Alarm over the increase in church fires and anti-Christian attacks around the world

The increase in church fires and anti-Christian attacks is causing great concern worldwide. France has been the main target of such incidents in Europe, but there is also growing alarm in the United States due to the rising number of hostile acts against churches.

Asia, Africa and Latin America are not exempt from these attacks and Christians are victims of persecution by the authorities or Islamist groups.

These issues are largely driven by Islamic extremism, left-wing radicalism, and the Church's failure to maintain its structures. 

France, the main target of anti-Christian attacks in Europe

The Church of the Immaculate Conception in the town of Saint-Omer, in France, was recently set on fire. The church was built in 1854 and restored in 2018. Unfortunately, it must now be rebuilt, similarly to what happened with the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, after catching fire in 2019.

The recent fire was set by Joël Vigoureux, a man in his forties with an extensive criminal record, including 26 felony convictions. He had been released from prison on August 27 and was previously responsible for dozens of arsons in other churches.

This is not an isolated event in France, which has experienced the highest number of attacks and fires targeting Catholic churches in Europe. 

In July there were two arsons at the church of Saint Simplicien, in Martigné-Briand, where the confessional was consumed by flames, and at the cathedral of Rouen, where only the tallest spire was destroyed before firefighters got the fire under control, according to Italian news portal La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana. No suspects have been arrested for either case.

Although years had passed without church attacs being carried out by Islamists, such as those at Notre Dame du Taur in Toulouse and Saint Pierre in Orleans, the mark of Islamic terrorism resurfaced on July 14. 

At Notre Dame du Travail, in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, an individual vandalized the  church with anti-Christian phrases such as "We are burning the first part of the church," "Submit to Allah," "One god, Allah." The attacker, who remains at large, also attempted to set the church on fire, but failed.  Additionally, a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary was stolen and later found in the bathroom of a bar with a knife in its throat and a note that read, 'Mary, this is your destiny. We Muslims cannot accept you.'"

There were a seriew of church fires in July in New Caledonia. The churches affected were Notre-Dae de l'Assomption, the church of Ty and that of Saint Louis. President Emmanuel Macron spoke out against the attacks.

In August, before Sunday Mass, the pastor of the church of Saint Pierre in Lège Cup Ferret found the tabernacle torn out and the consecrated hosts scattered and trampled.

La Nuova Bussola Qutodiana stressed that although the list of attacks against churches in France is extensive, those responsible for the acts are not usually found. There have been plenty of cases of churches intentionally set on fire in recent years but which were ultimately declared accidents.

However, when a culprit is identified, it is not always helpful. For example, a Rwandan refugee was involved in the 2020 arson attack on the Nantes Cathedral after being denied a residence permit renewal. Despite this, he was later released and remained in France, where in 2021 he killed a priest who had sheltered him in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre, in the Vendée region.

In 2022, deputies Ludovic Mendes and Hauts-de-Seine presented a parliamentary report on anti-religious acts, revealing that 857 attacks were committed in France in 2021. The following year, this number increased by 8%. By 2023, nearly 1,000 such incidents were recorded, according to the Interior Ministry, averaging almost three attacks per day.

La Nuova Bussola Qutodiana attributed this wave of anti-Christian violence on a cultural trend that swings between mockery and intellectual hostility toward Catholics. The outlet highlighted organizations such as Libre Pensée and Ligue des Droits de l'Homme, which consistently flood the courts with cases whenever a Christian symbol appears in public spaces. For years, these groups have been trying to remove statues of St. Michael and the Virgin Mary from France.

In addition to leftist hatred, the media also mentioned the inherent hatred toward Christianity with some interpretations of Islam, creating a dangerous and oppressive combination.

The causes of church fires are varied; vandalism is not the only reason why churches have caught fire. Religious buildings, regardless of their faith, face a deeper and more insidious issue: lack of maintenance and deterioration, which also affects places of worship. 

In 2022, Edouard de Lamaze, president of the Observatory of Religious Heritage in Paris, stated that a religious building in France disappears every two weeks due to demolition, transformation, destruction by fire or collapse. He also clarified that two-thirds of the fires in religious buildings were not caused by arson.

According to Vatican Info, while these statistics include buildings belonging to all religious groups, most of them pertain to Catholic monuments, which still constitute a significant majority in France, where there are approximately 45,000 places of worship belonging to this branch of Christianity.

