Persecution of Christians increased throughout 2020
The annual NGO Open Doors report states that more than three hundred and forty million Christians in the world suffer persecution because of their religion, at high, very high or extreme levels. This is equivalent to saying that one in eight people who profess the Christian faith face this distressing situation.
According to the organization, this vulnerability has been aggravated by the COVID-19 epidemic, which has served as a pretext to curtail religious freedom. For the preparation of the list, the term “persecution” includes both the “visible dimension” – physical violence – and the less visible, which affects various areas of life, such as privacy, family, social relationships and church attendance.
The document also points out that the number of Christians killed in the year 2020 increased by 60% compared to 2019. The countries that reached the extreme level in terms of persecution were: North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, Nigeria, India, Iraq and Syria.
Statue of the Blessed Virgin Unharmed by Felled Tree
On January 27, a violent storm in Ribeirão Preto (Brazil) caused extensive damage in the city. During the tempest, an uprooted tree fell on a small wayside shrine of Our Lady of Graces erected in one of the city’s squares. The statue of the Virgin, however, was completely unharmed.
The photographs show how the shrine became lodged between the two main branches of the forked trunk, with only a few centimetres of clearance. A grounds maintenance worker, impressed by the fact, commented:
“Nothing belonging to Our Lady was broken, not even a votive light. And everything is made of glass. Not even the vases. It is as if the branches opened to avoid the statue.”
The shrine, built sixteen years ago, attracts many of the faithful who seek to pay homage to Our Lady and thank Her for graces received.
An ancient inscription in praise of Mary Immaculate discovered
A stone twenty-five centimetres in diameter bearing an inscription in honour of the Mother of God has been found in the Negev desert, near the border between Israel and Egypt. It is part of the tombstone of a woman who lived there one thousand four hundred years ago. Written in ancient Greek, the words referring to Our Lady are: “Blessed Mary, who led an immaculate life.”
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Nitzana National Park, where the tombstone was found, holds great relevance for historical research in the region. In the 5th and 6th centuries, the site also included a military fortress, churches and a monastery. It was also part of the route used by Christian pilgrims on their way to Mount Sinai.
Consecrated Host intact after explosion
Amidst the rubble of the building adjoining Virgen de la Paloma Parish (Madrid), partially destroyed after an explosion that occurred in January of this year, an undamaged consecrated Host was found.
The explosion, caused by an accidental gas leak, destroyed four floors of the parish building where the pastor and other priests lived, and then provoked an intense blaze. One of the places most severely affected was the private chapel located on the sixth floor. It was there that a broken tabernacle was later recovered. It held the Sacred Species enclosed in a lunette and the Host had suffered no damage whatsoever.
The Host is currently in the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Real de Almudena. The parish priest of Virgen de la Paloma, Fr. Rubén Pérez Ayala, and three other people died as a result of the explosion. Another priest who was inside the building at the time was unharmed.
Hundredth anniversary of Poland’s consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Special ceremonies are planned for this year to commemorate the centenary of the consecration of Poland to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The original act took place on July 27, 1920, when the Church implored divine help in the face of the Russian offensive in Polish territory. Despite its numerical disadvantage, the Polish army managed to defeat the invading forces the following month.
The official celebrations began on January 10, and will culminate on the liturgical Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11, when the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Poznan, Most Rev. Stanisław Gądecki, will renew the act of the country’s consecration.
Mayor Takes Down Cross in Spanish City
thrown in the dump
Catholics in the Spanish town of Aguilar de la Frontera, near Cordoba, are outraged by the decision of the socialist mayor Carmen Flores to remove the cross that since 1938 had stood at the entrance of the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of St. Joseph and St. Roque. According to authorities, the measure was taken because the religious symbol alluded to the Franco regime. The destination of the cross was a city landfill site, a fact that generated protests on social networks.
The Spanish Association of Christian Lawyers has filed a complaint with the Court of Aguilar de la Frontera against the mayor for administrative malfeasance, aggravated by discrimination and damage to patrimony, asserting that Carmen Flores acted illegally.
