All cases

Filtered by: Negative Stereotyping

Catholic NGO Defamed By Government Report, Confirmed by Court

June 1, 2012, France

Georges Fenech, the president of the interministerial mission MIVILUDES, an acronym for Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaires (Interministerial Mission for Monitoring and Combatting Cultic Deviances), appointed to this position by François Fillon in 2008 and renewed in 2011, was convicted by the Paris criminal court on June 1, 2012 for public defamation.

French Anti-Sect Governmental Mission Raids in Catholic Communities

April 13, 2012, France

Since the presidency of MIVILUDES (Interministerial Mission of Vigilance and Fight against Sectarian Drifts) by Georges Fenech, several small Catholic communities have increasingly been targeted, the last one being "Amour and Miséricorde" (Love and Mercy).

Mockery of the Last Supper on French Television

March 16, 2012, France

The French Channel Direct8 has streamed a new episode of the show "Very bad blagues" called "When one’s an apostle" ("Quand on est apôtre") which mocks the last supper.

New York Times Ad Calls Catholic Church "Autocratic, Woman-Hating, Sex-perverting Old Boys Club"

March 13, 2012, International

Catholics and non-Catholics alike have reacted to a viciously anti-Catholic full-page advertisement in Friday’s New York Times. The ‘Freedom From Religion Foundation’s ad, which takes the form of a letter to a “liberal Catholic”, asks “Cafeteria” Catholics, “Why are you propping up the pillars of a tyrannical and autocratic, woman-hating, sex-perverting, antediluvian Old Boys Club?” The Freedom from Religious Foundation is led by Annie Laurie Gaylor and her husband, Dan Barker. Gaylor is author of the book, Abortion Is a Blessing.

Celebrity Suggests "Homophobic" Clergy Should be Jailed

March 12, 2012, United Kingdom

The celebrity singer Will Young has suggested that clergy should be put in jail for speaking out too strongly against same-sex marriage.

Negative Stereotyping on Belgian Television

March 6, 2012, Belgium

The Belgian TV series “A tort ou à raison” drawn up by Marc Uyttendaele, repeatedly streams negative stereotypings of Catholics. The first episode, “l’affaire Sainte-Maxime” stages tendentiously a case of pedophilia in a Catholic high school; another episode “la plume empoisonnée” depicts how a fanatic Catholic woman forces her son to become a Catholic priest.

Christians Compared to Radical Muslims

February 23, 2012, United Kingdom

Trevor Phillips, the head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), has ignited public controversy by comparing Christians who do not believe that homosexuals should be allowed to adopt children to “Muslims who demand the introduction of Sharia Courts”.

Exhibit "Obscenity" Targets Christianity and Shocks Believers

February 16, 2012, Spain

A photo exhibit at the Fresh Gallery in Madrid displays pictures by Bruce LaBruce displays intolerance against Christian symbols, deepens negative stereotypes and disregards feelings of believers.

Mockery of Christian Worship

February 13, 2012, Italy

A commercial advertising Red Bull broadcast on Mediaset mocked Christian confession and worship.

Pro-Abortion Activists Spread False Claim That Bishop Said It Was OK to Rape a Woman Who Had an Abortion

January 10, 2012, Spain

Pro-abortion forces on the internet are engaged in an ongoing campaign accusing a Spanish bishop of legitimizing rape during a sermon denouncing the killing of the unborn.

Anti-Christian Sculpture Displayed in Art Gallery

December 25, 2011, United Kingdom

An anonymous artist donated a stone bust of a cardinal with his face covered in pixels to a gallery in Liverpool. The sculpture implies that Church officials are criminals. "...it’s easy to forget the true meaning of Christianity - the lies, the corruption, the abuse," says the producer. Reyahn King, the art gallery's director is "thrilled".

Business Leader Says "Christians who Defend Marriage are Evil"

December 20, 2011, United Kingdom

“I’m…campaigning against evil Christians (that’s not all Christians, just bad ones) who think that gay people should not lead happy lives and get married to their same-sex partners,” said Nick Lansley, TESCO Head of Research and Development for the Tesco website.

Study Reveals: Christians are a minorty at the BBC

December 3, 2011, United Kingdom

A diversity survey conducted internally by the BBC revealed that only 22.5 of its employees are Christians. In a country where the majority of the population identified themselves as Christians, the fact that the BBC staff do not constitute a fair representation of the public constitute a factor that needs to be corrected, said BBC veteran Roger Bolton.

