Thurible
Member
(
notkeylime
Please lock) (Mods can put this in politics if more acceptable) Hello, everyone. As you may know I am a Roman Catholic who believes religious faith is a great thing. After hearing about the Mosque attacks in New Zealand and the arson in California I thought perhaps I should share some recent attacks against people of my own faith. It seems like there is an uptick in prejudice and violence against religious groups, and I find this troubling. I think these may be related to the increased political divisiveness of our time and how some people associate all members of certain faiths with certain evils (ex. Muslims and extremist terrorism, Catholics and pedophila, etc). I think this needs to be discussed with open minds and hearts. Just because some people have done evil things does not mean all members of certain faith condone and participate in vice. Here are some stories:
Priest choked and defended by old women in Edmonton:
"Edmonton police are investigating after a group of elderly women, armed with canes, protected their parish priest from an unprovoked assault.
Father Marcin Mironiuk had just finished leading evening mass at Our Lady Queen of Poland Parish in south Edmonton on March 13 when he was approached by a young man he didn't recognize.
Within seconds, the stranger threw Mironiuk to the ground and wrapped his hands tightly around Mironiuk's neck, said Lorraine Turchansky, a spokesperson for the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton.
As Mironiuk struggled to breathe, parishioners responded with the only weapons they had at their disposal — their walking canes.
"They were elderly ladies who were very shocked, understandably, but they did manage to intervene," Turchansky said in an interview Tuesday with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.
"They hit him with their canes and got him to release the priest."
The assailant loosened his grip on Mironiuk's neck and ran off, Turchansky said.
"Perhaps if they had been younger they would have had their cell phones out and would have been calling 911 but that wasn't the case here," Turchansky said.
Mironiuk, who declined an interview with CBC News, wasn't hurt in the attack.
Edmonton police confirmed that an investigation is ongoing, and that witnesses, armed with canes, helped scare off the alleged attacker.
Police described the suspect as a white man, five-foot-nine and about 25 years old. He had short dark hair and wore a red T-shirt and a black jacket. He smelled of liquor, police said.
Rouleau was in the middle of a morning mass when a man rushed the altar, Turchansky said.
"He pushed him up on the altar, and in that case, Father Rouleau couldn't help but think about what happened in that horrific attack in Montreal at St. Joseph's Oratory," Turchansky said."I think a lot of priests are wary of something like that when they hear something so terrible."We don't think about the priest being vulnerable but of course they are." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-church-assault-priest-1.5071932Priest stabbed in Montreal:Man arrested and the priest was taken away by ambulance with minor injuries.
A priest at Montreal's renowned Saint Joseph's Oratory was stabbed in the chest Friday while delivering morning mass, shocking parishioners and those watching a live stream of the service from home.
The suspect was quickly wrestled to the floor by security guards after stabbing Father Claude Grou, rector of the oratory. The priest was taken away by ambulance with minor injuries to his upper body.
"I saw this man coming quickly and taking his knife out and going straight for Père Grou," recounted Adèle Plamondon, who was just finishing the day's reading when the man rose from the pew.
"It was obvious what his intentions were. So, I left screaming to alert the security."
Afterward, she saw the man on the floor being restrained. The attack was captured on a live stream and television broadcast by the Catholic channel Salt + Light.
Father Claude Grou, seen here in an earlier interview, was about to proclaim the gospel to about 60 people gathered in the church when a man stood up from one of the pews, walked behind the altar and stabbed him twice, according to witnesses. (CBC)
She said she spoke to Grou before he was taken to hospital. He was slashed twice and was in shock but seemed to be OK otherwise, Plamondon said.
She said the priest's wounds were superficial because the knife broke.
Philip Barrett, who was attending the mass along with about 60 people, said the priest was behind the altar, getting ready to proclaim the gospel, when a tall man stood up from one of the pews and started walking forward.
"He walked past the barrier leading into the sanctuary near the altar, and everyone was just initially wondering what was going on, and some people were starting to react a little bit," he said.
"And he walked directly behind the altar and seemed to strike the priest."
