On October 14, 2010, the Lutheran Church in Michalovce was found seriously damaged. It had been broken into, possibly by Satanist, who had turned the major cross upside down, burnt the altar vestments, damaged the baptismal font, and wrote insults to God and saints onto the altar.
Ongoing: A report of the Gendarmerie Nationale underlines the fact that most desecrations since 2005 have been aimed at Christian cemeteries and other Christian places of worship.
Mother of an executed prisoner cannot pray at her son's tomb. It is unclear whether he had seen a priest before execution.
The Catholic church of Saint Florent in Strasbourg was vandalised by Islamists who spray painted the door of the church, calling for an Islamic Crusade. One could read in black marker on both wings of the door: “Jerusalem to the Muslims” and “The Crusade for an Islamic Holy Land.”
“All catho are bastards” and other anti-Catholic symbols were tagged on the church Sainte Madeleine in Besançon. Mgr Lacrampe, bishop of Besançon issued a statement in which he says: "During the night of October 9th to 10th, individuals wrote on the door of the church of Sainte Madeleine in Besançon abusive language against Catholics. I strongly condemn these irresponsible acts which lack of respect towards the public building as well as towards the community to whom it is entrusted. I reaffirm that nothing can justify the hatred of others or contempt for people and their faith."
An unknown number of burglars entered the cathedral, broke-opened the tabernacle and took a 1930 monstrance of brass and wood. They also broke several stained windows. For Father Arnaud, the parish priest, “this attacks the very essence of our faith.” He experienced this burglary as “a sacrilege and a desecration,” he said.
BHA (British Humanist Association) has called on the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, North Somerset Council, Visit Britain and South West England to shut down the zoo. The secular group claims that the zoo is misleading tens of thousands of visitors annually and ‘threatening public understanding’ by questioning the traditional view of evolution.
Former British MP Christine McCafferty urged the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to recommend limitations to conscientious objection when it comes to abortion. The draft report contained a limitation of freedom of conscience to individuals. Objecting individuals would have faced restrictions and blacklisting. The draft, aiming at discriminating against Christians, was voted down on October 7th.
Exhibition in Italian city Salemi shows a painting of Madonna holding child Hitler. Jewish and Christian Church leaders have condemned the display.
Polish equality minister Elzabieta Radziszewska not asked to be a jury-member for this year’s EU journalism award “Together against Discrimination” after explaining rights of schools with regard to employing homosexual teachers.
In a report released in September 2010, the Association of Protestant Churches details the fundamental problems faced by Christians in Turkey. Among them, the place of worship is a troublesome one.
Repeated vandalism including defecation committed by youth in church building in Upper Austria.
Administration interprets freedom of conscience so narrowly that only those directly involved in the objected surgical act of abortion are allowed to invoke the right to "conscientious objection".
The chapel of the crypt of Notre-Dame de Lourdes, in Bastia, was attacked most likely on Monday, September 27th. The altar was sprayed with urine and statues of the Virgin were plunged into a water vase, head down.
About twenty graves were desecrated, tombstones and memorial plaques scattered in the Catholic cemetery of Frontenay-Rohan-Rohan.
Mr. Stemberger, a US lawyer who successfully defended Rifqa Bary, a teenage Christian convert from Islam, has had his organisation’s website destroyed by a Muslim hacker. Obscene message stating intent left on site.
The U.S. House of Representatives deplores: the inability of Orthodox Christians, clergy and other religious communities to access and hold services at their place of worship and cemeteries in the north; the disrepair of churches and cemeteries and the preservation of religious heritage (iconography, mosaics, and other religious symbols); the lack of schools and perspectives for young people in the north.
Ongoing attacks against sidewalk-counseling pro life activists in Vienna filmed and published online.
Scottish Cardinal O'Brien says that detailed research into BBC news coverage of Christianity revealed a consistent anti-Christian institutional bias.
A statue of the Virgin of Fuensanta (local patron) at the Carazony college in Malaga was removed in September at the request of parents. Another group of parents launched a campaign to ask for it to be reinstated.
During the night of August 26th to 27th, the church of Juniville has been attacked and vandalised: candles were thrown on the ground, the tabernacle was broken and posters were torn and burned on the ground.
The political parties Esquerra Republicana, Izquierda Unida, and Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds, requested Parliament to pass a law to remove any religious sign and faith-related traditions -specially those related to Catholicism-, from the public square.
During the night of Saturday 21st to Sunday 22nd of August, about fifty graves in the German military cemetery of Laon were vandalised. Crosses were extracted from the ground or completely broken.
Two Christian pro-life protesters were arrested twice by Police in Brighton and await the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service to see if they will face a Criminal Prosecution.
