Global Church Crime News 05/21/2023
May 20, 2023(May 19) Blaze Set At Iconic Church; Eucharist Stolen From Another | MEXICO
The Diocese of Irapuato in the Mexican state of Guanajuato expressed its “profound consternation” over a fire deliberately set at Santiaguito (St. James) Church and called it a “sacrilege.”
In a statement published May 15, Father Efrén Silva Plascencia, spokesman for the diocese, said that the fire “was set on the exterior by a male person who arrived outside the church at 1:04 a.m. and left at 1:26 a.m.”
Silva pointed out that the Church of Santiaguito, whose origins date back to the 17th century, is one of the “most emblematic and iconic” in the region.
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(May 18) Witnesses Recount Gunmen's Raid On Church In Sudan's Capital | EGYPT
Over four terrifying hours last weekend, masked gunmen affiliated to one of Sudan's warring factions raided one of Khartoum's oldest churches, opening fire at church officials as they searched for cash, gold and women, two witnesses said.
The raid was one of many targeting homes, factories, banks and places of worship that residents have often blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been battling the army across greater Khartoum over the past month.
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(May 18) Religious Statues Vandalized At Church Property In Langton | CANADA
Police are investigating after religious statues were spray-painted outside a church in Langton.
Norfolk OPP say the vandalism happened on Tuesday sometime between 11 a.m. and noon at Sacred Heart Church on Albert Street. A sign at the rear of the property was also sprayed with paint.
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(May 17) Indian Pastor, Seven Others Arrested On Conversion Charges | INDIA
Eight people including a pastor and his wife were arrested by police for violating the anti-conversion law in two separate incidents reported from a northern Indian state.
Pastor Ibrahim Thomas, his wife Reewa, and Babita Thakur were arrested on May 14 in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad city for allegedly trying to convert women inside a beauty parlor.
The complaint was filed by Sunita Arora, a local leader of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging she was called to a beauty parlor near her home in Khoda colony and asked to convert to Christianity, according to media reports.
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