Both Plamondon and Barrett described the attacker as a tall, slim man who didn't say anything. Both said they had not seen him at the church before.
A witness describes what she saw at morning mass on Friday. Father Claude Grou is in stable condition.
A spokesperson for the first responder agency Urgences-santé, Benoit Garneau, said Grou was conscious while being transported to hospital.
The injury was to his chest, he said, but he could not say whether there was more than one stab wound.
Montreal police lead the suspect away from Saint Joseph's Oratory Friday morning. (Submitted by Jean-François Lefebvre)
A 911 call was made at 8:40 a.m., and the suspected attacker was already being held by security when police arrived, said Montreal police spokesperson Const. Caroline Chèvrefils.
The man, who is 26, was taken into custody and will be interviewed by investigators later today, she said.
Police say he isn't expected to be charged until Saturday at the earliest.
Oratory spokesperson Céline Barbeau said while she believes current security measures are sufficient, there will be a review in the wake of the attack.
She said there are no plans to start searching visitors or install metal detectors, because it would go against their mission.
The Montreal archdiocese issued a tweet saying the priest's condition was stable and "all of our prayers are with him."
"We are all shocked by this act of violence that has taken place in our city, in a space dedicated to peace," Christian Lépine, Archbishop of Montreal, said in a statement.
"We know that places of worship of many religions are targets of acts of violence. We must continue to follow the path of peace and love, believing that good will overcome evil through prayer and good works."
In a tweet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent his best wishes to the priest.
"What a horrible attack at Saint Joseph's Oratory in Montreal this morning. Father Claude Grou, Canadians are thinking of you and wishing you a swift recovery"
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says this type of attack has no place in the city.
"I am relieved to learn that the life of Father Claude Grou, rector of the [Oratory], is out of danger and that his condition is stable," she tweeted.
"On behalf of all Montrealers, I wish him speedy recovery."
Architecturally, the oratory is the largest church in Canada. Its construction was complete in 1967 on Mount Royal and its dome, one of the largest in the world, can be seen from across Montreal."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mont...ning-mass-at-saint-joseph-s-oratory-1.5067335
https://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational...iciaries-of-gloomy-canadian-economy-1.5073143
Desecration of Churches in France:
"At least 10 incidents of vandalism and desecration of Catholic churches have been reported in France since the beginning of February, according to French news sources and watch groups.
Vandals in Catholic churches throughout the country have smashed statues, knocked down tabernacles, scattered or destroyed the Eucharist, burnt altar cloths and torn down crosses, among other acts of desecration of religious items.
According to La Croix International, one of the earliest incidents occurred February 4 at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Houilles, Yvelines, where a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was found smashed on the ground. The church had experienced earlier incidents of vandalism just weeks prior, when the altar cross was found thrown to the ground and the celebrant’s chair was damaged.
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, a Christian watchdog group, documented another attack at St. Nicholas Church on February 10, when the tabernacle was found thrown to the ground. A 35 year-old man later confessed to committing the act to police.
On February 5, an altar cloth was found burnt and crosses and statues torn down or disfigured at Saint-Alain Cathedral in Lavaur, in south-central France. The fire was found early by a parish secretary and did not spread, though the smoke damaged the altar and adjacent walls.
The 800 year-old building had also recently undergone renovations, local sources reported.
“I strongly condemn the vandalism of Lavaur Cathedral and I share the outrage aroused by this intolerable act,” Jean Terlier, a local district deputy, said in a statement following the incident, according to La Croix.
“God will forgive. Not me,” the city’s mayor Bernard Carayon said of the vandalism, La Croix reported.
On February 6, just a day after the Saint-Alain Cathedral incident, vandals at a Catholic Church in Nimes broke into the tabernacle and scattered the hosts on the ground, drew a cross on the wall with excrement and damaged other religious items in the church, according to local reports.
In a statement posted to the Diocesan website, Bishop Robert Wattebled of Nimes denounced the desecration, which “greatly affects our diocesan community. The sign of the cross and the Blessed Sacrament have been the subject of serious injurious actions. This act of profanation hurts us all in our deepest convictions,” he said.
