All cases

Filtered by: Defamation

Aggressive Campaign to Remove Theology Department at University of Granada

November 23, 2011, Spain

The Association in Defense of Public and Laity Universities has asked the Dean of the University of Granada in a letter to dissolve the Theology Department which recently opened. The radically secularist group says on their website that "the creation of the Theology Studies Department is a violation of the neutrality and laity principles consecrated in the Spanish Constitution; it is an attack at the university because it undermines the independence and accuracy of the rational and critical thinking, because it puts theology at the same level as science, even though it has not other fundament that the faith itself. With the institution of a Theology Department the university moves forward into Catholicism, and thereby backwards to medieval times and national-socialism [dictatorship]."

(Scotland) Former Leader Becomes Victim of Religious Discrimination

October 31, 2011, United Kingdom

Former Scottish National Party leader Gordon Wilson has said a “lynch mob” booted him off the board of Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) because of his support for traditional marriage after Mr Wilson had responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on redefining marriage, saying that he was opposed to the idea.

(Northern Ireland) Gay March Signs Offend Christians

August 24, 2011, United Kingdom

Belfast's Gay March 2011 was (again) marked by anti-Christian offensive signs. One sign read: “Jesus had two dads (and he turned out just fine)”. Another protester bore a placard that said “Jesus protect me from your followers”.

Anti-Pope-Campaign Sues Pope at International Tribunal

May 16, 2011, International

The campaign “Calling the Pope to Account” sued Pope Benedict XVI at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity. The charges are: “the preservation and leadership of a worldwide totalitarian regime of coercion, which subjugates its members with terrifying and health-endangering threats; the adherence to a fatal forbiddance of the use of condoms, even when the danger of HIV-AIDS infection exists; and the establishment and maintenance of a worldwide system of cover-up of the sexual crimes committed by Catholic priests and their preferential treatment, which aids and abets ever new crimes”. The campaign is supported by posters and a book publication.

Stage Play “Me Cago en Dios” – “I shit on God”

April 30, 2011, Spain

The Spanish play “Me Cago en Dios” was shown in Madrid in 2004. It caused public uproar due to its radical anti-religious contents. It was subsequently shown in Lisbon and in 2011 in New York City.

Art Exhibit Displays Demeaning Image Called “Piss Christ“

April 20, 2011, France

Piss Christ is a photograph by Andres Serrano which shows a crucifix submerged in yellow liquid. Serrano, an American artist, has declared that the amber liquid is his own urine. Piss Christ has been displayed since the beginning of April at the art gallery “Collection Lambert” in Avignon.

Atheists Announce Public Campaign Against Catholics

April 5, 2011, Spain

In a broadcasting interview by ELA radio, in Madrid, a group of people who identified themselves as “representatives of different atheist groups”, expressed openly that their goals are to “punish” the Catholic belief, and to “damage” the views of Catholics. They praised the burning of churches in 1936, and they expressed their intention to “welcome” the Pope “as he deserves”, during the announced visit to Madrid in the summer of 2011.

Teacher Regularly Mocked Christianity in Class

April 2, 2011, Austria

A secondary grammar school teacher in Innsbruck regularly mocks and denounces Christian faith in class. The supervisory school authority has now reprimanded him.

Play against Catholics at Barcelona Theatre

March 24, 2011, Spain

The Cataluña National Theatre (TNC) in Barcelona is showing “Gang Band” from March 24th to April 17th 2011, during Lenten time. The plot describes the environment of a gay bar during the Pope’s visit to Barcelona. The play uses quotations from the Bible and the characters mock Christian traditional roles and beliefs. The TNC receives public funds to support culture and arts.

Pope Mocked in Controversial Cartoon

January 10, 2011, Italy

A satirical cartoon depicting Pope Benedict XVI was shown in Italy’s public television RAI2. In the cartoon, the Pope says about Silvio Berlusconi since he “likes minors, he can always become a priest”. This caused quite an uproar as it was considered as defamatory.

