Pic: Witry church fire in France (Image: Catholic Arena)
Niall Feiritear
More than 302 churches have been burned in the UK and France between 2018 and 2024.
The figure may well be higher as there is no data from France for the last two years.
"France another week, another church fire," wrote the Catholic Arena news service, after the latest incident on November 23.
"This time the sacristy of the church in Witry was destroyed but thankfully the rest of the building was saved by firefighters"
"Mainstream media not reporting this very important information," wrote Aisling Considine of the Aontu political party.
Over 302 church fires equates to more than 50 per year, ie roughly one per week. The Premier Christianity website stated that reliable data from Ecclesiastical Insurance suggests a more significant problem in Britain.
Pic: Burned building (image: Catholic Arena)
“In the last five years there have been over 200 incidents of arson affecting churches,” said a spokesperson for the insurer of Christian buildings. “This has caused millions of pounds in damages… arson is often as a result of the actions of an individual and with no clear trends.”
2019 was worst in the past five years, with almost 100 incidents.
Damage (Image: Catholic Arena)
In France the stats are lower but relatively consistent, with 102 arson attacks on churches reported in the five years 2018-2022 which were classed as “hate crimes”, according to data from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
That organisation stated that Christianity is "usually" the most targeted religion in France in any given year.
A further nine Catholic churches in Europe were set on fire in arson attacks within three weeks, from late August to mid-September this year.
Three of the incidents took place in the Netherlands. There were also two in Italy, two in Ireland, one in France, and one in Germany.
The first of the recent attacks occurred in Bad Wörishofen, Germany on August 25, where the arsonists set fire to the church and to the altar cloth. The press release stated that the fire caused “serious damage worth several thousand euros.”
An attack on Holy Name Parish in Greenisland, Northern Ireland occurred on September 1, the day after the parish celebrated its 70th anniversary. The fire destroyed most of the church.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer, France was destroyed in an arson attack on September 2.
The most recent attack occurred on September 15 at St. Anthony the Abbot Church in Wijchen, Netherlands, where statues were destroyed and devotional objects were set on fire.
Attacks and vandalism against Catholic churches in the United States have increased as well, with 452 attacks occurring since May 2020, and 57 of those attacks occurring this year, according to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe,
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