Fifteen graves and a Catholic chapel have been targeted. A cross was destroyed. Among the graves vandalised, three vaults were particularly damaged. The doors of three grave buildings were broken open and their windows broken. On other graves, funerary objects such as crosses or flowers pots were broken and scattered all around the cemetery.
Patriarch Bartholomew leads 250 million Orthodox Greeks worldwide. The community in Turkey has dwindled to a few thousand. The Turkish government refuses to recognize the title Ecumenical Patriarch, or Bartholomew's role as an international religious leader. A journalist from CBS asked Bartholomew about his feelings, he said that he felt “crucified” by the difficulties he faces every day in Turkey.
Dr Tali Argov overlooked for promotion, stripped of her privileges and ill-treated at social gatherings, after converting from Judaism to Christianity.
Spain’s government is systematically violating the conscience rights of health care workers on abortion, says a group of legal experts that is now taking action to restore those rights.
Sweden’s parliament gave a crushing blow to parental rights passing a law that makes homeschooling legal only in “extraordinary circumstances.” The law excludes religious or philosophical convictions as legitimate reasons for home education.
The XIIIth and XVIth century’s church of Saint-Pierre-les-Vallées in Pouan was wrecked in the night of July 26th. An employee noticed the knocked over Cross in the church’s courtyard. As he went to inspect the rest of the church, he saw the disastrous state of the church: crucifixes overturned, glass chandeliers smashed to pieces on the pavement, stations of the Cross burnt, an altar overthrown and the ogive vault overlooking the high altar very damaged.
In the parish Church of Limoux, the chandeliers, the statue and the crucifix which decorated the tabernacle were overthrown and vandalized. They laid on the ground, bent or broken, when the acts were discovered. Behind the altar, the nativity scene and the chapel of the Virgin Mary were wrecked. The church is open continuously, visitors discovered the damage in the beginning of the afternoon and called the police. The police had to close the church for the afternoon but it could be reopened for a scheduled evening concert.
On Monday July 21st, the sacristan of the medieval church of Echillais discovered that the church had be stained, desecrated and that the vandals had probably entered in it with there scooters.
The City of Santa Pau in Girona dedicated a street to the former mayor Joan Pinsach, who commanded the execution of priests in 1936 during the Civil War, as approved by mayor Esther Badosa.
Lead politicians backing the bill refuse to allow a conscience clause; opposition parties claim that the objections of Christians are being ignored.
Playboy’s Portuguese edition after it publishes photos depicting Jesus Christ among topless Playboy models, allegedly in a tribute to author Jose Sarmago.
Spain's government fined the Christian television network 100,000 euros for running a series of advertisements in favor of the family and opposing homosexual lifestyle.
Belgian officials search the offices of the Catholic Church in Belgium. The raid has been condemned by the Pope and investigation is underway to determine its lawfulness.
A Football Association official prevented a prominent footballer for England’s World Cup team from talking about his Christian faith to reporters during a press conference.
Turkish attorneys now in fourth year of prosecuting two Christians for allegedly slandering Islam; despite the lack of any concrete evidence to support their claims, Turkish courts are continuing prosecution.
A moderate Christian preacher, Andy Robertson, was wrongly told by a police officer Gainsborough, Lincolnshire that it is a crime to publicly express the religious belief that homosexual conduct is sinful.
English schools failing to teach pupils about basic Christian beliefs in religious education lessons, according to a new report by education “watchdog”, Ofsted.
Catholic bishop Luigi Padovese was fatally stabbed in his home in Turkey. Driver confessed to the murder, yet motive remains unclear.
The Corpus Christi procession, a landmark celebration that takes place in Toledo, Spain, every year was modified to comply with a new regulation issued by the Defense State Department. While traditionally the army rendered honors to the Catholic holy symbol the Eucharist (which was granted under a special provision of the Army’s legal code), Carme Chacón, the Minister of Defense, modified the Code to end the long standing tradition of the army’s involvement in the Corpus Christi celebration.
Evangelical Premier Media conducted a survey called "Freedom of the Cross Consultations" in May 2010. 12 % of the respondants answered that they had experienced discrimination personally, another 10% that they knew someone who had. Read here some quotes at the workplace with a special focus on the medical profession.
Evangelical Premier Media conducted a survey called "Freedom of the Cross Consultations" in May 2010. 12 % of the respondants answered that they had experienced discrimination personally, another 10% that they knew someone who had. Read here some quotes with regard to education.
Evangelical Premier Media conducted a survey called "Freedom of the Cross Consultations" in May 2010. 12 % of the respondants answered that they had experienced discrimination personally, another 10% that they knew someone who had. Read here some quotes with regard to the media.