The Bishop also announced that a Mass of reparation must be said in the church before regular Masses can continue, and noted that local religious orders of the diocese had already offered to observe days of fasting and prayer in reparation for the act. He encouraged lay Catholics to join in acts of prayer and reparation.
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe documented another incident on February 9 at the Church of Notre-Dame de Dijon in Côte-d’Or, about 175 miles to the south and east of Paris.
Again in this incident, the tabernacle was opened and the Eucharist scattered. An altar cloth was also stained and a missle book was torn.
Father Emmanuel Pic from Notre-Dame parish told La Bien Public news that since nothing of great monetary value was damaged, it seems the vandals wanted to attack the “heart of the Catholic faith.”
“Nothing of value has been broken, but it is the intent that is very shocking. This is what characterizes profanation,” Pic said.
The vandals seemed to have known that attacking the altar and the Eucharist would be “a very strong symbol for (parishioners), since the hosts consecrated during the previous Mass are no longer just a piece of bread in the eyes of Christians” but the body of Christ, he added. The priest also posted photos of the desecration to his Twitter account. Mass resumed at the parish after a Mass of reparation was said by the local archbishop.
In a statement posted to the group’s newsletter, Ellen Fantini, executive director of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, joined local priests, bishops and civil authorities in condemning the “shocking” acts of vandalism.
“It is our sincere hope that the perpetrators are brought to justice and that awareness of increasing anti-Christian hostility in France reaches the public square,” she said.
In a statement posted to Twitter on February 13, Prime Minister of France Edouard Philippe also condemned the acts ahead of a meeting with the country’s bishops.
“In one week, in France, 5 degraded churches. In our secular Republic, places of worship are respected. Such acts shock me and must be unanimously condemned. I will tell the bishops of France at the meeting of the forum of dialogue with the Catholic Church,” he said.
Besides the confession in the incident at St. Nicholas Church, investigations are ongoing as to the perpetrators of these acts of vandalism.
While it is yet unclear if the incidents are at all related, they recall the series of attacks and vandalism that the Catholic Church in France and Belgium experienced in 2016 by the Islamic State. The worst of those attacks included the murder of Fr. Jacques Hamel, who was killed by jihadists while celebrating Mass at a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy. The assailants entered the church and took the priest and four others hostage. Local law enforcement reported that the priest’s throat was slit in the attack, and that both of the hostage takers were shot dead by police."
https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2...s-smashed-in-series-of-french-church-attacks/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/spate-attacks-catholic-churches-france-sees-altars-desecrated-christ-statue-1370800?amp=1
Threasts of violence to clergy in Philippines:
"Three Catholic priests in the Philippines said Monday that Church leaders who have been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs have received death threats from unidentified people.
The Associated Press reported that Father Robert Reyes, a priest and human rights activist along with two other priests said that they would continue to speak out about the extrajudicial killings that have occurred since Duterte took office in 2016. In 2018, opposition senators in the Philippines claimed that over 20,000 people have been killed in the drug war.
After receiving the threats, the priests said they are considering seeing court protection.
“We’re not safe now,” said Reyes, according to the AP report. “After this, the death threats may become real.”
Among the messages received by church leaders are one on February 10 that said, “Your days are numbered you animal,” and another that said, “”You’ll be celebrating your last Masses because the next Mass for the dead will be for you.”
Under Duterte’s regime three Catholic priests have been murdered. While there is no evidence linking the president to these killings or to the threats received by the Church leaders, the priests said the president’s comments at the very least, could encourage attacks against the clergy.
“The deadly words of Duterte against Catholics are like a dagger pointed at us,” Reyes said. “The message is clear. It’s not only people that he wanted dead but our faith as well.”
In response to accusations in the media that he may have incited violence against members of the clergy, Duterte has mocked the Catholic Church, at one point referring to God as “stupid.”"
https://www.google.com/amp/s/aletei...nes-say-they-have-received-death-threats/amp/
"MANILA, Philippines - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said he would “really kill” child molesting priests, in his latest broadside against the Catholic Church.
