– Tej Francis
JINOTEGA, NICARAGUA
TWO CHURCHES DESECRATED IN NICARAGUAN DIOCESE
(ACI Prensa) Two churches in the Diocese of Jinotega in northern Nicaragua have been desecrated in the past week, amid rising tensions between the Church and the government of president Daniel Ortega. At a pro-government celebration July 20, Ortega accused the bishops of Nicaragua of plotting a coup, as they have proposed early elections in response to widespread protests against the government.
The Jinotega diocese announced on Facebook that the night of July 22, unknown persons forced open the window of the Sacred Heart chapel of St. Mark the Evangelist parish in San Rafael del Norte, about 15 miles northwest of Jinotega. They took the tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament, without touching anything else, reported Fr. Noé Armando Flores, the parish priest. The tabernacle was found later in the day of July 23 in an abandoned field.
And in Jinotega, the chapel of Our Lady of Mt Carmel at Most Precious Blood parish was profaned the night of July 20. The Blessed Sacrament was desecrated, and the diocese showed photos of a broken window and sacred objects strewn on the ground. Sound equipment and a collection box were stolen. At least eight Catholic churches have been desecrated in Nicaragua during the country’s three months of political and social unrest.
Protests against president Ortega which began April 18 have resulted in more than 300 deaths, according to local human rights groups. The country’s bishops have mediated on-again, off-again peace talks between the government and opposition groups. Ortega has been president of Nicaragua since 2007, and oversaw the abolition of presidential term limits in 2014. The Church has suggested that elections, which are not scheduled until 2021, be held in 2019, but Ortega has ruled this out.
ROME
ITALY PROPOSES MANDATING DISPLAY OF CRUCIFIXES IN PUBLIC BUILDINGS
(Crux) A bill has been introduced in the Italian parliament which would require the visible display of crucifixes in public buildings, Italian news magazine L’Espresso reported Monday. The bill, “Dispositions concerning the display of the crucifix in schools and in offices of public administration,” proposes crucifixes be visibly hung in places such as schools, universities, prisons, public offices, consulates, embassies, and ports.
The proposal would also order a fine of up to $1,169 for non-compliance. The bill now waits to be scheduled for discussion in the Chamber and Senate. It was introduced by the country’s Lega Nord party, headed by Matteo Salvini, the newly-made interior minister and deputy prime minister alongside the leader of the Five Star Movement, Luigi di Maio.
Italy’s general election, held in May, resulted in a coalition government led by Lega Nord and the Five Star Movement, both of which are center-right populist parties. A similar decision was made by the government of Bavaria, a German state.
Bavarian premier Markus Söder announced April 24 that the entrances to state buildings would be required to display a cross by June 1. Söder’s office said the decision was meant to “express the historical and cultural character of Bavaria” and to present “a visible commitment to the core values of the legal and social order in Bavaria and Germany.”
LONDON, ENGLAND
PRO-LIFE CHARITY EVICTED FROM LONDON FAIR BY LOCAL COUNCIL FOR BEING “AGAINST THEIR VALUES”
(CNA) A British charity that provides women with alternatives to abortion was ejected from the Lambeth Country Show after a local government official said the group had misrepresented itself in its application for a booth at the fair.
Life, a non-sectarian charity which provides assistance to women and children, exhibited information about fetal development and support available to women in crisis pregnancies from a booth at the country show- a fair- on July 21. When volunteers and staff arrived the next morning, they say they found their stall dismantled and their property removed from the site. The annual event was held in Brockwell Park, south London, and was attended by approximately 150,000 people over the course of the weekend.
Event organizers distanced themselves from the eviction, saying that the decision was taken by Lambeth Council, the local government body sponsoring the event. A statement released by Life said that they were not contacted about the decision or offered an explanation for it. “They would not give us an exact reason for the action but did say that Life was against the values of Lambeth Council and was not in line with the causes the council has been funding and supporting. However they were then unable to tell us what those values were,” the statement said.
The action comes amid increasing efforts by local governments across Britain to stifle pro-life speech. Earlier this month, the High Court of England and Wales upheld a ban on prayer vigils near an abortion clinic in west London. Life has written to Councilor Davie and the Lambeth Council asking for an explanation of their removal from the country show. They are also seeking a public apology for the claim that they misrepresented themselves in the application process and are seeking legal advice on the matter.
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