Evangelical Premier Media conducted a survey called "Freedom of the Cross Consultations" in May 2010. 12 % of the respondants answered that they had experienced discrimination personally, another 10% that they knew someone who had. Read here some quotes with regard to hiring venues.
Evangelical Premier Media conducted a survey called "Freedom of the Cross Consultations" in May 2010. 12 % of the respondants answered that they had experienced discrimination personally, another 10% that they knew someone who had. Read here some quotes with regard to hiring venues.
Evangelical Premier Media conducted a survey called "Freedom of the Cross Consultations" in May 2010. 12 % of the respondants answered that they had experienced discrimination personally, another 10% that they knew someone who had. Read here some quotes with regard to religious symbols and prayer in public.
Evangelical Premier Media conducted a survey called "Freedom of the Cross Consultations" in May 2010. 12 % of the respondants answered that they had experienced discrimination personally, another 10% that they knew someone who had. Read here some quotes with regard to "Adoption and Fostering".
Acts of vandalism in cemetery target Christian graves in particular.
Unidentified criminals burglarised and vandalised a Catholic church in Switzerland. The act included desecration of the Eucharist and of the Bible.
An unknown individual vandalized the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament of the church of Saint André de Salindres and urinated in the chapel.
In a meeting on child abuse, European Parliament Platform for Secularism says that Roman Catholic Church is protecting criminals and that its behavior is comparable to that of the Sicilian Mafia.
Street Preacher Dale McAlpine was arrested after stating to a passersby that homosexuality was a sin. After seven hours in a police cell, McAlpine was released. (video footage available!)
The renowned daily reports on a noticeable rise in quality and quantity of attacks against Church buildings.
“In the workplace, just having a Christian related password on my computer, got me into trouble - I was insulted by management. This was the start of ongoing bullying,” says an respondent who wishes to remain anonymous.
The postal worker Emmanuel N. was fired because he refused to distribute erotic flyers on the grounds of his Christian faith.
Dawkins and Hitchens are accusing Pope Benedict of committing crimes against humanity and calling for his arrest when he sets foot on British soil in the fall.
In the night of April 13th the birthplace of Josef Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, was vandalised. The house in Marktl am Inn was sprayed on with "insulting contents".
German Magazine sparks outrage by portraying profane image mocking Catholic Church and blaspheming image of Christ on the crucifix.
Christian parents arrested and imprisoned up to 40 days when they refused to allow their children to participate in a mandatory sexual education program.
Spray-painters tagged the church in the Nižná village with rude writings and fascist signs on April 6, at the time of the most important Christian festivities. The writings were about one meter high in size and in black colour. The vandals also damaged the near-by standing monument. A similar incident had taken place during Christmas the year before.
375 Christian parents lodge complaint with European Court of Human Rights as the mandatory school curriculum is antithetical to their moral convictions. After five years of public debate and much engagement on the side of the parents, the subject was abolished on Jan 31, 2012.
The New York Times set firmly on Pope Benedict in its front page coverage of the fallout of the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. Poor journalism with anti-Christian bias.
Vienna-based lawyer Georg Zanger wants to sue leading members of the Catholic Church on grounds of membership in a criminal organisation (§ 278a StGB, Austrian Code of Penal Law).
Over 300 parents and children filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights on the grounds that Spain’s compulsory “Education in Citizenship” classes promote sexual promiscuity and abortion and provide materials that mock Christianity. In 2012, the Spanish government stopped the programme.
Various non-Muslim organised religious groups continue to deal with difficulties in Turkish society that seems to refuse to them the right to legal personality. The main implications of this problematic situation lie in their property rights, their access to justice and their ability to raise funds.
Catholic League presents several examples of media bias against Christians in the United States, mainly around sex abuse scandals. US media is also widely in use in Europe.
A day after a pro-life manifestation had taken place in Plaza Nueva, Seville, a graffiti was found on one of the walls of San Román Church. The graffiti displayed the phrase: "Put your rosary away from our ovaries". The church wall was cleaned on the same day after a public outcry on intolerance and vandalism.
A street preacher has been arrested and fined £1000 in Glasgow for telling passersby, in answer to a direct question, that homosexual activity is a sin. He was sentenced for “homophobic remarks…aggravated by religious prejudice.”
A 19th century Cambridgeshire church has been gutted following a massive fire, reportedly started when yobs set Bibles and prayer books alight. The horrific fire in Westry, near March, left the village church in tatters with only the external brickwork remaining.
The church of Sainte Clair of Quimper was burglarized on the night of Thursday, March 18th, 2010. The tabernacle was also desecrated. Burglars broke into the church; all the furniture were forced-open, the liturgical cloths thrown to the ground and every room was carefully searched including the bell tower. But in the end, visitors left with only a CD player and a microphone.
