Violence towards Christians, and in particular church leaders, continues at an alarming rate around the world.
In its report released last week, The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, showed that 2,444 known anti-Christian hate crimes were documented by police and civil society in 35 European countries in 2023.
European countries of particular concern were;
– France, with nearly 1,000 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2023.
– The United Kingdom, where incidents rose to more than 700.
– And Germany, which saw a 105 per cent increase in anti-Christian hate crimes, rising from 135 in 2022 to 277 in 2023.
And it’s not only in Europe.
Earlier this month a Catholic priest in Singapore was stabbed in the head while distributing Holy Communion. Luckily he survived and is recovering.
Other attacks just this month include when a group of people entered a Catholic Church in Italy and started pepper spraying attendees’ faces at Sunday mass. In another incident, a nun was punched in the face at a church in Rome.
A bit closer to home, you will remember in April this year, Christian Assyrian Orthodox Bishop, Mar Mari Emmanuel, was conducting a service in Sydney, Australia when he was stabbed.
It’s not only physical assaults.
In Canada, places of worship are being burned to the ground at an alarming rate. MP Marc Dalton says since 2010, 592 places of worship have been set on fire.
In an attempt to quell the hate crimes, The Conservative Party had a bill lodged in parliament, the Anti-Arson Act, which would see tougher penalties for offenders.
Unbelievably, this article illustrates just a fraction of the anti-Christian hate crimes happening all around the world as there are many more atrocities occurring.
This article was originally published by Family First New Zealand.