Speaking on Sunday at a campaign rally in Cagayan de Oro City, Duterte said it would be “a better world” if all molesting priests were “killed tonight.”
Duterte has been at odds with the country’s Catholic Church since before he took office in 2016. Church leaders have condemned his bloody crackdown on the drug trade which has left thousands of people dead in extrajudicial killings, as well as his efforts to reintroduce the death penalty.
Duterte has claimed he was abused by a priest when attending Ateneo de Davao High School, a Jesuit-run institution, in the late 1950s.
“To the priests who raped children and fondled balls, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you. Why should I be afraid? If you all get killed tonight, that would be better. Then we will have a better world,” Duterte told supporters on Sunday.
The president also called the bishops “sons of bitches” that “serve the rich and the elite, those who are owners of banks and other businesses.”
“All governments in the world, for as long as the Catholic Church interferes with governance, are chaotic. Whether it’s in Chile, South America. As long as there are priests. That has been the case since the olden times,” Duterte said.
During the rally, the president also singled out a priest who allegedly called for Duterte’s death during a homily at Mass.
“What kind of religion is that? Roman Catholic Church … What kind of religion would pray for the death of another person?” Duterte asked.
This is not the first time the president has threatened violence against clerics.
On Dec. 5, the controversial leader said, “these bishops, kill them, those fools are good for nothing. All they do is criticize.”
Those remarks came just over a week after he threatened to have the “head cut off” an unnamed bishop called “David” - although believed to be Duterte critic Pablo Virgilio David, the Bishop of Caloocan.
David later confirmed to the media that he had received death threats from unknown people.
Earlier this month, three Philippine priests said they and some Church leaders who are critical of the president’s bloody crackdown on illegal drugs have received death threats from unknown people.
“The deadly words of Duterte against Catholics are like a dagger pointed at us,” Father Robert Reyes said March 11. “The message is clear. It’s not only people that he wanted dead but our faith as well.”
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-asia/...t-says-he-will-really-kill-molesting-priests/
notkeylime
Please lock) (Mods can put this in politics if more acceptable) Hello, everyone. As you may know I am a Roman Catholic who believes religious faith is a great thing. After hearing about the Mosque attacks in New Zealand and the arson in California I thought perhaps I should share some recent attacks against people of my own faith. It seems like there is an uptick in prejudice and violence against religious groups, and I find this troubling. I think these may be related to the increased political divisiveness of our time and how some people associate all members of certain faiths with certain evils (ex. Muslims and extremist terrorism, Catholics and pedophila, etc). I think this needs to be discussed with open minds and hearts. Just because some people have done evil things does not mean all members of certain faith condone and participate in vice. Here are some stories:Priest choked and defended by old women in Edmonton:
"Edmonton police are investigating after a group of elderly women, armed with canes, protected their parish priest from an unprovoked assault.
Father Marcin Mironiuk had just finished leading evening mass at Our Lady Queen of Poland Parish in south Edmonton on March 13 when he was approached by a young man he didn't recognize.
Within seconds, the stranger threw Mironiuk to the ground and wrapped his hands tightly around Mironiuk's neck, said Lorraine Turchansky, a spokesperson for the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton.
As Mironiuk struggled to breathe, parishioners responded with the only weapons they had at their disposal — their walking canes.
"They were elderly ladies who were very shocked, understandably, but they did manage to intervene," Turchansky said in an interview Tuesday with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.
"They hit him with their canes and got him to release the priest."
The assailant loosened his grip on Mironiuk's neck and ran off, Turchansky said.
"Perhaps if they had been younger they would have had their cell phones out and would have been calling 911 but that wasn't the case here," Turchansky said.
Mironiuk, who declined an interview with CBC News, wasn't hurt in the attack.
Edmonton police confirmed that an investigation is ongoing, and that witnesses, armed with canes, helped scare off the alleged attacker.
Police described the suspect as a white man, five-foot-nine and about 25 years old. He had short dark hair and wore a red T-shirt and a black jacket. He smelled of liquor, police said.