Government Representative Verbally Attacks Catholic Church

December 29, 2010, Spain

Cayo Lara, the General Coordinator of the IU (United Left wing) told media that machismo and gender violence are strongly related to religious education. Lara also referred to the Catholic wedding vows in which partners should be united "until death", as proving "without any need of further discussion" that the Church is in favor of the discrimination of women and treats women as "the property of men."

Political Spokeswoman States That "The Church in Spain is Sustained Tick”

November 10, 2010, Spain

In a session the Government, the spokeswoman of Esquerra Republicana, Joan Ridao, has called the Catholic Church in Spain to be "a kind of sustained, a luxury tick" (“mantenida y garrapata”).

Head of Belgian Catholic Church Could Face Charges of Homophobia For Controversial Speech

November 2, 2010, Belgium

Msgr. Leonard faces accusations of homophobia for expressing controversial positions on the causes of HIV/AIDS.

Government Representatives Verbally Attack Catholic Church

October 15, 2010, Spain

Oriol Amorós, the Immigration State Secretary in Cataluña, during a radio interview broadcast by RAC1 declared "Between the Pope and the Iman of Lérida, I have difficulties to make my mind. They are two version of too conservative and retrograde religions."

Painter Exhibits “Madonna Carrying Hitler Child”

October 6, 2010, Italy

Exhibition in Italian city Salemi shows a painting of Madonna holding child Hitler. Jewish and Christian Church leaders have condemned the display.

Church Compared to Mafia in European Parliament

May 12, 2010, European Institutions (EU, ECHR, et.al.)

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.

Anti-theist authors call for Pope’s Arrest

April 20, 2010, United Kingdom

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.

Magazine Cover Page Blasphemes Image of Christ

April 9, 2010, Germany

German Magazine sparks outrage by portraying profane image mocking Catholic Church and blaspheming image of Christ on the crucifix.

Desecration of Christian Churches on the Rise

February 25, 2010, France

Graffiti on church walls, destruction of religious art, and desecration of objects of worship becoming increasingly commonplace in France.

IPPF Stereotypes Catholic Church

February 17, 2010, International

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.”

Report Published: 84 Pages of Incidents of Marginalisation of Christians

December 31, 2009, United Kingdom

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.

Defamation of Christ in Awareness Ad

November 19, 2009, Italy

The Women’s Telephone Association of Milan launched an awareness campaign on violence against women featuring a semi-nude woman in the position of the crucifixion, with the slogan: “Who pays for the sins of men?”

Anti-Christian Slogans at Anti-Life Demonstration

September 12, 2009, Austria

Anti-Christian slogans such as “There is no God” and “If Mary had had an abortion, we would have been spared from you!” shouted at anti-life demo in Vienna.

Pop-Singer Madonna Offends Polish Catholics With Images, Contents and a Date

August 2, 2009, Poland

Pop-singer Madonna performed on August 15, the main Marian feast day of Polish Catholics, in Warsaw with for Christians offensive lyrics and images. Ads included sentences such as “There is no room for two queens in that country.”

Gay Pride Parade demeans Christianity

June 19, 2009, Italy

Gay Pride parade in Rome depicts crosses with sex items, ridicules the suffering Jesus by live imitations and carries anti-Catholic flags.

Consecrated Host Imitation Attached to Issue of Belgian Magazine

May 19, 2009, Belgium

Belgian magazine attached altar host imitations to May issue. Cover shows nun in sexy lace blouse saying “Holy shit!”

Defamation of Christianity on Television

April 27, 2009, Italy

Television program ANNOZERO openly insults Christianity by showing satirical vignettes of the Way of the Cross.

Crucifix Veiled in Condom in Art Exhibition

March 27, 2009, Italy

An Exposition at Museo Pan di Napoli showed the crucifix veiled in a condom.

