All cases
Catholic Airport Worker Suspended for Displaying a Picture of Jesus
October 10, 2007, United KingdomManchester, England - A Catholic airport worker was suspended for displaying an image of Jesus on a staff room wall after a Muslim colleague made a complaint against him.
Christian Foster Parents Forced to Retire From Fostering Children
October 10, 2007, United KingdomA Christian couple was being forced to retire from fostering needy children on conscientious grounds after the local council imposed rules requiring them to discuss homosexuality with the children.
Students of non-Islamic religions discriminated against in Turkey
October 1, 2007, TurkeyThe European Court for Human Rights requested Turkey to bring its education system and domestic legislation into line with Article 2 of Protocol 1 to the ECHR. What triggered this decision was the discovery that religious culture and ethics classes, mandatory in primary and secondary schools, provided exclusively specific instruction in the guiding principles of the Muslim faith and its rites.
Blasphemous and Hurtful Art Funded by and Displayed on Ibiza
September 30, 2007, SpainThe art exhibition "Vamos a Ibiza" (Let's go to Ibiza) by artist Ivo Hendriks shows John Paul II having passive homosexual sex, and Jesus Christ on the way of the cross while a character – half man, half woman - holds a penis to his mouth. The exhibition was authorized and funded by the Ibiza local authorities, and it took place inside the former L'Hospitalet church.
Defaming Art Funded by and Displayed in Madrid
September 26, 2007, SpainMadrid 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."
Verbal Assult Reported in Hungary
September 14, 2007, HungaryThe Holy See reported one case of verbal assault in Hungary on 14 September 2007.
Anti-Christian Exhibition With Public Funding
September 13, 2007, SpainThe 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.
Violence and Damages to Orthodox Church
August 20, 2007, Bosnia and HerzegovinaFour unidentified people allegedly broke into the Orthodox Church in a mixed settlement in Bugojno. They set a table and the priests’ robes on fire, and proceeded to desecrate the church. Two individuals were prosecuted for the latter event and sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment with a two-year suspended sentence. The Bugojno Municipal Assembly agreed to compensate the Church for the damage and installed video surveillance.
Desecration of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Békéscsaba
July 27, 2007, HungaryThe Romanian Orthodox church in Békéscsaba suffered an arson attack in the evening of July 24 by unknown people.
Orthodox Churches Attacked by Molotov Cocktails or Stoned
July 20, 2007, Bosnia and HerzegovinaOn July 20th, in Kozarac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Orthodox Church was stoned and the windows of the church were broken. In another incident on October 19th, a Serbian Orthodox church in Gjilan/Gnjilane was attacked with Molotov cocktails, but the interior of the church was not damaged.
Gay Parade Supporters and Participants Mock Christian Beliefs
June 30, 2007, SpainBefore and during the Gay Pride Parade Christianity was mocked by Spanish actors Pablo Puyol, Carlos Fuentes, Mariola Fuentes and Pepón Nieto who addressed the gay community encouraging them to "do as much as possible to gain eternal damnation", and "to got a step further on the way to hell". Participants wore bishops' outfits and carried anti-Christian signs.
Police Investigate Leaflet Advertising Church’s Easter Services
June 22, 2007, United KingdomChurch worker Julian Hurst, was handing out invitations for his church's Easter service. Police seized the literature after complaint by homosexual man that church should not be allowed to advertise.
Public Funds for Blasphemous Book
May 31, 2007, SpainThe regional governming authority of Extremadura funded with public funds the book „Sanctorum e In Breedin“ containing photographs displaying pornographic images together with Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, and other Catholic sacred symbols. St. Roque is shown having an erection while holding his dog; Archangel Gabriel's picture displays the angel in sexual climax; extrements are shown over the chalice in substitution of Holy Communion; Jesus Christ is depicted as a transsexual; San Juan de la Cruz is shown having oral sex; and so on.
Blasphemious and Hurtful Art Funded by and Displayed in Valencia
May 31, 2007, Spain"Art" in Valencia: Piece "Jaula de Canarios" (Canaries Cage) shows an image of God covered with birds excrement. Another piece shows nuns dancing with members of the military force; and another one displays Jesus and the Virgin Mary being "cooked" in a pan. Sacred images have been beheaded, and the original heads replaced with Disney's characters.
Traditional Patronal Festival Stripped of Original Christian Meaning
May 26, 2007, SpainRepresentatives of Esquerra Unida and ERPV at the Sueca City Hall, Valencia, decided to suppress the religious connotation of the traditional festival that honors the Virgin of Sales. The proposal seeks to strip it of any religious meaning disregarding its Catholic origins. The representatives decided to run the festival under a new dedication, the "Rice Festival".
Three Christians, Employees of a Christian Publishing, Tortured, Stabbed and Killed
April 18, 2007, TurkeyThree Christians tortured, stabbed, and killed in Turkey. Four of the five men detained, confessed having committed the crime for nationalist and religious reasons.
Bishop in Court for Criticing Homosexual Behaviour
April 15, 2007, BelgiumIn April 2007 André-Mutien Léonard, then the Roman Catholic bishop of Namur gave an interview in the weekly magazine Télé Moustique, where he was asked his opinion on homosexuality. In his answer he referred to Sigmund Freud and deduced that homosexuality was essentially psychological in nature. The court cleared the bishop - but the fact that he went through trial is of great concern.
Catholic Church Forced to Withdraw from Adoption
April 1, 2007, United KingdomNew gay rights law forces the Catholic Church to pull out of offering adoption services in the UK.
Church Attacked in Kosovo
March 30, 2007, KosovoIn Dean/Decane, Kosovo, the wall of one of the Serbian-Orthodox church’s most revered sites, a 14th-century monastery, was damaged by an anti-tank missile. On 4 May, the Kosovo police service said they had identified a suspect, but no arrest was made.
Community Metal Cross Broken and Dragged Away
March 30, 2007, Bosnia and HerzegovinaIn Prozor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, four people broke down a metal cross that belonged to the Catholic community from a nearby village, and dragged it a few hundred meters away. The four defendants signed a plea agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office in Mostar, admitting their guilt. Three defendants were sentenced to two months’ imprisonment with a probation period of one year, and one defendant got a sentence of three months’ imprisonment.