Rouleau was in the middle of a morning mass when a man rushed the altar, Turchansky said.
"He pushed him up on the altar, and in that case, Father Rouleau couldn't help but think about what happened in that horrific attack in Montreal at St. Joseph's Oratory," Turchansky said."I think a lot of priests are wary of something like that when they hear something so terrible."We don't think about the priest being vulnerable but of course they are." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-church-assault-priest-1.5071932Priest stabbed in Montreal:Man arrested and the priest was taken away by ambulance with minor injuries.
A priest at Montreal's renowned Saint Joseph's Oratory was stabbed in the chest Friday while delivering morning mass, shocking parishioners and those watching a live stream of the service from home.
The suspect was quickly wrestled to the floor by security guards after stabbing Father Claude Grou, rector of the oratory. The priest was taken away by ambulance with minor injuries to his upper body.
"I saw this man coming quickly and taking his knife out and going straight for Père Grou," recounted Adèle Plamondon, who was just finishing the day's reading when the man rose from the pew.
"It was obvious what his intentions were. So, I left screaming to alert the security."
Afterward, she saw the man on the floor being restrained. The attack was captured on a live stream and television broadcast by the Catholic channel Salt + Light.
Father Claude Grou, seen here in an earlier interview, was about to proclaim the gospel to about 60 people gathered in the church when a man stood up from one of the pews, walked behind the altar and stabbed him twice, according to witnesses. (CBC)
She said she spoke to Grou before he was taken to hospital. He was slashed twice and was in shock but seemed to be OK otherwise, Plamondon said.
She said the priest's wounds were superficial because the knife broke.
Philip Barrett, who was attending the mass along with about 60 people, said the priest was behind the altar, getting ready to proclaim the gospel, when a tall man stood up from one of the pews and started walking forward.
"He walked past the barrier leading into the sanctuary near the altar, and everyone was just initially wondering what was going on, and some people were starting to react a little bit," he said.
"And he walked directly behind the altar and seemed to strike the priest."
Both Plamondon and Barrett described the attacker as a tall, slim man who didn't say anything. Both said they had not seen him at the church before.
A witness describes what she saw at morning mass on Friday. Father Claude Grou is in stable condition.
A spokesperson for the first responder agency Urgences-santé, Benoit Garneau, said Grou was conscious while being transported to hospital.
The injury was to his chest, he said, but he could not say whether there was more than one stab wound.
Montreal police lead the suspect away from Saint Joseph's Oratory Friday morning. (Submitted by Jean-François Lefebvre)
A 911 call was made at 8:40 a.m., and the suspected attacker was already being held by security when police arrived, said Montreal police spokesperson Const. Caroline Chèvrefils.
The man, who is 26, was taken into custody and will be interviewed by investigators later today, she said.
Police say he isn't expected to be charged until Saturday at the earliest.
Oratory spokesperson Céline Barbeau said while she believes current security measures are sufficient, there will be a review in the wake of the attack.
She said there are no plans to start searching visitors or install metal detectors, because it would go against their mission.
The Montreal archdiocese issued a tweet saying the priest's condition was stable and "all of our prayers are with him."
"We are all shocked by this act of violence that has taken place in our city, in a space dedicated to peace," Christian Lépine, Archbishop of Montreal, said in a statement.
"We know that places of worship of many religions are targets of acts of violence. We must continue to follow the path of peace and love, believing that good will overcome evil through prayer and good works."
In a tweet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent his best wishes to the priest.
"What a horrible attack at Saint Joseph's Oratory in Montreal this morning. Father Claude Grou, Canadians are thinking of you and wishing you a swift recovery"
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says this type of attack has no place in the city.
"I am relieved to learn that the life of Father Claude Grou, rector of the [Oratory], is out of danger and that his condition is stable," she tweeted.
"On behalf of all Montrealers, I wish him speedy recovery."
