outside St. Martha Catholic Church in Porter, Texas, showing the head has been roughly hewn off. The perpetrator has stolen the statues’ heads and remains unidentified as of Thursday afternoon, according to Fox 26 Houston.


The incident is especially tragic considering that Catholics devote the month of June to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.


“This isn’t just vandalism … it’s a hate crime against the Mother of God and the faith of millions. If this were any other religion, it would be headline news. The silence is telling,” a Catholic father wrote on X in response to the beheading of the Blessed Virgin statue.

The incident is part of a pronounced uptick in vandalism and other attacks on Catholic churches over the past several years. From 2020 through February 2024 alone, there were at least 400 attacks on Catholic churches in the U.S., according to data compiled by CatholicVote.

According to CatholicVote, these attacks increased as part of an eruption of the civil unrest that swept the country in May 2020 after the death of George Floyd. Violence spiked again after the leak of the draft of the Supreme Court opinion Dobbs v. Jackson that overturned Roe v. Wade.

However, Canada has also seen a rise in attacks on Catholic churches, so much so that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance has drawn attention to them.

“Canada has seen a number of church burnings in recent years thanks to anti-Christian bigotry,” Vance wrote on X in December, adding, “All over the world, Christians are the most persecuted religious group.”]]> Statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Virgin Mary beheaded at Texas church
The Texas incident is part of a pronounced uptick in vandalism and other attacks on Catholic churches over the past several years.

[Image: Shutterstock_2299348933.jpg]

St. Martha Catholic Church in Porter, Texas
Shutterstock
Jun 12, 2025
PORTER, Texas (LifeSiteNews) — Statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Blessed Virgin Mary were found beheaded at a Texas church on Sunday.

Catholic journalist Sachin Jose posted to X on Wednesday a picture of the remaining body of the Sacred Heart statue outside St. Martha Catholic Church in Porter, Texas, showing the head has been roughly hewn off. The perpetrator has stolen the statues’ heads and remains unidentified as of Thursday afternoon, according to Fox 26 Houston.


The incident is especially tragic considering that Catholics devote the month of June to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.


“This isn’t just vandalism … it’s a hate crime against the Mother of God and the faith of millions. If this were any other religion, it would be headline news. The silence is telling,” a Catholic father wrote on X in response to the beheading of the Blessed Virgin statue.

The incident is part of a pronounced uptick in vandalism and other attacks on Catholic churches over the past several years. From 2020 through February 2024 alone, there were at least 400 attacks on Catholic churches in the U.S., according to data compiled by CatholicVote.

According to CatholicVote, these attacks increased as part of an eruption of the civil unrest that swept the country in May 2020 after the death of George Floyd. Violence spiked again after the leak of the draft of the Supreme Court opinion Dobbs v. Jackson that overturned Roe v. Wade.

However, Canada has also seen a rise in attacks on Catholic churches, so much so that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance has drawn attention to them.

“Canada has seen a number of church burnings in recent years thanks to anti-Christian bigotry,” Vance wrote on X in December, adding, “All over the world, Christians are the most persecuted religious group.”]]> <![CDATA[Another Catholic church attacked by Islamists in disturbing trend across France]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7162 Fri, 16 May 2025 11:01:16 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7162 Another Catholic church attacked by Islamists in disturbing trend across France
The severity of the attack, which included physical violence against the parish priest, 
stunned the local community and has fueled broader concerns over religious freedom and safety.

[Image: shutterstock_2273766295.jpg]

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Repos Church in Avignon, France
Syclades / Shutterstock.com

May 15, 2025
AVIGNON, France (LifeSiteNews) — Another Catholic church in a historic French city was the scene of a violent Islamist attack over the weekend.

A group of youths stormed a parish following evening Mass on May 10, assaulting the priest and threatening to set the building ablaze in future. The attackers remain at large as church leaders and officials confront a disturbing rise in anti-Christian aggression across France.

The incident, which included physical violence, has led local authorities to trigger a police investigation and deploy heightened security around the church.

This youths entered Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Repos Church in Montfavet, a quiet district of Avignon (the former home of the papacy in the 14th century), on Saturday, May 10, at approximately 7:50 p.m., shortly after evening Mass concluded.

According to La Provence, a group of young men – estimated to number between nine and 15 – approached Father Laurent Milan, the parish priest. One member of the group initially claimed he wished to convert to Christianity. However, only moments later, the group launched into a tirade of abuse.

The attackers shouted an obscene blasphemous insult directed at Jesus Christ, as well as “Allahu Akbar.” They then physically assaulted the priest, punching him, subduing him, before fleeing with stolen church property – including checkbooks, a chalice, and a painting, according to multiple reports.