Theater Play Advertisement Portrays Jesus as King of Lies and Meaninglessness

November 30, 2011, Germany

"Die Präsidentinnen" - "The female presidents" is a theater play by Werner Schwab, first shown in Vienna. In November 2011 it was restaged in Cologne. It is a play about the "lies of life", disappointed hopes and meaninglessness. The advertizement poster of the restaged performance shows a crucifix hanging on a toilet. For Christians, this implies that Jesus Christ was the king of lies and ought to be flushed down the toilet in the cleansing process. This is offensive and hurtful to Christians.

Clothing Company Ad Disrespects Christians Through the Image of the Pope

November 17, 2011, International

An advertisment campaign of the clothing company Benetton featured the Pope kissing intensely the Islamic Shek of the Al-Azhar Mosque on the lips. The campaign is called UnHate and claims to stand for peace in the world. The image of the pope kissing the imam implies that the Pope would currently "hate" the Imam, or be intolerant towards Muslims. After many protests, Benetton removed the photo montage off their website. It seems however, that the provocation - as well as the removal - was planned as a PR campaign from the beginning.

Heated Debate on Anti-Christian Theater Play Portrays Christians Negatively

November 16, 2011, France

The Golgota Picnic (Golgotha Picnic), a provacative anti-Christian play written by the Argentine-born author Rodrigo Garcia, has drawn the anger of French Christians who protested outside the Garonne Theatre in Toulouse. While the theater's manager, Jacky Ohayon, insisted the play be harmless and ran previously in Spain "with no trouble", Catholic Bishop Dominique Rey of Frejus-Toulon said that "Garcia's play shows Christ as 'madman, dog, pyromaniac, messiah of Aids, devil-whore, no better than a terrorist'."

Blasphemous Christmas Movie Screens at European Cinemas

November 1, 2011, International

The Warner Bros production "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas", profanes Christian symbols and traditions. It contains sacrilegious humor, graphic non-marital and aberrant sexual activity, full nudity, a benign view of drug use, about a half-dozen instances of profanity and pervasive rough and crude language."

Blasphemous Play Hurts Feelings of Christians

October 31, 2011, Ireland

At the Dublin Grand Canal Theatre „Jerry Springer: The Opera“ was screened in the country for the first time on October 31th, 2011. Christians protested outside the theatre before the performance, several people walked out during the show.

Marketing Campaign for Canal+ Series Smashes Holy Images

September 29, 2011, France

„Borgia“ TV series produced by the French TV channel "Canal+" in association with EOS Entertainment and distributed by Beta Film GmbH, used holy symbols for promotional advertisements in a profane way.

Campaign Against Catholic Church's Tax Exemption

August 31, 2011, Italy

A political campaign supported by a social media campaign advocated the removal of the tax exemption granted to the Catholic Church. The supporters of the proposal claim that the Church money would help Italy to overcome its financial crisis, and would therefore make other governmental spenditure cuts unnecessary. The Catholic Church properties are exempted from tax because of the community service they provide and the social function church buildings serve. In the fall of 2011, the issue was dropped.

Norway Killer Anders Breivik Wrongly Labelled a "Christian Fundamentalist"

July 29, 2011, International

Shortly after his ruthless murder of at least 76 innocent men, women, and children Anders Breivik has been called a “Christian fundamentalist,” “Christian terrorist,” and “Christian extremist.” The media picked up the solitary, premature and unjust comment of a police officer right after the incident.

French Daily Smashes Jesus Christ and Christianity

July 16, 2011, France

French daily „Liberation“ smashes Christianity by depicting Jesus as a loser, drug user and egocentric. The French Catholic bishops’ conference issued a statement in support of freedom of expression but saying that this requires respect of the one it actually offends. The bishops also mention that Christians always forgive.

BBC Survey: Viewers Think Broadcaster is Anti-Christian

June 1, 2011, United Kingdom

The BBC is widely regarded as displaying an anti-Christian attitude in its programming, according to the Corporation’s own research.

Catholic Church Blamed for Unemployment

May 31, 2011, Spain

Cayo Lara, General Coordinator of the United Left party has blamed the Catholic Church for 400,000 Spanish citizens currently unemployed. According to Lara the Catholic Church received public funds amounted in 10.000 millions of euros per year, money that could be used to create job positions for those without a jobs.

Socialist Party Member and Government Representative Slams Christianity on Facebook

May 26, 2011, Spain

Sandra Yagüe, member of the PSOE and second in command to the City Hall of Azuqueca de Henares, one of the largest cities in the district of Guadalajara, has created a Facebook page to called "public sinners wishing excommunication". On this page she displays profane and pornographic materials using the images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary in disturbing contexts.

