"Nicaragua, where the pandemic is persecuting the Church"
Following an attack on a Nicaraguan cathedral, hatred towards the Church is growing. Recently, the shrine of St. Rita of Cascia at Teustepe has been the target of violence, with the saint’s image being defaced. The Daily Compass conducted an interview with the Archdiocese of Managua’s Vicar for the Family, Msgr. Silvio Fonseca: "Here we have witnessed a full frontal attack by the state on the Church. The president has insulted us and it seems to be an open war against the Church. It is as if their objective were ‘to get rid of her’.” Fonseca’s appeal to the international community: "The priests here feel threatened. Gangs of hooded men are running around with impunity."
Maira and Huma sequestered in Pakistan. The sad fate of Christian child-brides
In Pakistan, the question of Christian child-brides kidnapped by Islamic men has for some time now caused a series of legal disputes. What has happened in the past few years with the case of Asia Bibi is nothing compared to what Maira Shahbaz and Huma Youmus are presently suffering,who are respectively 14 and 15 years old. Their judicial processes could seriously become a precedent for the Asian country and are confirmation of how much Islamic fundamentalists have been able to manipulate existing laws to their favor
China and the Vatican, two years later there is more persecution
Two years after the signing of the provisional agreement between China and the Holy See, we are still unable to read its contents, but we can evaluate its effects on the life of priests and the faithful. The Asia News Agency has gathered a series of testimonies that demonstrate how the persecution is increasing
If Ocasio-Cortez hurls abuse at the patron saint of lepers...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has lashed out against a statue of St. Damien de Veuster, while referring to him as an example of "white supremacism." In reality, the great Belgian missionary went as a volunteer among lepers in Hawaii. And, after 16 years of charitable service, he himself died of leprosy. The words of this rising star among American Democrats confirm that Christianity is under attack.
Forbidden to mourn the victims of Covid: a bishop is fined
There’s no stopping the Catalonian government’s atheist offensive, even when it concerns the dead. Barcelona’s archbishop is now under investigation for violating an absurd rule of permitting a maximum of 10 faithful inside a church. At a funeral Mass for Covid victims there were 200 people in the Sagrada Família (with a capacity for 9,000). Archbishop Ormella decried: "Our freedom of worship has been violated."
Global survey finds the world still believes in God
“The Global God Divide” is the new report of the Pew Research Center that interviewed more than 38,000 people from 34 different countries in 2019. It shows that the world is still very believing: 45% openly recognise the necessity of believing in God. It is a deeply-rooted conviction in nations like Islamic Indonesia and the Catholic Philippines (96%), much less in Europe (22%), but still present in the United States (44%). Italy gives bad signals, while the former USSR very good ones.
Post Coronavirus: notes for living true freedom
Uproot statism and streamline bureaucracy, promote subsidiarity, free schools, fiscal freedom and the freedom to be born once conceived, national loan, combat the new humanism of the supra-national globalism that conducted an experiment of limited freedom and political authoritarianism during COVID-19: the future awaiting us will have to be the phase of true freedom, an extraordinary opportunity “to re-plan our journey, to set ourselves new rules and to discover new forms of commitment. . .” (Caritas in veritate, n. 21). Archbishop Crepaldi’s notes for rebirth according to the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Trump and Viganò: a dialogue that reads current events in a Biblical key
U.S. President Donald Trump sent a tweet showing his enthusiastic support for the open letter Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò wrote to him, that speaks of a fierce battle underway between the children of darkness and the children of light. It is a reading of current events that follows the same line as the prophecies of John Paul II and the judgments of Benedict XVI. Viganò notes that at this juncture President Trump is the only international authority capable of standing up to the global power which is intent on destroying freedom, which has taken advantage of the Covid crisis and which is stirring up revolts in the United States, with even harder times still in store.
The silence of surrender
The global lockdown crisis represents the definitive assault on the foundations of western civilization, built on the principles of Christianity. But even more than the surrender of politics, law and the media to the new tyrants, the silence of the Christian leaders is striking, as if God had nothing to say in this situation: a white flag of surrender that invites the barbarians to finally assault the citadels of Christianity.
Saint Paul teaches that an Empire should repair its injustices
The coronavirus crisis has brought about a focus on freedom and its relationship with the law, a theme that seems inopportune to bring up right now, even for many Catholics. And yet in the Acts of the Apostles we find a very clear example that speaks to our situation when Saint Paul calls for the public reparation of an injustice. This is why Christians ought to act in defence of their own freedom and rights for the good of the entire society.
All Masses banned. Italy’s “Patriotic Church” like China.
The Italian Bishops’ Conference has decided to suspend all Masses in Italy with the faithful in attendance until April 3 because of the coronavirus. This is a grave and historically unprecedented decision, which sends a clear message, faith is irrelevant to people’s lives. It is a model that creates the risk of being followed by the rest of the world. The ecclesiastical hierarchy seems to be ever more dependent on the government, following the model of the “Patriotic Association” in China. “Clandestine” priests are now celebrating Mass in churches or homes with a few of the faithful in attendance, at the risk of being denounced by state officials and other priests.
France, ambiguous start of the dialogue between State and Islam
President Macron wants a “French Islam". His appeal was followed by concrete actions and last year the AMIF, the new Association for Islam in France, was created. But who controls this association? According to a parliamentary question, the AMIF is dangerously close to the Muslim Brotherhood, even if its promoters deny this.
