Catholic News

St. Mary's Cathedral in Valencia, Spain. / Credit: Pere López, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Madrid, Spain, Sep 3, 2025 / 05:15 am (CNA).

The Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience (OLRC by its Spanish acronym) in Spain decried that it was "a black August" with seven cases of vandalism and desecration against Catholic churches reported in recent weeks.

On Aug. 11, black paint was spilled on a set of  steps at St. Catherine parish in the town of Rute in Cordoba province, just days before the patron saint's feast day.

The following day, the perpetual adoration chapel at St. Martin parish in Valencia was desecrated when a person who identifies as "trans" burst in the chapel shouting in front of the altar and then "broke the monstrance, while insulting the faithful," according to the OLRC.

On Aug 13, Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Palma de Mallorca was desecrated with offensive graffiti accusing the Catholic Church of corruption.

A day later, a sacristan and several parishioners were attacked in the Valencia cathedral by an apparently intoxicated man during the celebration of the Eucharist.

On Aug. 17, a man broke into St. James the Apostle parish in Albuñol in Granada province, where he attacked several statues before starting a fire that took firefighters two hours to extinguish.

On Aug. 24, the Assumption of Our Lady in Yeles in Toledo province was vandalized by a woman apparently suffering from psychiatric problems who attacked several statues such as the Child of Remedies and the Virgin of Solitude, causing extensive damage.

Last Sunday, Aug. 31, two activists from the environmental group Futuro Vegetal (Plant Future) threw dye at the façade of the Sagrada Familia Basilica  in Barcelona in an attempt to protest the large number of forest fires in Spain in recent weeks that the group blamed on ranching activities.

For the OLRC, these events "confirm the rise of Christianophobia and the vulnerability of religious freedom in our country" and warned against such events becoming normalized.

The organization's president, María García, demanded "a firm response" from the authorities "and resources for the protection of the religious heritage" of the country.

"August has been a dark month for religious freedom in our country. The succession of attacks on churches and places of worship demonstrates that violence and hatred against Christians are far from isolated cases," García pointed out in a statement, emphasizing that "according to data from the Reports on Attacks on Religious Freedom in Spain, Christians are always the most attacked religion."

Greater protection for churches

The OLRC warned that many parish priests are reporting that they are "having to install cameras or close churches due to the increase in vandalism and anti-Christian hatred" and called on the authorities "for greater protection for churches."

"These events represent a worrying trend of religious intolerance. We demand that agencies of the central government and municipalities develop specific prevention plans against attacks on churches and rigorous application of the penal code against hate crimes and crimes that deride religious sentiments," García emphasized.

The Observatory for Religious Freedom urged civil society and institutions not to look the other way and to report any act of religious hatred. "Only by bringing these attacks out in the open and reacting firmly can we guarantee coexistence and respect for the freedom of all," García emphasized.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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