The severity of the attack stunned the local community and has fueled broader concerns over religious freedom and safety.

Several of the attackers identified themselves as Muslim, reinforcing suspicions of an Islamist motive. The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe pointed to the use of jihadist slogans as evidence of religious hostility. “This attack reflects a growing pattern of anti-Christian aggression in France,” the Observatory stated.

Father Milan shared his account with La Provence: “They entered and started insulting the Christian faith. Then they said, ‘We’re coming back to burn it down!’” His composure during the ordeal, along with that of several parishioners, helped prevent further violence during the incident.

The Observatory highlighted other alarming incidents in 2025, including the assault of priests in Lisieux and Tarascon, and a kidnapping and beating of a 96-year-old priest in Cambrai, who was tied to a chair and gagged by burglars. Such events reflect a broader trend of hostility toward Christian institutions. France continues to report near-daily church vandalism, including the theft of consecrated hosts and desecration of tabernacles.

Father Milan filed a formal police complaint the same night, supported by five witnesses, France Bleu reported. Police promptly opened an investigation into “non-public insults based on religion” and “threats of destructive acts.” Patrols were stationed at the church for Sunday Mass, and surveillance remained in place into Monday, according to BFMTV. Authorities are currently reviewing security footage, though no arrests had been made as of May 14.

The Archdiocese of Avignon responded to the incident. “The church is located in an area troubled by youth delinquency,” noted Archbishop Francois Fonlupt. “This aggression is deplorable, and we commend the priest and parishioners for their restraint and courage.”

Father Milan had previously reported troubling behavior. On May 7, just days before the violent assault, youths banged on church windows during a parish meeting and stole candles and a computer, he told La Provence. “These incidents are increasing in frequency,” he warned.

Residents have expressed alarm and outrage. “I’m horrified that young people did this,” a nearby café patron told La Provence, echoing community concern.

This attack is part of a broader pattern. In 2025 alone, vandals stole a cross from a church in Corancy, while €10,000 in damages was reported at Saint-Martin Church in Colmar. The Observatory continues to warn of mounting anti-Christian hostility throughout the country.

Archbishop Fonlupt, however, suggested the cause of the attack was “the poverty that reigns in certain neighborhoods of Vaucluse.” He wrote that this was “at the root of this evil,” calling on people to reject “discord and hatred.”

He added: “I thank the parish priest and the parishioners of Montfavet for their reactions to this situation and their witness to the Gospel.”]]> Another Catholic church attacked by Islamists in disturbing trend across France
The severity of the attack, which included physical violence against the parish priest, 
stunned the local community and has fueled broader concerns over religious freedom and safety.

[Image: shutterstock_2273766295.jpg]

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Repos Church in Avignon, France
Syclades / Shutterstock.com

May 15, 2025
AVIGNON, France (LifeSiteNews) — Another Catholic church in a historic French city was the scene of a violent Islamist attack over the weekend.

A group of youths stormed a parish following evening Mass on May 10, assaulting the priest and threatening to set the building ablaze in future. The attackers remain at large as church leaders and officials confront a disturbing rise in anti-Christian aggression across France.

The incident, which included physical violence, has led local authorities to trigger a police investigation and deploy heightened security around the church.

This youths entered Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Repos Church in Montfavet, a quiet district of Avignon (the former home of the papacy in the 14th century), on Saturday, May 10, at approximately 7:50 p.m., shortly after evening Mass concluded.

According to La Provence, a group of young men – estimated to number between nine and 15 – approached Father Laurent Milan, the parish priest. One member of the group initially claimed he wished to convert to Christianity. However, only moments later, the group launched into a tirade of abuse.

The attackers shouted an obscene blasphemous insult directed at Jesus Christ, as well as “Allahu Akbar.” They then physically assaulted the priest, punching him, subduing him, before fleeing with stolen church property – including checkbooks, a chalice, and a painting, according to multiple reports.

The severity of the attack stunned the local community and has fueled broader concerns over religious freedom and safety.

Several of the attackers identified themselves as Muslim, reinforcing suspicions of an Islamist motive. The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe pointed to the use of jihadist slogans as evidence of religious hostility. “This attack reflects a growing pattern of anti-Christian aggression in France,” the Observatory stated.

Father Milan shared his account with La Provence: “They entered and started insulting the Christian faith. Then they said, ‘We’re coming back to burn it down!’” His composure during the ordeal, along with that of several parishioners, helped prevent further violence during the incident.

