All cases

Christian Refugees on Lesbos Threatened; Prevented from Seeking Asylum

July 22, 2017, Greece

Several clashes broke out around July 22, 2017 at Lesbos Island’s Moria Camp for refugees, with Greek authorities arresting 35 Muslim rioters who threw large rocks at police officers and set fire to tents both inside and outside the bounds of the camp. A disabled Christian was nearly burnt alive while sleeping in one of the shelters. "Christians are being prevented from holding church services, worshiping and praying by their Muslim neighbors. Moreover, reports of tents being burned down, violence, bullying, harassment and severe threats paint a very bleak picture of the quality of life for Christians caught up within the camp," according to the British Pakistani Christian Association.

Planned Attack on Pope in Fatima Foiled

July 21, 2017, Portugal

A Moroccan man was expelled from Portugal after police foiled his planned attack on Pope Francis during his visit to Fatima in May 2017.

Bibles Found Burnt in Lonay

July 18, 2017, Switzerland

A member of the Evangelical Church of Lonay discovered that five bibles had been taken from its festival tent in the middle of the night and burned. Nothing else was taken or damaged.

More than 25 Catholic Pages Blocked by Facebook as "Spam"; Later Restored

July 17, 2017, European Institutions (EU, ECHR, et.al.)

Between the night of July 17 and the morning of July 18, 2017 Facebook unpublished more than 25 Catholic pages in English, Portuguese and Spanish with no explanation to page administrators. After restoring the pages around 1:00 in the morning of July 19th, Facebook gave a statement to ACI Prensa: "The pages were reestablished. The incident was a malfunction of the spam detection mechanism in our platform. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused." In 2016, Facebook came under fire for allegedly censoring trends to news deemed "conservative."

U.K. Foreign Office Agency says Evangelical Christians in the Global South Should “Reinterpret” the Bible

July 17, 2017, United Kingdom

The Barnabas Fund has highlighted a Wilton Park (an executive agency of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) report from 2016 in which it describes biblical sexual morality as 'hateful' and evangelical Christians in prejudicial terms. A key recommendation of the report is "challenging the interpretation of sacred texts."

Political Party Tried to Boycott Inauguration of Virgin Mary Monument

July 15, 2017, Spain

Party members of Podemos failed to prevent the inauguration of a monument dedicated to the Virgen del Rocío when they were denied authorization to hold a second protest march.

Man Attacked for Wearing a Cross in Berlin

July 14, 2017, Germany

In the early morning hours of July 14, 2017, three teenagers attacked a 39-year-old man on a tram who was wearing two wooden Christian crosses on a chain around his neck. They pointed at the necklace and asked in broken German "what's that?" The teenagers, who appeared to be North African, proceeded to taunt him with insults and slapped him in the face repeatedly.

Church Desecrated in Villarreal

July 14, 2017, Spain

The Basilica San Pascual de Villarreal was desecrated on July 14, 2017. One or more perpetrators forced open the tabernacle and stole the ciborium containing consecrated hosts. This act of desecration requires that a Mass of reparation be celebrated according to Canon Law.

Iraqi Man Threatened to Kill Church Members

July 9, 2017, United Kingdom

Zana Hassan interrupted a Sunday afternoon church service in Barnard Castle, County Durham on July 9, 2017 “shouting and swearing.” After being arrested by police, he threatened to “kill all the English,” making references to the war in Iraq. He was later convicted of a racially aggravated offense.

Arson at Church in Luleå

July 5, 2017, Sweden

The Catholic Church in Luleå Sweden was the victim of arson on July 5, 2017. The fire was started at two places outside of the church, one of them being the main entrance of the church. The parish priest, Nelson Mendoza Caserial, is shocked and surprised about the attack. He has stated that the church had not received any prior threats, either to the congregation, the employees, or himself. He lives in a house on the church property and was sleeping when the police alerted him at midnight. "I was really shocked and still shaking. I have not slept a wink since the police came and told us that the church was on fire," he said.