An Christian booklet has been distributed to students in some Catholic schools in Lancashire, UK. Its comments on homosexuality raised the discontent of UK’s largest trades union, who says that the government is allowing “homophobia” to be promoted in religious schools.
On February 25th 2012 a man vandalised the agape church in Samsun. He was soon identified, confessed and was released.
Trevor Phillips, the head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), has ignited public controversy by comparing Christians who do not believe that homosexuals should be allowed to adopt children to “Muslims who demand the introduction of Sharia Courts”.
The UK Government has written to all local councils in England, telling them that new laws restore their power to hold prayers at official meetings after the High Court had ruled that local councils have no lawful power to hold prayers during official business. The court case was initiated by the National Secular Society and a local atheist ex-councillor who sued Bideford Town Council in Devon for conducting prayers, a custom that had been in place since the 17th century.
David Burrowes, Conservative MP for Enfield Southgate, revealed at the launch of Coalition for Marriage (C4M) in London that he has received a death threat and hate mail after speaking out in support of traditional marriage.
On February 21, five members of the Punk Band Pussy Riot performed on the altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow for a few minutes. Beside a political oppositional message, they sang a song that contained unflattering characteristics of the clergy of the temple, as well as the Russian Patriarch, Kirill. The women were wearing colored masks. Church officials called their actions blasphemy, sacrilege, an insult to religious feelings.
Up to 100 graves were the target of vandals in the cemetery of Boué. Ornaments, crosses, plaques and flower pots and vases were broken. The cemetery had to be closed for the police’s investigation.
A photo exhibit at the Fresh Gallery in Madrid displays pictures by Bruce LaBruce displays intolerance against Christian symbols, deepens negative stereotypes and disregards feelings of believers.
On Wednesday, February 8th, 2012, at about 1:30 p.m., the chapel of Saint Joseph in Châtillon was vandalized and the Holy Sacrament stolen.
Between the 15th and 16th of February 2012, a church in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, was broken into. The cross was thrown down, and prayer and song books for the service were torn.
Maria Casado, who holds the UNESCO Chair of Bioethics at the University of Barcelona calls for a national registry of doctors who will not perform abortions, in order to “improve” women’s access to “pregnancy termination.”
Tory MP, David Burrowes, is facing an ‘intolerant’ campaign against him because of his opposition to homosexual marriage. The campaign is led by the treasurer of his local Conservative association, Phillip Dawson, who is homosexual.
On January 31st 2012, the third section of the European Court of Human Rights issued a judgment in the case of Sindicatul Păstorul cel bun c. Roumanie whereby it determined that the refusal of the Orthodox Church to register a trade union established within itself was contrary to freedom of association guaranteed by Article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights. This interferes with the internal organization of a religious institution. The Romanian Orthodox Church has publicly expressed its wish that the matter is now referred to the Grand Chamber for a new trial.
A commercial advertising Red Bull broadcast on Mediaset mocked Christian confession and worship.
The Reverend Malcolm Clarke, minister at Hinckley United Reform Church, said two large "historic inscribed" windows had been completely smashed. The minister said he was shocked and saddened by the attack: "I feel sad and let down," Mr Clarke said.
The Christian owners of a guesthouse who restrict double rooms to married couples have been ordered to pay £3,600 in damages to a homosexual couple in January 2011. Their appeal was lost in February 2012. In November 2013 they were forced to sell their B&B.
Secularists campaign to ban the use of National Health Service money to fund hospital chaplains.
A Swedish law foreseeing prison sentences for criticising the homosexualist agenda in public was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights which has ruled that there it was not in violation of freedom of expression. Four people were fined for a distributing leaflets.
On the 8th of February 2012 the Apostolic Nunciature in France reported that 70 graves were desecrated in a Catholic cemetery in Albi, France.
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu received racist and threatening messages just days after he voiced his support for traditional marriage, sparking a police hate crime investigation.
The church of Épinais had just been restored when it was completely destroyed during the night from February 4th to 5th, 2012. Five young men were arrested by the police.
An art exhibit displaying disrespectful and mocking statues of the Virgin Mary opened in the Galery Albane in Nantes.
On the 3rd of February 2012, the Apostolic Nunciature in France reported that a cemetery in Istres, France, was vandalised.
In the middle of the night of February 3rd, 2012 someone banged on the door of the house of the church leader of Cesme Lütuf’s and tried to get in. The scared man called the police but the perpetrator was not caught. The leader was scared for his life after having also been threatened over the internet so he shut down the church and left town.