Attacks on churches in the United States soar

The Family Research Council (FRC) revealed that incidents involving arson, vandalism and other hostile acts against U.S. churches rose to at least 436 in 2023, more than double the number reported in 2022, the Washington Times reported.

The FRC's Hostility Against Churches report pointed out thtat the number is also eight times higher than the number of incidents recorded in 2018. 

Among the acts committed against churches are incidents involving firearms incidents and bomb threats, among others. Since 2018, 915 such incidents have been reported.

In 2023, churches in 48 states and the District of Columbia were attacked, according to the FRC, indicating that only in Hawaii and Wyoming reported no incidents against these places of worship. The report noted that California experienced the highest number of attacks, with 33 incidents, followed by Texas with 28. 

According to the report, between January and November 2023, there were at least 315 cases of vandalism, 75 attacks or attempted arson, 10 incidents involving firearms, 20 bomb threats and 37 other hostile acts against churches.

The report was released shortly after another published by the FRC which noted that persecution of Christians by Western governments increased by 60% last year.

Tony Perkins, president of the FRC, blamed the Biden-Harris administration. "There is a common connection between growing religious persecution abroad and increasing hostility toward churches here at home: our government's policies," he said. He added, "The indifference abroad to fundamental religious freedom is rivaled only by the growing antagonism toward the moral absolutes taught by Bible-believing churches here in the United States, which is fostering this environment of hostility toward churches."

Arielle Del Turco, the author of the report and director of FRC's Center for Religious Freedom, stated that the attackers aim to convey "religious intimidation," sending the message that "churches are not welcome in the community."

"Our culture is demonstrating a growing disdain for Christianity and fundamental Christian beliefs, and acts of hostility against churches could be a physical manifestation of that," he added.

"Regardless of the motivations for these crimes, everyone should treat churches and all places of worship with respect and affirm the importance of religious freedom for all Americans," he concluded.

Harsh persecution of Christians in Africa, Asia and Latin America

The World Watch List 2024, compiled by the charity Open Doors, ranks the 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. The report indicates that the level of violence against Christians has grown exponentially during 2023.

According to the report, reported attacks against churches, Christian schools and hospitals have increased sevenfold last year, rising from 2,110 in 2022 to 14,766 in 2023. Additionally, assaults on homes belonging to Christians rose by 371%.

In addition, he stressed that one in seven Christians worldwide now faces a high level of persecution and discrimination.

Henrietta Blyth, executive director of Open Doors, told Church Times that Christian minorities in East and West Africa face an existential threat from jihadists and autocratic regimes. 

According to the World Watch List 2024, jihadist attacks against Christians are mainly carried out in Somalia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali.

The report stresses that North Korea remains the most dangerous country in the world for Christians, and has topped the list for 22 out of the last 23 years.

In fact, Beijing repatriated 600 North Koreans last year as part of an agreement with Pyongyang. It is estimated that most are Christians who fled the country and will now have to spend years in regime prison camps.

The report notes that Christians in India are also targets of religious violence. The largest increase in attacks occurred in the state of Manipur, where several churches and homes were destroyed, 160 people professing the Christian faith were killed by violence and 62,000 were displaced from their homes. It adds that 12 Indian states have passed anti-conversion laws to repress religious minorities, such as Christians, promoted by Hindu nationalist authorities.

The situation for Christians is also worrying in Pakistan, where 21 churches were burned or damaged in August 2023 and hundreds of Christians had to flee.

Nicaragua is another country where persecution of Christians has increased due to the policies of the dictatorial regime of Daniel Ortega, who has taken it upon himself to detain dozens of priests and other Christians whom he accuses of conspiring against him.

Church fires in Canada

Canada is another country that has suffered a disturbing number of fires in its churches. A report by CBC News noted that 33 churches burned to the ground from May 2021 to 2024. Only two of the incidents were considered accidental.

According to investigators, 24 of the fires were deliberately set, while the rest were under investigation.

There was a fire at St. Anne's Anglican Church in Toronto in the middle of this year. The fire destroyed both a historic site and rare paintings by an acclaimed group of Canadian artists.

In 2021, Canada witnessed a wave of attacks on its historical and Catholic heritage following a false allegation that the graves of 215 indigenous children had been discovered at a former boarding school run by the Catholic Church to educate Indigenous minors. These schools were active from 1879 to 1996. In total 83 churches were burned during this period.