The Observatory highlighted other alarming incidents in 2025, including the assault of priests in Lisieux and Tarascon, and a kidnapping and beating of a 96-year-old priest in Cambrai, who was tied to a chair and gagged by burglars. Such events reflect a broader trend of hostility toward Christian institutions. France continues to report near-daily church vandalism, including the theft of consecrated hosts and desecration of tabernacles.

Father Milan filed a formal police complaint the same night, supported by five witnesses, France Bleu reported. Police promptly opened an investigation into “non-public insults based on religion” and “threats of destructive acts.” Patrols were stationed at the church for Sunday Mass, and surveillance remained in place into Monday, according to BFMTV. Authorities are currently reviewing security footage, though no arrests had been made as of May 14.

The Archdiocese of Avignon responded to the incident. “The church is located in an area troubled by youth delinquency,” noted Archbishop Francois Fonlupt. “This aggression is deplorable, and we commend the priest and parishioners for their restraint and courage.”

Father Milan had previously reported troubling behavior. On May 7, just days before the violent assault, youths banged on church windows during a parish meeting and stole candles and a computer, he told La Provence. “These incidents are increasing in frequency,” he warned.

Residents have expressed alarm and outrage. “I’m horrified that young people did this,” a nearby café patron told La Provence, echoing community concern.

This attack is part of a broader pattern. In 2025 alone, vandals stole a cross from a church in Corancy, while €10,000 in damages was reported at Saint-Martin Church in Colmar. The Observatory continues to warn of mounting anti-Christian hostility throughout the country.

Archbishop Fonlupt, however, suggested the cause of the attack was “the poverty that reigns in certain neighborhoods of Vaucluse.” He wrote that this was “at the root of this evil,” calling on people to reject “discord and hatred.”

He added: “I thank the parish priest and the parishioners of Montfavet for their reactions to this situation and their witness to the Gospel.”]]> <![CDATA[Italy: Crucifix Severely Damaged, Police Pay for Restoration]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7072 Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:53:46 +0000 Stone]]> https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=7072 Italy: Crucifix Severely Damaged, Police Pay for Restoration

[Image: 1nvedip40bs2otdpvdddgzboi21izlacq9b926n....89&webp=on]

gloria.tv | April 12, 2025

In February, a man stole a crucifix from a church on Via delle Orfanelle in Alessandria, northern Italy.

He brandished it like a weapon, swearing and spitting on it, and damaged cars along Corso Virginia Marini with it.

The perpetrator was arrested by the Carabinieri after threatening to kill them, and hitting them violently to avoid being searched by them.

The police found the crucifix badly damaged, both the wooden part of the cross and the lead part representing the body of Christ.

The perpetrator was arrested on suspicion of causing serious damage to vehicles, resisting an officer, handling stolen cultural goods, carrying offensive objects and insulting religious beliefs.

He is also accused of having threatened a minor in front of a nearby school in via Morbelli, brandishing the crucifix.

When the Carabinieri saw the crucifix on the ground in such a state, they were deeply saddened and without hesitation decided to pay for it to be repaired by a professional.

On 9 April the Crucifix was returned to the Diocese of Alessandria.

The Provincial Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Palatini, said that "the man who stole the crucifix and used it to damage cars, threaten people and, with contempt, curse and slander it, reducing it to pieces, has wounded and insulted the community and us".

There was no information about the perpetrator [...].]]> Italy: Crucifix Severely Damaged, Police Pay for Restoration

[Image: 1nvedip40bs2otdpvdddgzboi21izlacq9b926n....89&webp=on]

gloria.tv | April 12, 2025

In February, a man stole a crucifix from a church on Via delle Orfanelle in Alessandria, northern Italy.

He brandished it like a weapon, swearing and spitting on it, and damaged cars along Corso Virginia Marini with it.

The perpetrator was arrested by the Carabinieri after threatening to kill them, and hitting them violently to avoid being searched by them.

The police found the crucifix badly damaged, both the wooden part of the cross and the lead part representing the body of Christ.

The perpetrator was arrested on suspicion of causing serious damage to vehicles, resisting an officer, handling stolen cultural goods, carrying offensive objects and insulting religious beliefs.

He is also accused of having threatened a minor in front of a nearby school in via Morbelli, brandishing the crucifix.

When the Carabinieri saw the crucifix on the ground in such a state, they were deeply saddened and without hesitation decided to pay for it to be repaired by a professional.

On 9 April the Crucifix was returned to the Diocese of Alessandria.

The Provincial Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Palatini, said that "the man who stole the crucifix and used it to damage cars, threaten people and, with contempt, curse and slander it, reducing it to pieces, has wounded and insulted the community and us".

There was no information about the perpetrator [...].]]>