Brutal crucifix attack: church helper in Rodgau seriously injured!

Brutal crucifix attack: church helper in Rodgau seriously injured!

A brutal incident in Rodgau, Hesse, is causing horror: a man born in Syria attacked the sexton of the Catholic St. Nicholas community with a crucifix on Monday. Loud exxpress.at The attack began when the 55-year-old sexton was distracted by loud music coming from a parked car and wanted to see what was going on. The 33-year-old attacker, who has both a Lebanese and a German passport, kicked at the entrance door and attacked the church helper with his fists before tearing a 1.6 meter long cross with a figure of Christ from the wall and hitting the sexton with it.

Witnesses reported that the perpetrator tried to use the broken remains of the cross as a stabbing weapon while shouting loudly for help and threatening: “Help me kill him.” A courageous passer-by, supported by other passers-by, intervened and prevented something worse from happening by separating the attacker from his victim. Another helper used his car to prevent the attacker from escaping. Little is known about the man's exact motives, but he is currently being held in a closed psychiatric facility.

A sign of violence against Christians

The events in Rodgau are a depressing example of the escalating violence against Christians in Germany and worldwide. On the same day, an altar with candles and Christian icons was knocked over in Hanau, causing damage worth 500 euros. Investigations should now clarify whether the aggressor from Rodgau is connected to this incident.

The reporting of these incidents falls into a context characterized by religiously motivated violence. In the current world persecution index Open Doors An alarming increase in persecution of Christians is being noted worldwide. A total of 380 million people are affected, an increase of more than 4% compared to the previous year. 4,476 Christians were killed during the reporting period, and attacks on Christian homes increased by 33% to a total of 28,368.

Persecution in the Middle East

These developments are particularly dramatic in conflict regions such as Syria. Religious minorities such as Alawites, Druze and Christians are at great risk here. One example is Jaber Aboud, who fled to Germany after being imprisoned several times under President Bashar al-Assad's regime. He reports on massive chaos and uncontrolled groups that repeatedly foment violence and hatred. Regular massacres of Alawites and a bomb attack in a Christian church in Damascus in which 25 people were killed show the explosive situation of the religious minorities in the country. This is exacerbated by the government's lack of justice and control, which creates fear among civilians.

The situation in Syria and other countries where Christians receive little protection, such as North Korea and Afghanistan, is alarming. While conditions in Europe may be more stable, warns ZDF for vigilance and calls for action against jihadist groups and better protection for religious minorities.

The serious tone of these reports and incidents clearly distinguishes itself from the previous perception of interreligious dialogue and does not allow us to forget that peace is still a long way off in many parts of the world. It remains to be hoped that such acts of violence will not become the norm and that the security situation will improve for all believers, regardless of religion.