The ‘staggering’ scale of persecution in the 21st century and how it can be addressed
October 15th, 2021 by Vox Cervi 1
Millions of people live in places where there are restrictions on belief.(Photo: Unsplash/Temitayo Aina) Christian Parliamentarians and leaders have re-committed to tackling the “huge” problem of persecution around the world. Fiona Bruce MP, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), told a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference that an estimated 83% of people around the world are living in countries where there is some kind of restriction on beliefs. …Read More
Pope Francis Decries Abortion and Euthanasia as Treating Human Life Like ‘Waste’
September 29th, 2021 by Vox Cervi 1
The Pope added that both abortion and euthanasia “deny hope” by negating “the hope of children who bring us the life that keeps us going and the hope that is in the roots that the elderly give us.” Pope Francis addresses participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Sept. 27, 2021. (photo: Vatican Media. / Vatican Media) Courtney Mares/CNAVaticanSeptember 27, 2021 VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis …Read More
Pope Francis Urges Catholic Lawmakers to Protect Human Dignity Online
August 30th, 2021 by Vox Cervi 1
Speaking to the International Catholic Legislators Network, the Pope encouraged the politicians to “make every effort to undertake serious and in-depth moral reflection on the risks and possibilities associated with scientific and technological advances.” Pope Francis greets participants in a meeting promoted by the International Catholic Legislators Network in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Aug. 27, 2021. (photo: Vatican Media. / Vatican Media) Courtney Mares/CNAVaticanAugust 27, 2021 VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis urged Catholic lawmakers Friday …Read More
EU bishops’ commission urges action to protect religious freedom
August 9th, 2021 by Vox Cervi 1
European Union flags flutter outside the EU headquarters in Brussels July 15, 2021. (Credit: CNS photo/Yves Herman, Reuters.) BRUSSELS — European bishops called on the European Union to do more to protect religious freedom in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of efforts to strengthen the bloc’s role as a “global humanitarian, development, economic and peace actor.” “Vulnerable religious communities are experiencing discrimination, intolerance and, in some cases, persecution as victims of genocide, …Read More
48 Christian Churches in Canada Have Been Burned Down or Vandalized as Persecution Continues
August 9th, 2021 by Vox Cervi 1
Video footage shows a woman attempting to light a Canadian church on fire days before the church burned to the ground. Surrey Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a press release that St. George Coptic Orthodox Church was destroyed in an early Monday morning fire, the cause of which is still under investigation. The fire is being treated as “suspicious,” particularly in light of video surveillance footage obtained by CTV Vancouvershowing a woman attempting to …Read More
How the Irish, and Many Others, Lost Their Religious Freedom to COVID Restrictions
June 7th, 2021 by Vox Cervi 1
A visitor prays during mass at a Roman Catholic church in Knock, Ireland, in 2010. (Cathal McNaughton/Reuters) Around the world, religious institutions bore the brunt of coronavirus rules. We can’t let this happen again. In Ireland, you can face six months behind bars for forging a drug prescription. Or for stealing€20,000 from your employer for luxury holidays. Or, until recently, for attending church. Even in a year that has turned societal norms on its head, it’s surely a surprise that the Emerald …Read More
Austria’s Catholic Bishops: Provide ‘Assistance to Live,’ Not Assistance to Suicide
June 7th, 2021 by Vox Cervi 1
In their message, the Austrian bishops said: “We know from countless encounters with the dying that the last phase of life, in particular, can be a blessing. In many cases, important encounters and moments of reconciliation are still possible.” Assisted suicide is currently punishable by up to five years in prison. (photo: Patrick Thomas / Shutterstock) CNA StaffWorldJune 2, 2021 VIENNA, Austria — Austria’s Catholic bishops urged the authorities on Tuesday to offer people “assistance …Read More
Irish people of faith call for government commitment to religious freedom
May 17th, 2021 by Vox Cervi 1
DUBLIN (7 May 2021) – People of faith are signing an open letter, addressed to the Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin TD, demanding a commitment never to ban church worship in Ireland again. Church doors will open once again on Monday, after public worship was forbidden for almost a full year, with criminal penalties imposed on those who left their homes to attend services and masses. Despite commercial public venues such as dry cleaners and …Read More
As evidence of genocide mounts, now is the time to pray for China
May 17th, 2021 by Vox Cervi 1
by Benedict Rogers China today faces the worst human rights crisis since the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, and the most severe crackdown on religious freedom since the Cultural Revolution. While the Chinese Communist Party regime has always been repressive, today it stands accused of genocide, forced organ harvesting, repeated breaches of international treaties, an all-out assault on all forms of dissent, civil society activism or independent media and a war on faith. Last month, …Read More
USCIRF confirms “intensified religious persecution during the pandemic”
May 17th, 2021 by Vox Cervi 1
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom annual report denounces that “the pandemic fostered misinformation targeting religious minorities”. Persecution of religious minorities has intensified with the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest USCIRF annual report. / Photo: Open Doors. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has released a new edition of its annual report on religious persecution worldwide, focusing on the effect of the public health measures put in place to prevent …Read More