Architecturally, the oratory is the largest church in Canada. Its construction was complete in 1967 on Mount Royal and its dome, one of the largest in the world, can be seen from across Montreal."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mont...ning-mass-at-saint-joseph-s-oratory-1.5067335
https://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational...iciaries-of-gloomy-canadian-economy-1.5073143
Desecration of Churches in France:
"At least 10 incidents of vandalism and desecration of Catholic churches have been reported in France since the beginning of February, according to French news sources and watch groups.
Vandals in Catholic churches throughout the country have smashed statues, knocked down tabernacles, scattered or destroyed the Eucharist, burnt altar cloths and torn down crosses, among other acts of desecration of religious items.
According to La Croix International, one of the earliest incidents occurred February 4 at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Houilles, Yvelines, where a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was found smashed on the ground. The church had experienced earlier incidents of vandalism just weeks prior, when the altar cross was found thrown to the ground and the celebrant’s chair was damaged.
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, a Christian watchdog group, documented another attack at St. Nicholas Church on February 10, when the tabernacle was found thrown to the ground. A 35 year-old man later confessed to committing the act to police.
On February 5, an altar cloth was found burnt and crosses and statues torn down or disfigured at Saint-Alain Cathedral in Lavaur, in south-central France. The fire was found early by a parish secretary and did not spread, though the smoke damaged the altar and adjacent walls.
The 800 year-old building had also recently undergone renovations, local sources reported.
“I strongly condemn the vandalism of Lavaur Cathedral and I share the outrage aroused by this intolerable act,” Jean Terlier, a local district deputy, said in a statement following the incident, according to La Croix.
“God will forgive. Not me,” the city’s mayor Bernard Carayon said of the vandalism, La Croix reported.
On February 6, just a day after the Saint-Alain Cathedral incident, vandals at a Catholic Church in Nimes broke into the tabernacle and scattered the hosts on the ground, drew a cross on the wall with excrement and damaged other religious items in the church, according to local reports.
In a statement posted to the Diocesan website, Bishop Robert Wattebled of Nimes denounced the desecration, which “greatly affects our diocesan community. The sign of the cross and the Blessed Sacrament have been the subject of serious injurious actions. This act of profanation hurts us all in our deepest convictions,” he said.
The Bishop also announced that a Mass of reparation must be said in the church before regular Masses can continue, and noted that local religious orders of the diocese had already offered to observe days of fasting and prayer in reparation for the act. He encouraged lay Catholics to join in acts of prayer and reparation.
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe documented another incident on February 9 at the Church of Notre-Dame de Dijon in Côte-d’Or, about 175 miles to the south and east of Paris.
Again in this incident, the tabernacle was opened and the Eucharist scattered. An altar cloth was also stained and a missle book was torn.
Father Emmanuel Pic from Notre-Dame parish told La Bien Public news that since nothing of great monetary value was damaged, it seems the vandals wanted to attack the “heart of the Catholic faith.”
“Nothing of value has been broken, but it is the intent that is very shocking. This is what characterizes profanation,” Pic said.
The vandals seemed to have known that attacking the altar and the Eucharist would be “a very strong symbol for (parishioners), since the hosts consecrated during the previous Mass are no longer just a piece of bread in the eyes of Christians” but the body of Christ, he added. The priest also posted photos of the desecration to his Twitter account. Mass resumed at the parish after a Mass of reparation was said by the local archbishop.
In a statement posted to the group’s newsletter, Ellen Fantini, executive director of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, joined local priests, bishops and civil authorities in condemning the “shocking” acts of vandalism.
“It is our sincere hope that the perpetrators are brought to justice and that awareness of increasing anti-Christian hostility in France reaches the public square,” she said.
In a statement posted to Twitter on February 13, Prime Minister of France Edouard Philippe also condemned the acts ahead of a meeting with the country’s bishops.
“In one week, in France, 5 degraded churches. In our secular Republic, places of worship are respected. Such acts shock me and must be unanimously condemned. I will tell the bishops of France at the meeting of the forum of dialogue with the Catholic Church,” he said.
Besides the confession in the incident at St. Nicholas Church, investigations are ongoing as to the perpetrators of these acts of vandalism.
