A report published by the Family Research Council (FRC) documented more than 400 cases of “hostility acts” against Catholic churches and other Christian churches in the United States during 2024.
The reportpublished on August 11, He found 415 incidentswhich included 284 acts of vandalism, 55 cases of fire, 28 incidents related to firearms, 14 pump threats and 47 other hostile acts.
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In each month there were at least 20 hostile acts against Iglesias, with the highest numbers in June with 49 incidents and February with 45 incidents. The average was 35 incidents per month.
This represents a slight decrease with respect to 2023 numbers of the FRC, when the non -profit evangelical organization found 485 incidents. However, the figure remains significantly higher than in previous years: 198 in 2022, 98 in 2021, 55 in 2020, 83 in 2019 and 50 in 2018, the year in which the FRC began registering these hostile incidents.
For most incidents, neither the perpetrator nor the reason are clear, according to the FRC. The report indicates that some acts seemed motivated by hate towards Christianity, others by financial gain, and others seemed perpetrated by adolescents “involved in a destructive hobby.”
Only one case was found for probort reason, much less than in 2022, when at least 59 hostile acts were motivated by the support of the perpetrator to abortion. The increase that year was probably related to the cancellation of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court.
Probort vandalism It happened in the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Portland, Oregonwhere vandalism included the phrase: “(explicit) you, my body my choice” (which translates as “(explicit) my body my choice”).
Arielle del Turco, director of the Center for Religious Freedom of the FRC, said in a statement that “no act of vandalism or other crimes against churches is acceptable, and political leaders must quickly condemn such actions and affirm the importance of religious freedom.”
“Religious freedom does not depend only on legal protections, but also on cultural support,” he added. “We must strengthen cultural support for religious freedom and respect for our Christian heritage.”
According to the report, there were also 33 cases in which the perpetrator attacked Iglesias because the Church supported the “LGBT” pride, which was mostly manifested in the theft of pride flags.
One of the documented hostile acts against Catholic churches was an incident in South San Francisco, California, in January. A man shot shots towards the St. Augustine Catholic Church, but no one was injured in the attack.
In another incident, a person desecrated a processional crucifix and a statue of the Virgin Mary in a chapel of the University of Georgetown. The St. Leo Church in Hartford, Arkansas, It was attacked Once in 2023 and twice in 2024, including vandalism that destroyed statues. Another vandalism a statue of Jesus Christ beheaded In the Holy Family Catholic Church in Fresh Meadows, New York.
In the St. Peter Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, A person threw Around 100 hosts in the parking lot during a Easter Mass. The priest said at that time that he believed that they were probably not consecrated.
Tony Perkins, president of the FRC and former president of the United States International Religious Freedom Commission, said in a statement that the report “clearly shows that religious freedom faces substantial threats here at home.”
“Religious freedom is rarely given to liabilities; it is claimed by those who exercise it even when a hostile culture says they cannot,” Perkins said.
The report indicates that the US federal government has become aware of the anti-Christian feeling within American society, with President Donald Trump signing an executive order To create a working group to eradicate anti-Christian bias within the policies, regulations and practices of the federal government.
“The left ‘woke“American has been intentional in spreading her hostility towards the Christian faith in every corner of the United States,” Perkins said. “We applaud the efforts of the Trump administration, but measures must be taken at all levels of government to protect and promote this fundamental human right.”
“Christians must wait and demand more of their government leaders regarding the persecution and prevention of criminal acts that attack religious freedom,” he added.
California, the most populous state in the country, registered 40 hostile acts, more than any other state. The second highest number was in Pennsylvania with 29, followed by Florida and New York with 25 each, Texas with 23, and Tennessee and Ohio with 19 each.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.
Tyler Arnold
Tyler Arnold is a reporter of the National Catholic Register. He previously worked at The Center Square and has published in various media, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative and The Federalist.