Avvenire an Italian news source for the Catholic Church, is reporting that a 40 page document will be released tomorrow in Vienna, Austria during the Meeting on Freedom of Religion held by the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In this document it states that Christians are victims of discrimination and intolerance even in Europe. It describes this discrimination as a recent and growing phenomenon and includes the limitation of freedom of conscience and expression, defamation in the secular press, removal of religious symbols in public areas and acts of vandalism and violence against Christianity.
At the risk of sounding doomsday-ish, I think this is worth noting, for I fear that there will come a time, if it has not already arrived, when being openly Christian, and especially Catholic, will subject you to unjust discrimination on various fronts. It is already very difficult to openly profess Catholic values and teaching in certain settings, including some medical facilities, in public universities, or in politics. To be Catholic is counter-cultural.
Let us all be ready to experience suffering for our faith in the face of a growing tide of indifference and even intolerance to our values and beliefs. Christ himself faced this; should we expect anything less?
