All cases

Filtered by: Exclusion (of individuals or ideas)

Priest faces up to three years in prison for criticising Islam

March 5, 2024, Spain

As reported by the Catholic News Agency on March 5, Fr. Custodio Ballester, parish priest from Barcelona, and two other individuals received a summons from a provincial court in Spain in February to answer charges of an alleged “hate crime” for criticising Islam. The charges were initially brought in 2020, when Catalonia's public prosecutor claimed that Fr. Ballester's 2016 article entitled 'The impossible dialogue with Islam' met the criteria of a 'hate crime'. If convicted, Ballester faces up to three years in prison and a fine of more than EUR 1,500.

Christian Neurologist Cleared after a three-year investigation for 'pro-life values'

February 9, 2024, United Kingdom

Rev. Dr. Patrick Pullicino, a neurologist and Catholic priest has been vindicated by the General Medical Council (GMC) after a three-year investigation for allegedly giving a bias opinion due to his 'pro-life values'.

Teaching Assistant Wins Legal Case After Being Fired for Street Preaching

January 12, 2024, United Kingdom

In March 2022, Andy Nix, 65, was called to the headteacher's office from Temple Moor High School and interrogated about his street preaching in the summer of 2021. This happened after some students complained that his street preaching made them feel "unsafe". He was fired on the spot and had to leave the school premises immediately. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), Mr Nix took legal action against the school claiming harassment, discrimination and a breach of his right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion under Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). Now, the school decided to settle the case and pay him £7,000 in compensation instead of going to trial.

French Minister announces dissolution of Catholic movement 'Accademia Christiana'

December 10, 2023, France

The French Minister of Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced on 10 December that he would present in “the coming weeks” to the Council of Ministers the dissolution of Academia Christiana, a youth-movement of traditional Catholics which since its foundation in 2013 has brought together thousands of young Christians in its training courses and summer schools. According to the minister, the decision was made on the fact that the movement is "inciting hatred and discrimination." Academia Christiana has already announced that they will challenge then ban in court.

Christian worker fired after refusing to work during church's Sunday service

November 5, 2023, United Kingdom

Former employee of Sainsbury's Jacqueline Rendell is suing the supermarket chain for "unfair dismissal" alleging she was fired for refusing to work on Sunday mornings so she could attend Sunday services at church. She claims the supermarket chain fired her because she refused demands to work every Sunday morning.

Scottish MP says she left her party after being 'unwelcome as a Christian'

October 25, 2023, United Kingdom

Scottish MP Dr Lisa Cameron shared on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour how she had felt marginalised in the Scottish National Party (SNP) because of her Christian faith and pressured to vote against her convictions. Now defected to the Conservative Party, Dr Cameron voted against the 2020 new abortion regime for Northern Ireland and disagreed with bills which sought to legalise assisted suicide in England and Wales.

Christian Secondary School Teacher Fired after Refusing to Teach 8-Year-Old Pupils Gender and Sexual Identities

October 9, 2023, United Kingdom

Glawdys Leger, 43, taught modern foreign languages at Bishop Justus Church of England School until May, 2022 when she was fired for refusing to teach her 7 and 8-year-old pupils about gender and sexual identities. The teacher was reported by a student and subsequently fired for "gross misconduct" after an investigation and disciplinary hearing. Shortly after, she received a letter from the Teaching Regulation Agency that allegedly her teaching conduct had been "contrary to fundamental British values in that it lacked tolerance to those with different beliefs." Leger, on the other hand, says that she "cannot, in good conscience, teach or say things I believe are contrary to my faith." Leger's hearing is due to commence in Coventry on October 9, 2023.

UPDATE: Päivi Räsänen Stands Trial Again For Sharing her Christian Worldview

September 1, 2023, Finland

During the 31st of August and the 1st September, Finnish Politian Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola stood trial at the Helsinki Court of Appeal for the charges brought against them of "inciting hatred" against LGBT people. These charges are based upon a Twitter post made by Räsänen in 2019, as well as a pamphlet and a radio interview. Last year, Räsänen and Pohjola were unanimously acquitted of all charges, but due to the appeal by the prosecutor, they stood trial again. The verdict will be announced in November 30th.

UPDATE: Hieromonk Ioann Kurmoyarov sentenced to three years in jail for oposing war in Ukraine

August 31, 2023, Russia

The verdict of the Court against Fr Ioann Kurmoyarov was given on 31 August and has finally sentenced the hieromonk to 3 years in a penal colony accused of disseminating false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Porsche digitally removes Lisbon's landmark Christ statue from advertisement

August 2, 2023, Portugal

German luxury car brand Porsche digitally removed the statue of Christ the King in Lisbon from an advertisement celebrating 60 years of the Porsche 911 filmed in Portugal and published on 2 August. After the unreasonable removal of the monument caused outrage among Christians, the brand apologised for the "error" and re-published the video with the Christ unedited.