(Internet) Video Mocks Catholicism

February 3, 2009, International

The film producing company Link TV placed a video online which mocks Catholicism. The short silent video shows a weird priest descreting the Eucharist, a most sacred item for Catholics.

Defamation in Art Exhibition

January 27, 2009, Italy

The justice department allowed the display of a crucified figure of Christ adorned with a papal tiara, as part of a contemporary art exhibit in Bologna.

Socialist Party Initiative Aims to Change The Name of Pius XII Street in Sevilla

April 25, 2008, Spain

The City Hall of Sevilla, run by the PSOE socialist party, has announced its intention to change the names of some streets associated with Franco and his regime. The proposal is a consequence of the Historical Memory Law that allows the removal of names and signs related to Franco's times. One of them is now considered to be Pope Pius XII and a street named after him. In the PSOE words, the Pope is a "francoist character", well-known as the "Nazi Pope".

Spanish Officials’ Discourse Shows Increasing Hostility Against Christians

February 29, 2008, Spain

The Observatory for the Freedom of Religion and Conscience (OLRC) issued a report quoting “100 reasons to be alert” about the attacks against Christianity by Spanish officials. The author affirms that the increasing hostility against Christians aims to eliminate religious expressions from the public square.

(Internet) Anti-Christian Games Available on the Internet

January 28, 2008, Italy

Molleindustra, Italian artists and engineers, designes video games fostering hatred of Christians and religion in general. User says: Religious hate has never been so much fun.

Gallery Offends Christians

January 6, 2008, United Kingdom

The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead displays statue of Christ with erect penis by gay Chinese-born artist Koh.

(Internet) Hate CD Sold on Ebay

November 27, 2007, International

German "Black Attakk" CEO Karsten Jakob sells four CDs on Ebay which contain hateful language against Christ.

Blasphemous Images in Weekly Magazine

November 13, 2007, Belgium

"Humo", a Belgian Dutch-speaking weekly that is known for its liberal and satirical opinions, published a representation of a man urinating in a chalice with the accompanying text: "And Jesus changed wine into urine". Our sources report that this was not the first time "Humo" published blasphemous representations.

Defaming Art Funded by and Displayed in Madrid

September 26, 2007, Spain

Madrid City Hall and Madrid Community co-sponsored a comic exhibition which shows the Pope consuming pornography, having sex with nuns, and sheep, produced by Italian artist Federico Solmi. Madrid’s mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón is the chairman of the exhibition. The general coordinator, Armando Unsaín, said that "it might be possible that the content of the exhibition offended a minority, but no further consideration should be given to the complaints. We live in a democratic society, and the Church has not been unpolluted to deserve no criticisms."

Anti-Christian Exhibition With Public Funding

September 13, 2007, Spain

The exhibit attacks monotheism, and blames it for all wars; extols the divine Elvis Presley as the new atheist god; and traces a parallel between totalitarianism (Communism, Nazism, etc) and its leaders (Stalin, Mao, Kim II Sung, Mussolini, Hitler) and the hierarchy of the Church.

Gay Association Demeans Bible in Ad

October 18, 2006, United Kingdom

Gay Police Association places ad in The Independent with a photograph of a bible next to a pool of blood.

Creationism Debate comes with Defamation of Christians

October 2, 2006, Germany

Wolfgang Baake, general secretary of Christian Media Association (Christlichen Medienverbundes KEP) Germany, calls the reporting and public discussion of evolution vs. intelligent design vs. creationism “defamation” of Christians.

(BBC) Internal Memo Admits Anti-Christian Bias

October 1, 2006, International

The British Broadcasting Corporation has admitted to a marked bias against Christianity among the network’s executives and key anchors.

Blasphemous Theater Play “La Revelación” Performed in Different Spanish Theaters

September 30, 2006, Spain

Stage play “The Revelation” of author Leo Bassi ridicules the Christian faith, by portraying God as illogical and blood thirsty, believers as cruel, and the Church as power hungry.