Bishop Philip Boyce of the Raphoe diocese in northwestern Ireland was investigated by the police for “hate crime” after arguing that the Catholic Church in Ireland is under attack from “aggressive secularism”.
A proposal that senior civil servants which are likely to deal with the Catholic Church should be "screened" to ensure they do not show "inappropriate deference" to the church is to be debated at Labour's national conference.
According to an Irish Labor party proposal to be discussed in April, ‘Catholics first’ policy in state-funded Catholic schools is illegal, discriminatory and should be abolished.
Almost 20 years after the war in the Balkans, there is still discrimination against Christians, especially Catholic Christians, in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Cardinal Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo pointed out the situation of Christians in his country during a visit to the international headquarters of the Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
The students’ union of University College in London has passed a motion to officially make the campus “pro-choice” and to impose a “restriction of freedom of speech”.
Katpédélé, a Lithuanian Pizza Company, uses anti-Christian add mocking the last supper and disposing satanic number 666.
Peaceful pro-life protesters against abortions at Barcelona Catholic hospital were attacked by pro-abortion counter-demonstrators, some of whom reportedly threw rocks and trash and shouted obscene insults.
The play "Golgotha Picnic" by Rodrigo Garcia contains "sedition, blasphemy and pornography", say Christian viewers.
Christian groups protested against the performance of a blasphemous theater play by Romeo Castellucci called “On the Concept of the Face, Regarding the Son of God”. The director of the Vatican press office, P. Federico Lombardi, and Italian sociologist Massimo Introvigne drew attention to the case and called to strong but calm and prayerful reaction of the Christian community.
Nuns wearing habits are being subjected to verbal abuse in public more frequently in Bosnia-Herzegovina, say local Franciscan Sisters.
During the TV show "Big Brother" a participant made blasphemous remarks and for this he was disqualified.
A group of nine firemen from Glasgow, including several Roman Catholics, were disciplined by their employers for refusing to march in a ‘gay pride’ rally. Strathclyde Fire Board apologized after legal steps were taken.
A church-going former mayor in Warwickshire who declined to take part in a Halloween event has been found in breach of equality rules for upsetting pagans.
French pharmacists are required by law to sell the „morning after pill“ which causes an early abortion. The absence of conscientious objection is a violation of freedom of religion and conscience.
Pro-abortion forces on the internet are engaged in an ongoing campaign accusing a Spanish bishop of legitimizing rape during a sermon denouncing the killing of the unborn.
The Swedish liberal party politician Lotta Edholm called for even harsher penalties for homeschooling and for a change to the country’s social services law so that the government can take children away from home-schooling families more easily by allowing social workers to do so.
On January 9th the protestant church in Aplerbeck was broken into. The offertory boxes were robbed and the money, which was meant for a good cause, was stolen.
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians receives threats and anti-Christian messages such as: "Set the church on fire, keep the fire blazing, Christianity will soon fall!"
Burglars tried to break into the Görglitz Peterskirche. They broke an ornamental glass window and the damage adds up to at least 1000€ even though nothing was stolen.
A Church in Duisburg was badly vandalised on New Year's Eve by unknown perpetrators who used stones and fireworks. Many windows were broken including those with security glass. Fireworks were fired through the holes made in the windows. Damage to property was a minimum of 15 000 Euros.
A stranger broke into the Catholic church in Starzach-Börstingen and vandalised the organ, the Easter candle and much more.
In Mittelhessen, 14 of a collection of 44 handmade cribs were vandalised. The initiator of this exhibition estimates the material damage to about 500€ but the ultimate damage is boundless.
The Polish National Broadcasting Council (NBC) did not include a major Catholic TV channel in their distribution of crucial Digital terrestrial television multiplex licenses but accepted rather unknown commercial networks. Polish Christian groups as well as human rights activists are very concerned. This is a particularily important decision, as the technical future of the individual channels depends on it. For TV Trwam it is especially crucial, as the channel generates the funding for a widespread radio channel, standing and falling with the TV channel.
Several thefts of the Eucharist, for Catholic a most holy item, have been reported in Italy. People fear sacriledgeous use of the Eucharist.
A monument in memory of pope Jean-Paul II was damaged by vandals.
The representation of the Catholic Church in Finland reported to OSCE a total of 21 hate crimes directed against Christians in the year 2011. The hate crimes range from insult and threat to vandalism and physical assault.