Former Trump national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn decried the “assault on Christianity” in the United States, citing the “staggering” number of Catholic churches that have been attacked in recent years.
Flynn, in a recent interview with Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe, shared how he learned that over 500 Catholic churches in the United States had suffered damage from attacks, including arson.
“The targeting, the fear, the intimidation, it’s all designed to silence people of faith,” Flynn wrote on X, commenting on the rash of violence. “Fear is a weapon that only works if we let it.”
What we’re seeing across America is a direct assault on Christianity.
Over 500 Catholic churches have been damaged or burned since 2021, and yet few are talking about it. The targeting, the fear, the intimidation, it’s all designed to silence people of faith.
Fear is a weapon… pic.twitter.com/xTcmE4k1lP
— General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) October 7, 2025
“‘Cause you think Jewish synagogues are going to be the ones that are targeted, and they are, but … the bigger issue is the assault on Christianity,” said Flynn, a Catholic.
Indeed, attacks on Christian churches, and especially Catholic churches, have exploded since the leak of the U.S. Supreme Court’s draft Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
A Family Research Council (FRC) report from August identified 1,384 acts of hostility against Christian churches committed between January 2018 and December 2024. The evangelical group found that 50 crimes were committed in 2018, 83 in 2019, 55 in 2020 and 98 in 2021. However, in 2022, when Dobbs was leaked, the numbers of attacks more than doubled, hitting 198.
These hostile aggressions more than doubled again in 2023, reaching 485, before leveling off in 2024 with 415. Of the 2024 number, the majority of incidents were vandalism (284). There were 55 cases of arson, 28 gun-related crimes, and 14 bomb threats.
Focusing specifically on Catholic churches, American advocacy group CatholicVote (CV) has maintained an interactive map that tracks violent attacks on churches throughout the U.S. since 2020 when mob violence related to the tragic death of George Floyd ensued across the nation.
Having updated this resource on October 8, the organization documented that “at least 533 attacks against Catholic churches in the United States” have occurred since May 28, 2020.
These crimes included “acts of arson which damaged or destroyed historic churches; spray-painting and graffiti of satanic messages; rocks and bricks thrown through windows; statues destroyed (often with heads cut off); and illegal disruptions of Mass.”
CatholicVote also document the sharp rise in such crimes after the leaked Dobbs decision.
Suggesting widespread motivations of anti-Christian hostility behind such terrorist acts, the group reports that “while a handful of the attacks have included thefts, the vast majority have only involved property destruction, indicating that the primary motive is not material gain.”
Flynn suggested to O’Keefe that Christians should not respond to these attacks with fear but should instead take action. He stressed that local action “equals” national impact.
“Every citizen has a duty to stand, speak, and serve,” said Flynn, going on to share that he often asks people when they thank him for his military service, “How are you serving your community, family?”
“And then if you’re doing that, you’re serving our country,” he said.
This article was originally published on Lifesite News.