UK Survey Highlights Christian Students Being Silenced on University Campus

June 30, 2023, United Kingdom

A survey by Coventry University has detected varying levels of silencing among Christian students sharing experiences of prejudice and discrimination. Among students of other religions, Christian students stand out as feeling pressured to change their worldview.

UN Anti-Discrimination report Proposes to limit religious Freedom

June 25, 2023, International

The so-called SOGI report from the UN, made public on the 15th of June, proposes to limit freedom of conscience and religious freedom, to avoid discrimination against the LGBT community. The National Council of Evangelicals of France (CNEF) expressed worry about the implications of this report in a statement, which has also been supported by the World Evangelical Alliance and the European Evangelical Alliance.

UPDATE: Former LGBT Man On Trial For Statements on His Conversion to Christianity

June 9, 2023, Malta

Matthew Grech, a maltese 33-year-old Christian, had his first Court trial on Friday 9th of June. He is being prosecuted on the grounds of "breaching the Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression Act" and promoting "conversion therapy". He could face a prison sentence of up to five months and fines from 1,000 to 5,000 Euro. In the program, aired in April 2022, Grech shared his experience as a homosexual and how he found Christianity, which changed his life forever. Grech did not invite or encourage listeners to undergo any form of "conversion therapy".

Update: Landmark Case Bans Christian Teacher for Misgendering a Transgender Pupil

May 23, 2023, United Kingdom

On May 23rd, a ruling by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) in the UK banned Christian Joshua Sutcliffe from teaching altogether, after he failed to treat his pupils "with dignity and respect" by misgendering a transgender boy. This case is the first of its kind in the UK and has become international news. It goes back to 2017, when the former maths teacher at the Cherwell School in Oxford, said "well done girls" to a group of girls, where one was a transgender boy - and he later apologized. Sutcliffe was later also accused of inappropriately sharing his Christian beliefs.

Teacher Faces dismissal for Questioning 'Gender Transition' Advice from LGBTQ+ NGO to 8-year-old kid

May 12, 2023, United Kingdom

A Christian primary school teacher who questioned Stonewall and Mermaids' recommendations to support a "gender transition" of an 8-year-old student without providing any supporting medical data has lost her job and is the subject of numerous regulatory body inquiries. She is being supported by the organisation Christian Concern to contest against her dismissal due to discrimination based on her religion.

Norwegian city under investigation for denying funding to Christian organisations

April 5, 2023, Norway

In the Norwegian city of Klepp, nine council members are conducting investigations into a suspected case of religious discrimination over the funding of Christian organisations. It is suspected that organisations that adhere to the traditional view of marriage appear to be left out of the community grants.

Catholic hospital Chaplain wins Lawsuit After Being Fired for His Religious Statements

March 13, 2023, United Kingdom

In March 2023, Rev. Patrick Pullicino won a legal case, after being dismissed as Chaplain for expressing the traditional teachings of the Church about marriage. This case started in 2019, as Rev. Patrick Pullicino was dismissed as chaplain by the NHS Trust, after answering a question about the Church's teachings on traditional marriage, which was posed by a patient. The patient that pose the question then sent a complaint letter about Rev. Pullicino. Vanessa Ford, the acting chief executive of the South West London and Saint George's Mental Health NHS Trust, answered to the letter by stating that the trust's policy on equality and diversity "takes precedence over religious belief." Rev. Dr Patrick Pullicino, a Catholic chaplain and former professor of neurosciences sued the NHS Trust.

Britain’s largest Scout girls’ organisation told to stop singing to God in new ‘inclusive’ campfire songs

March 10, 2023, United Kingdom

As reported by The Telegraph and the Christian Institute, Girlguiding, the UK's national guiding organisation for girls, has come under pressure and criticism after it published a blog post in which the organization argued that in order to make some of its traditional songs "inclusive for everyone," they need be changed to remove "references that have been hurtful to people." Using as an example a song in which references to God were removed.

"Buffer Zones" Clause in England and Wales Criminalize Silent Prayer or "Influence" Around Abortion Clinics

March 7, 2023, United Kingdom

On March 7, the House of Commons voted to comprehensively introduce buffer zones around abortion clinics to the Public Order Bill for the final time. The clause to the bill was approved by a majority of 299 MPs in favor to 116 against. Now that the Public Order Bill is set to become law, any form of "influence" around abortion clinics will be criminalised, including silent prayer or consensual conversations, de facto making "thought crime" a reality in the UK. Experts have commented that while harassment and intimidation are already illegal, this law would be a serious attack on freedom of speech and freedom of thought.

UPDATE: Charges Dropped Against UK Woman for Praying Silently

February 1, 2023, United Kingdom

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce had been arrested and charged with violating protest policy near an abortion center, as she was standing on the street and praying in her thoughts. UK authorities have now dropped the charges against her, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) warned that charges could start again in a near future. Vaughan-Spruce has said she wants to seek a clear verdict in court.