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.

Landowner at Pilgrims' Route Prohibits Priests to Enter Property

May 14, 2011, Austria

One of the routes to the main Austrian Catholic Shrine, MariaZell, located in the Austrian mountains, leads through the forest of Mr. Josef Rothwangl. In May 2011, Mr. Rothwangl put up a sign prohibiting priests to enter his property when accompanying children or youth. He says that he was a victim of abuse by Catholic priests himself, when he was a student at a Catholic high school. It is not clear, whether such a prohibition is legally permitted or not. The social effects are in any case problematic: The measure defames and stereotypes priests by implying that all Catholic priests are child abusers.

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.

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.

Atheist Procession on Holy Thursday

April 5, 2011, Spain

A neighbour organization of Madrid's ambassadors’ district (Barrio de los Embajadores) and surrounding areas called for an “atheist procession”. The procession is scheduled to take place on the night of Holy Thursday departing from Plaza de Lavapies (wash feet square), and it will run parallel to the Way of the Cross, the Christian procession. According to the organizers’ web site – Atheists from Madrid (Ateos de Madrid) - the procession goal is to raise awareness against the "social and moral hypocrisy that conveys the Catholic Holy Week”.

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.

Reporter Calls Church Homophobic Talking About the European Soccer Championship

February 23, 2011, Poland

Homosexual Polish soccer fans are demanding that a separate seating section be created at the 2012 European Soccer Championship in Poland; they claim that gays and lesbians might otherwise be subjected to harassment and violence. Associated Press Sports Editor, Ms. Terry Taylor, reported about this plea with the following comment: "Homophobia also remains deeply embedded in Poland because of the legacy of communism which treated homosexuality as a taboo and the teachings of the church in the predominantly Roman Catholic country."

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."

List of Attacks Against Christian Sexual Orientation Group

December 10, 2010, Germany

At a meeting on Freedom of Religion of OSCE/ODIHR in Vienna on Dec 9 and 10, the spokesperson of Wüstenstrom, a Christian NGO representing people with unwanted same-sex attractions, summarized a series of intolerance and attacks against them and their work. Find here the full text of his intervention.

Public Funds Used in Campaign Against Catholic Church

November 25, 2010, Spain

Government funded atheist forum at the occasion of the Pope's visit to Barcelona concludes that "there was an increase of conflicts with a religious background, religious leaders used faith to subjugate the world, religious hierarchy attacked democracy, and religion restricted the exercise of freedom of conscience."

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”).

Generalitat Catalana and Government Fund a Forum Against Public Presence of Catholic Church

November 10, 2010, Spain

The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Equality, the Generalitat of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council and La Caixa funded the Forum Libertat 2010 on the same days on which the historic visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Santiago and Barcelona took place. The Forum advocated the withdrawal of the public presence of the Catholic Church.

University Supports Profane Show Despite of Students and Staff´s Complaints

October 28, 2010, Spain

The Dean of University of Valladolid, Marcos Sacristán, after being warned about the blasphemous content of Leo Bassi´s play, decided to offer the university premises for its performance. Students and staff of University of Valladolid had requested Dean Sacristan to ban the play because of its offensive content.

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.

(Scotland) BBC Displays "Consistent Anti-Christian institutional Bias"

September 5, 2010, United Kingdom

Scottish Cardinal O'Brien says that detailed research into BBC news coverage of Christianity revealed a consistent anti-Christian institutional bias.

Street Dedicated to Anti-Christian War Criminal

July 7, 2010, Spain

The City of Santa Pau in Girona dedicated a street to the former mayor Joan Pinsach, who commanded the execution of priests in 1936 during the Civil War, as approved by mayor Esther Badosa.

Personal Experiences of Marginalisation in the Media

May 28, 2010, United Kingdom

Evangelical Premier Media conducted a survey called "Freedom of the Cross Consultations" in May 2010. 12 % of the respondants answered that they had experienced discrimination personally, another 10% that they knew someone who had. Read here some quotes with regard to the media.

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.

(International) New York Times With Anti-Christian Bias

March 26, 2010, United States

The New York Times set firmly on Pope Benedict in its front page coverage of the fallout of the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. Poor journalism with anti-Christian bias.

Attempt to Legally Qualify Catholic Church as Criminal Organisation

March 25, 2010, Austria

Vienna-based lawyer Georg Zanger wants to sue leading members of the Catholic Church on grounds of membership in a criminal organisation (§ 278a StGB, Austrian Code of Penal Law).