At the age of nine, Catholic priest and scholar James Alison realised two things. The first was that he was gay. The second was that his life would never be the same. “I did know immediately that basically, I was lost,” he tells ABC RN’s Soul Search. “I lost my parents’ world, their political world, Read more
A report from the charity Open Doors has warned that religious minorities face an “Orwellian existence” under growing digital persecution. It says that surveillance technology and states’ monitoring of social media has been combined with censorship and disinformation on digital platforms to target religious minorities. Open Doors, which campaigns for persecuted Christians worldwide, published the Read more
Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa spoke out about his concerns regarding Christian identity and mission in today’s world at a recent Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Petone. The a diminution of the true identity of the Church and her mission, from which distorted or diluted efforts to evangelise can only bring about mediocrity Read more
The European Union and representatives from seven countries denounced the worldwide persecution of Christians on Sept. 27 at the United Nations. The panel discussion, held during the 74th session of the U.N. General Assembly, was co-hosted by the permanent missions of Hungary and Brazil. The event, “Rebuilding Lives, Rebuilding Communities: Ensuring a Future for Persecuted Read more
Tomorrow is #RedWednesday: the day the UK Houses of Parliament and other public buildings will be lit up in red. The display will honour Christians and others persecuted for their peacefully-held beliefs. The UK “All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief” supports #RedWednesday. The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need is organising Read more
Prior to the announcement that he is to visit Mayannar, Pope Francis has appealed for an end to the violent persecution of the minority population in Burma. “Sad news has reached us of the persecution of our Rohingya brothers and sisters, a religious minority,” the Holy Father told pilgrims and tourist in St Peter’s Square. “I would like to Read more
A federal judge in the US has given 114 Chaldeans and other Iraqis facing deportation a stay of at least two more weeks. During that time he will find out whether his court has the jurisdiction to rule on such matters. The US Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested those waiting deportation on 11 Read more
The prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship has urged Catholics to resist both “ideological colonisation” and the removal of God from society. Cardinal Robert Sarah did this during a speech at National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, on May 17. The Guinean cardinal spoke of a religious persecution and threat being visited on Read more
For many of us who strive to seriously practice faith in Jesus Christ, and to extend that practice out into the marketplace, the political square and society at large, persecution rarely means more than being ridiculed, verbally harassed, and to a certain degree socially and politically marginalized. But for so many other Christians throughout the Read more
In Bangladesh, Catholics—who account for just 0.2 percent of the population—have suffered from incidences of violence and persecution. However, the Catholic population continues to grow in the Southern Asian country, where Pope Francis has just established a new diocese. Catholicism came to the region in the 16th century with the arrival of Portuguese sailors. The Read more