Chinese authorities have arrested a Catholic bishop and removed him from the diocese where he serves, apparently in order to prevent his installation as new leader of the diocese, the AsiaNews service has confirmed. More here.
Category: Persecution of the Church
Desecrations by the Thousands by Moslems in Catholic Churches in Europe in Past Three Years
Rorate Caeli: There have also been recent cases (mainly reported in local newspapers but occasionally even in national newspapers) of Muslims going into churches, shouting, cursing and smashing sacred objects. However this alarm is not limited only to Italy. Read more … Continue reading
Coming Persecution: May the English Martyrs Be Our Inspiration
National Catholic Register, Stephanie Mann: Monsignor Charles Pope warned recently: It is time to prepare for persecutions that will get bolder by the month and year. The dark movements that marched in under the banners of tolerance never meant it. … Continue reading
Cardinal Cañizares: ‘They Will Not Force Me to Be Silent . . . Even If They Crucify Me’
Maike Hickson, 1Peter5: In the midst of so many discouraging and troubling pieces of news, it is always important to point out manifestations of virtue and of the good that still abides. One of the great defenders of Catholic Truth right … Continue reading
Mexico’s President Pushing Same-Sex ‘Marriage’, ‘Stabs [Church] in the Back’
LifeSiteNews: The recent initiative of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to impose homosexual “marriage” on the country has led to the greatest confrontation between the government and the Catholic Church since the 1920s and 1930s, warned a spokesman for the Archdiocese … Continue reading
Interview With Underground Bishop on Vatican Dialogue With Beijing
Vatican Insider, Gianni Valenti: A “Chinese Bishops’ Conference in communion with the Pope” is “what we hope to see and that for which we have been praying for a long time”: the viewpoint of Joseph Wei Jingyi, the “clandestine” Catholic bishop … Continue reading
There Never Was a Time for Cozy Catholicism, Especially Not Now
National Catholic Register, Msgr. Charles Pope: There is a growing consternation among some Catholics that the Church, at least in her leadership, is living in the past. It seems there is no awareness that we are at war and that Catholics … Continue reading
China: Vatican Paper Honors Underground Bishop Who Recently Died at 93
He was in prisons, forced labor, and house arrest for 35 years. Catholic Culture: L’Osservatore Romano has paid tribute Bishop Vincent Huang Shoucheng of Xiapu (Funing), who recently died at the age of 93 and whose ministry was not recognized by … Continue reading
Cardinal Zen Unloads His Heart, Having Been Forced to Defend Himself From Even His Friends
AsiaNews: After three weeks (11 June – 2 July) of terrible battle against the attack of a virus called “Mycoplasma pneumoniae” I am back to my religious house for a long recovery. But here I am being told that I was … Continue reading
Italian Bishop Says Islam Is in an ‘Ongoing Assault on Christianity’
Catholic Culture: A retired Italian bishop has taken issue with Pope Francis’ statement that Islam is not responsible for terrorist violence. “It is an ongoing assault by Islam on Christianity,” said Bishop Andrea Gemma, the former head of the Isernia-Venafro … Continue reading
Secret Negotiations Going on Between Vatican and Beijing
As with every jurisdictional Vatican compromise with Communist governments the one in the offing smells of betrayal. There have been four secret meetings between Vatican representatives and Chinese government officials in the past two years, the most recent being at the … Continue reading
New Book on Communist Persecution of the Church in Eastern Europe
Francis Phillips, Catholic Herald: Last week I wrote about volume I of The God of the Gulag, Jonathan Luxmoore’s study of the 70-year Communist persecution of Christians in Russia and Eastern Europe. Having now read volume II, “Martyrs in an Age of … Continue reading
ISIS Murderers Kill Priest Offering Mass in France
Get Religion, Terry Mattingly: So an elderly Catholic priest was killed by terrorists in France. These basic facts are at the heart of the latest horror story from the very tense continent of Europe. As you would imagine, a story of … Continue reading
China: Museum to Open Celebrating Execution of Catholic Saint
AsiaNews: Village authorities in Dingan, Guangxi, plan to celebrate the expulsion of Catholic foreigners from their area by opening a museum to celebrate Zhang Mingfeng, a magistrate from the Qing era who sentenced a missionary saint to death. The celebration includes … Continue reading
Interview With Iraqi Priest Tortured by ISIS
First Things: Fr. Douglas Bazi is a Chaldean Catholic priest in his native Iraq, where he served as pastor of a parish in Baghdad during the American-led invasion. He suffered several acts of violence during the unrest that followed, including … Continue reading