While it is yet unclear if the incidents are at all related, they recall the series of attacks and vandalism that the Catholic Church in France and Belgium experienced in 2016 by the Islamic State. The worst of those attacks included the murder of Fr. Jacques Hamel, who was killed by jihadists while celebrating Mass at a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy. The assailants entered the church and took the priest and four others hostage. Local law enforcement reported that the priest’s throat was slit in the attack, and that both of the hostage takers were shot dead by police."
https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2...s-smashed-in-series-of-french-church-attacks/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/spate-attacks-catholic-churches-france-sees-altars-desecrated-christ-statue-1370800?amp=1
Threasts of violence to clergy in Philippines:
"Three Catholic priests in the Philippines said Monday that Church leaders who have been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs have received death threats from unidentified people.
The Associated Press reported that Father Robert Reyes, a priest and human rights activist along with two other priests said that they would continue to speak out about the extrajudicial killings that have occurred since Duterte took office in 2016. In 2018, opposition senators in the Philippines claimed that over 20,000 people have been killed in the drug war.
After receiving the threats, the priests said they are considering seeing court protection.
“We’re not safe now,” said Reyes, according to the AP report. “After this, the death threats may become real.”
Among the messages received by church leaders are one on February 10 that said, “Your days are numbered you animal,” and another that said, “”You’ll be celebrating your last Masses because the next Mass for the dead will be for you.”
Under Duterte’s regime three Catholic priests have been murdered. While there is no evidence linking the president to these killings or to the threats received by the Church leaders, the priests said the president’s comments at the very least, could encourage attacks against the clergy.
“The deadly words of Duterte against Catholics are like a dagger pointed at us,” Reyes said. “The message is clear. It’s not only people that he wanted dead but our faith as well.”
In response to accusations in the media that he may have incited violence against members of the clergy, Duterte has mocked the Catholic Church, at one point referring to God as “stupid.”"
https://www.google.com/amp/s/aletei...nes-say-they-have-received-death-threats/amp/
"MANILA, Philippines - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said he would “really kill” child molesting priests, in his latest broadside against the Catholic Church.
Speaking on Sunday at a campaign rally in Cagayan de Oro City, Duterte said it would be “a better world” if all molesting priests were “killed tonight.”
Duterte has been at odds with the country’s Catholic Church since before he took office in 2016. Church leaders have condemned his bloody crackdown on the drug trade which has left thousands of people dead in extrajudicial killings, as well as his efforts to reintroduce the death penalty.
Duterte has claimed he was abused by a priest when attending Ateneo de Davao High School, a Jesuit-run institution, in the late 1950s.
“To the priests who raped children and fondled balls, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you. Why should I be afraid? If you all get killed tonight, that would be better. Then we will have a better world,” Duterte told supporters on Sunday.
The president also called the bishops “sons of bitches” that “serve the rich and the elite, those who are owners of banks and other businesses.”
“All governments in the world, for as long as the Catholic Church interferes with governance, are chaotic. Whether it’s in Chile, South America. As long as there are priests. That has been the case since the olden times,” Duterte said.
During the rally, the president also singled out a priest who allegedly called for Duterte’s death during a homily at Mass.
“What kind of religion is that? Roman Catholic Church … What kind of religion would pray for the death of another person?” Duterte asked.
This is not the first time the president has threatened violence against clerics.
On Dec. 5, the controversial leader said, “these bishops, kill them, those fools are good for nothing. All they do is criticize.”
Those remarks came just over a week after he threatened to have the “head cut off” an unnamed bishop called “David” - although believed to be Duterte critic Pablo Virgilio David, the Bishop of Caloocan.
David later confirmed to the media that he had received death threats from unknown people.
Earlier this month, three Philippine priests said they and some Church leaders who are critical of the president’s bloody crackdown on illegal drugs have received death threats from unknown people.
“The deadly words of Duterte against Catholics are like a dagger pointed at us,” Father Robert Reyes said March 11. “The message is clear. It’s not only people that he wanted dead but our faith as well.”
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-asia/...t-says-he-will-really-kill-molesting-priests/
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