The Bible was thrown to the ground, tiles were broken, benches overturned, flower pots broken in the parish church of Arras. It is not the first time damage was noted in this church. This case of vandalism deeply shocked Father Berthe, who evokes the "lack of respect while the good news of Jesus' love is a source of hope for everyone."
A Dutch marketing company was sued after refusing to print bath towels that supposed to be an advertistment for promoting homosexual behaviour. The company had declared on their website that they are not interested in orders that are conflicting with their Christian beliefs and morals. Invoking the Equal Treatment Commission (ETC), the company was accused of not fulfilling a service that was beneficial for the general public and discrimination against certain social groups.
A group of socialists, communists, liberals and greens, headed by Dutch liberal Sophie in’t Veld and German green Franziska Brantner seek to ban the Catholic Service which has been in place in Strasbourg for 11 years.
Twelve crosses were removed from the walls of the surgery unit of the public hospital of Bad Soden, Germany, in February, while patients were watching.
Graffiti on church walls, destruction of religious art, and desecration of objects of worship becoming increasingly commonplace in France.
Openly homosexual activists disrupt Catholic services for refusing Holy Communion to open homosexuals.
Controversial sex ed bill passed in the house of commons and only later turned down as a legislative project. Under the bill, schools, both religious and secular, would have had to give children information on homosexual relationships as well as artificial contraception and abortion, including on how to obtain abortions and contraceptives. Catholic and Anglican schools would have been required to promote abortion, contraception, “civil partnerships” and homosexuality as “normal and harmless.”
Two glass doors were broken and fire set on the altar under the tabernacle. Fire did not spread and was extinguished by itself.
A district judge has thrown out the case against another street preacher, Paul Shaw, who was arrested on February 19 in Colchester over comments he made about homosexual activity.
47 graves were vandalized in Oxelaëre, in Northern France. They were all Christian graves and many of them were tagged with swastika, injurious words and various grafiti. Mayor Stéphane Dieusaert exclaims: "It is pathetic."
A mother of eight was detained on February 17th to spend eight days in a prison. She had refused to send her nine-year-old-son to school on grounds of her objection to sex education.
According to pro-contraception and pro-abortion NGO International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Catholics are indistinguishable from Islamists: “Fundamentalist and other religious groups—the Catholic Church and madrasas (Islamic schools) for example—have imposed tremendous barriers that prevent young people, particularly, from obtaining information and services related to sex and reproduction.”
Gay activists plan mass kissing provocation in front of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Counterdemonstrations led to new location while a few remained there.
Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Washington has ended its foster-care program and will end its adoption program as well. At issue was the right of the archdiocese to reject gay marriage and remain a city contractor; a bill legalizing same-sex marriage recently passed in the District.
Personal documents of Turkish citizens include information on religion, leaving potential for discriminatory practices. Examples include reports of harassment by local officials of persons who converted from Islam to other religions and wanted to change their ID cards.
The fire was set in the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, near the choir, in the middle of previously stacked chairs. Firefighters quickly controlled the fire, but a significant amount of smoke spread into the building. The fire fortunately did not damage the walls and paintings in the chapel. For the police officers as well as for the parish priest, Father Massip, the fire was with no doubt of intentional origin.
Thirty-six graves were targeted in the cemetery of Biéville-Beuville, in Calvados, near Caen. Many crosses were reversed and funeral ornaments wrecked.
“Because of a substantiated fear of persecution”, an American judge on immigration matters argued, the United States is granting political Asylum to a German couple and their children, who are fleeing from compulsory education in Germany.
“A child's life can be destroyed by two things: Christianity and pornography".
The cemetery of Croissy-sur-Seine was desecrated on Wednesday, January 17th. Crosses were broken and headstones were wrecked. No mention of the incident was made in the media.
“I work for the local NHS Trust and female nurses are not allowed to wear a small necklace with a cross. But it seems unfair that Muslim women are allowed to cover their heads with scarves,” says a respondent who wishes to remain anonymous.
The Christian Institute published a report called "Marginalising Christians", cataloguing numerous cases of Christians being sidelined by public bodies, popular media, employers and facing barriers to public funding.
Violation of the Catholic Cemetery; desecration of graves, as well as, the demolition of a cross in Bushat, Shkodër, were reported. Police did not apprehend the perpetrators.
Countless Christian Churches and cemeteries desecrated and vandalized in 2009. Find here a selected overview.
Graffiti on several church buildings, presumably by satanic groups: Two incidents were reported to the police in 2008, one in 2009.
Find here a list of cases for the year 2009 which was brought to our attention .
In 2009 the Roman Catholic Polish magazine, Gosc Niedzielny (Sunday Visitor) was fined nearly €25,000 for an anti-abortion editorial.