Anti-Christian Controversy About a Catholic Becoming Equality Minister

May 9, 2006, United Kingdom

Ruth Kelly, a devout Roman Catholic was made Minister for Women and Equality. Gay rights campaigners reacted with disbelief and stirred up a worrying debate whether a Catholic was fit for such a government position.

(MTV) Cartoon Demeans Vatican

May 1, 2006, International

MTV Cartoon Series Popetown demeans and ridicules Vatican.

Muslim Anti-Christian Protest – Scary Images

March 1, 2006, United Kingdom

Muslim anti-Christian protest took place in London in front of several European embassies and is portrayed on photos which were taken during a demonstration against the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad.

Sculpture Presents Christ with a Missile

February 10, 2006, Spain

Sculpture shows Christ with a Missile instructing Second World War German soldiers in Ferran Cano Art Gallery in Madrid.

Jesus Ridiculed in Music Clip

February 1, 2006, Spain

Jesus Christ is ridiculed in a Musical Video Clip on TV Channel Telecinco and the Internet

(TV) South Park “Bloody Mary” Episode

February 1, 2006, International

An episode of the cartoon series “South Park” shows irreverent treatment of Catholic symbols.

MSP Patrick Harvie Reports Archbishop to the Police for Defending Marriage

January 13, 2006, United Kingdom

Member of the Scottish Parliament asked Strathclyde Police to investigate remarks made by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow. The Archbishop had defended the institution of marriage in a church service.

Crucifixion Ridiculed by Popstar

January 1, 2006, International

Popstar Madonna ridicules the crucifiction on tour in Europe

Satanic Logo of Clothes Production Company

December 1, 2005, Sweden

A clothes production company in Stockholm comes out with a satanic logo as active statement against Christianity.

Mockery of Crown of Thorns by Spanish Politicians

December 1, 2005, Spain

A group of Catalan politicians joked about the Passion of Christ in an Official Visit to Israel by taking photographs with a crown of thorns.

Notre Dame Cathedral Seized, Priest Hurt, Gay Mock Wedding Performed

June 5, 2005, France

On Sunday June 5th, priest Monsignor Patrick Jacquin was hurt in Notre Dame Cathedral when about twenty members of the association ‘Act Up’ burst into the cathedral, defying the security personnel, in order to perform a mock marriage of two lesbians.

Christianophobic Opera Aired on BBC

January 8, 2005, International

“Jerry Springer the Opera” was screened by the BBC on January 8th and attracted a record number of complaints of over 55,000 from the public as it contained contemptuous, scurrilous and ludicrous references to the Christian Faith.

Greek Orthodox Church Damaged by Bomb Explosion

August 1, 2004, Cyprus

Greek Orthodox Church in Northern Cyprus was damaged by bomb explosion in Cyprus conflict.

Police Investigate Anglican Bishop Because He Said Some Homosexuals Changed to Heterosexuality

November 12, 2003, United Kingdom

The Bishop of Chester was investigated by the Cheshire constabulary in November 2003 after he told his local newspaper of research showing that some homosexuals re-orientated to heterosexuality. The police passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service who decided not to prosecute.

Catholic Nun Used for Condom Campaign

March 28, 2003, France

Image of Catholic nun used for pro condom campaign in Toulouse.

Christianophobic Exhibit in Moscow

January 14, 2003, Russia

Visitors are shocked by christianophobic exhibit in Andrei Sakharov Museum in Moscow as it shows Jesus and Mary in humiliating positions. Intention of organizers described as exposing hypocrisy of religion.

Catholic Priest Falsely Accused of Participation in Satanic Rites

May 1, 2000, Italy

Father Giorgio Govoni, 59, pastor of Staggia di San Prospero Church in the province of Modena, Italy, was accused of being a member of a group of pedophiles who engaged in sexually violent and harmful acts with minors, including participation in satanic rites in the Massa Finalese Cemetery. He was cleared after his death by the court of second instance.