The Catholic Vote organization reported that in 2023, there were 104 attacks on Catholic churches. Since the arrival of Joe Biden to the White House, these ideologically motivated attacks have multiplied, totaling 331 since 2021, 226 of which have been perpetrated "since the draft Supreme Court opinion proposing to reverse Roe v. Wade was leaked in early May 2022, with many including graffiti with pro-abortion messages." The organization condemns the passivity by the Biden administration, which has refused to investigate and prosecute these hate crimes.
Increase in attacks following George Floyd riots
According to the Catholic Vote report, attacks against Catholics began to increase since the riots over the death of George Floyd in 2020, when 60 incidents were recorded. At the end of 2021, when 80 attacks occurred, the president of the organization, Brian Burch, wrote a letter to the Department of Justice asking for action by pursuing and investigating these crimes. In the letter, Burch noted that "the vandalism we are seeing today is quickly rising to levels that haven’t been seen since the late 1800’s and early 1900’s from organized groups such as the Know-Nothings and the Ku Klux Klan." Although they were promised that Catholic buildings would be protected in 15 days, there has been no evidence that they kept their word.
After the leak that The Supreme Court was going to overturn Roe v. Wade, the number of attacks skyrocketed to 143 in 2022. As of today, the number is up to 226, without any reaction being seen from an administration that has repeatedly condemned antisemitism and Islamophobia. In the face of this escalation, Burch renewed his call for Garland and the DOJ to enforce federal law and investigate the attacks. "Neither Garland nor the DOJ appear to have taken any specific action, and there have been no federal prosecutions in any of the cases, even though attacking a place of worship is a federal crime."
Destruction of historic churches
The incidents reported by Catholic Vote "including acts of arson which damaged or destroyed historic churches; spray-painting and graffiti of satanic messages; rocks and bricks thrown through windows; statues destroyed (often with heads cut off); and illegal disruptions of Mass." Since the SCOTUS leak, pro-abortion graffiti and protests have been especially prevalent.
The report notes that the attacks have spread throughout the country, with incidents in 42 states and Washington, D.C. The 10 states where the highest number of attacks were recorded were California (53), New York (41), Pennsylvania (22), Texas (19), Colorado (17), Ohio (16), New Jersey (16), Florida (16), Massachusetts (16) and Oregon (13). Among the most attacked areas are New York City (34) and the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles (17); Denver (15); Philadelphia (12); San Francisco/Bay Area (12); Boston (11); Portland, Ore., (11); Washington, D.C. (10); Seattle (8); Chicago (7); Miami/Fort Lauderdale (6); Cincinnati, Ohio, (6); Louisville, Ky., (6); Omaha, Neb., (5); and Houston (5). Some churches were attacked multiple times.
