08/23/2025August 23, 2025Catholic Church seeing increased levels of vandalism at places of worship
The Catholic Church in Germany is increasingly worried about worsening vandalism in places of worship.
Methods of vandalism have become more “brutal” in recent years, according to Matthias Kopp, spokesman for the German Bishops’ Conference.
“Broken offering boxes and overturned, broken candles were always annoying, but since around 2015 we have been dealing with an intensified dimension,” he said.
While the number of incidents has risen only slightly, Kopp believes the vandals’ behavior shows more open hostility toward Christianity.
“Excrement in holy water fonts and confessionals, decapitated statues of Christ and saints,” were just some of the examples Kopp offered.
He lamented that police officials record the crimes as “damage to property,” saying the incidents affect parishioners on a deeper level.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) said the current trend is eroding trust in the idea that a church, open to all, is a safe space.
Closing churches outside of services is not a step the EKD would like to see taken. “Open churches are not only spaces for worship,” the spokesman said.
“They are places to go in times of crisis, places of cultural remembrance and social interaction.”
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