Violent attacks, arson, and legal discrimination targeting Christians in Europe increased in severity throughout 2024, according to a new report by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe). The group documented 2,211 hate crimes against Christians, including 274 physical attacks, up from 232 in 2023, and 94 arson attacks on churches, nearly double the prior year’s figure.
Among the most violent incidents, a 76-year-old Catholic friar was murdered in Spain by a man shouting, “I am Jesus Christ!” The attacker injured seven others while claiming he acted “in the name of God.” Another ISIS-affiliated attack took place in Turkey during a Sunday Mass, where gunmen killed a man preparing for baptism.
In France, the Church of the Immaculate Conception was nearly destroyed by arson in September. Germany saw one-third of all church arsons, prompting the nation’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference to declare, “All taboos have been broken.”
OIDAC also reported rising legal discrimination, including prosecutions for silent prayer and court rulings against religious institutions.
