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.
In 2008 and 2009 several isolation cases of vandalizing of churches took place in various parts of Lithuania. These cases include on breaking into churches and vandalizing cemeteries, presumably by satanic groups. Some cases were reported to the police.
The orthodox archpriest was shot dead by criminals after he admonished them for hooliganism. The killers came to the church and defecated in the hallway. The priest asked them to stop their acting and was shot to death.
Christmas wordings were substituted by non-religious phrases on countless occasions. Phrases range from “seasonal greetings” to “may your celebration be under a good star” to "white seasons songs" in all European countries. A very interesting report has reached us from an employee of a global corporation based in Switzerland.
‘I feel if I had spoken about almost any other topic I would have been fine but Christianity is seen as a no-go area. It felt as if I was being treated as a criminal. It is like a bad dream that had come true,’ says sacked teacher Olive Jones.
Due diligence omitted in questionable article in German daily Die Zeit wrongly accusing Christians of being in favour of radical law in Uganda. Complaint to Press Council lodged by professor of journalism.
Eight families in Salzkotten, Germany, have suffered heavy fines and now their fathers have been sentenced to prison, because they have refused to send their elementary school-age children to mandatory sexual education classes. State wants “to prevent parallel societies.”
Several acts of vandalism against the church of Derventa were reported in December 2009. Vandals attempted to break in the church, destroyed windows, damaged the cemetery and destroyed lights and decorations.
The advent season is used by Belgian anti-religious politicians to propose ban of religious symbols on objects serving a public function and a ban on religious traditions of public life.