All cases
Religiously-Motivated Attacks on 743 Christian Refugees in Germany
October 17, 2016, GermanyThe NGOs AVC (Action on behalf of Persecuted Christians and the Needy), EMG (European Mission Society) as well as ZOCD (Central Council of Oriental Christians in Germany) and Open Doors announced the results of their research on October 17th.
Serbian Orthodox Chapel turned into Public Toilet
October 3, 2016, KosovoA recently repaired and cleaned cemetery chapel was turned into a public toilet and a garbage dump, with many graves overrun with weeds, despite a custodian employed by the Priština municipality.
Pro-Government Officials and Media using Anti-Christian Propaganda
October 1, 2016, TurkeyFollowing the failed military coup against President Erdogan the Christians of Turkey are being made scapegoats by government officials and Islamist extremists.
Armed Police Patrol Canterbury Cathedral
September 29, 2016, United KingdomPolice with guns patrol Canterbury Cathedral due to concerns about terror attacks. The extra security is in response to a series of jihadist attacks across Europe, including the murder of French priest, Father Jacques Hamel.
Humanist Association Urges Vote to Remove "God" from Constitution
September 29, 2016, IrelandThe Association calls for the removal of any references to God in the Constitution, and to any clauses that require public officials to swear a religious oath upon taking office.
Pressures on Christian Refugees Continue in Sweden
September 1, 2016, SwedenRefugees who have converted from Islam to Christianity report beatings, threats, bullying, and social exclusion in refugee accommodations.
Albanians Threaten to Burn Serbs and their Churches
August 28, 2016, KosovoAttempts by Serbs to mark the religious holiday of Assumption in several towns in Kosovo and Metohija were met with road blocks, threats of burning, rocks, tear gas, and an attack on the car of the deputy director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Dusan Kozarev.
Nice Deputy Mayor Confirms "Burkini Ban" Also Applies to Nuns' Habits on Beaches
August 26, 2016, FranceRudy Salles defended the ban of the "Burkini" and said that the same ban would apply to Catholic nuns wearing habits on Nice beaches.
U.S. Baptist Minister Arrested, Convicted Under Missionary Activity Law
August 14, 2016, RussiaDonald Ossewaarde was arrested on August 14th as he conducted a bible study group in his home. He is first foreign missionary to be charged with violating Russia's law banning missionary activity outside officially registered church buildings.
Mass of the Assumption Banned by Authorities
August 11, 2016, TurkeyAfter 88 years of closure, the Panagia Sumela Monastery in Trabzon, was reopened in June 2010 and since then, the Turkish authorities had given a license for a yearly Mass to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to celebrate the Mass of the Assumption. This year, the authorization was administratively revoked.
Town Council to Remove Cross from Public Square
August 11, 2016, SpainThe Callosa de Segura town council voted to remove the cross in the plaza of the church of San Martin. Christian legal groups objected, noting that its presence poses no threat to anyone and that it is part of the town's historical and cultural heritage.
Pastor and Politician Report Abuse of Christian Refugees in Frankfurt
August 8, 2016, GermanyDuring a press conference with Bundestag member Erika Steinbach, Pastor Mahin Mousapour said Christians staying at migrant shelters are being told that they are impure and that they deserve to die for rejecting Islam.
Christians Forced to Flee Refugee Housing in Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock
August 4, 2016, GermanyFourteen young Christian Iranians fled their accommodations after being threatened with death for months by a group of Muslims living in the tent city.
Anarchist Protesters Disrupt Divine Liturgy
July 31, 2016, GreeceA group of about 25 people burst into the church of Saint Gregory Palamas in Thessaloniki, disrupting the Divine Liturgy (Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite) throwing leaflets protesting against the expulsion of refugees and migrants. The protesters clashed with those present in the church. Riot police made more than twenty arrests.
Department Store Fires Catholic for His Faith
July 21, 2016, United StatesMacy’s department store in New York fired a Catholic employee because he questioned their transgender bathroom policy, even though he told his employer he would enforce the policy.
German Bishops Conference and Protestant Evangelical Church in Germany Issue Joint Statement
July 12, 2016, GermanyCardinal Marx, chair of German Bishops' Conference and Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, head of the Protestant Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), united to condemn the attacks on Christians and other religious minorities in camps.
Religion Classes in Belgium to be Replaced with Citizenship Classes
July 7, 2016, BelgiumThe country's religious education classes in French-speaking primary and secondary schools will be cut in half in October 2016 and replaced with a weekly hour of citizenship classes, over the objection of students and teachers.
Russia's Anti-Terrorism Law Restricts Missionary Activities
July 7, 2016, RussiaThe new law bans preaching, praying, proselytizing, and disseminating religious materials outside of officially-designated sites, and authorizes fines for these activities conducted in private residences or distributed through mass print, broadcast or online media.
Belgian Nursing Home Fined €6,000 for Refusing to Allow Euthanasia on Premises
June 30, 2016, BelgiumJudges in Belgium fined a Catholic nursing home after it prevented doctors from giving a lethal injection to a 74-year-old lung cancer sufferer on its premises.
Lay Association Calls for Mayor's Resignation for Assisting in Catholic Blessing
June 29, 2016, SpainThe president of Asturias Laica, Jose Luis Iglesias, has formally requested that the Mayor of Gijon, Carmen Moriyón, resign from office for assisting in the Catholic ritual of the blessing of the waters in the feast of San Pedro, the city’s patron saint, which was celebrated on June 29.