Global Church Crime News 06/18/2023

(June 15) Jesuits Expel Prominent Priest Rupnik After Allegations Of Sexual Abuse | VATICAN CITY

Pope Francis' Jesuit religious order said Thursday it has expelled a prominent Slovenian priest from the congregation following allegations of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuses against adult women.

A statement from the Jesuits, obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, said the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik was dismissed from the Jesuit order by decree on June 9 "due to stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience."

Rupnik is one of the most celebrated religious artists in the Catholic Church, whose mosaics decorate churches and basilicas around the world, including at the Vatican.

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(June 15) Israeli Attacks On Christian Sanctities Increasing | ISRAEL

The cities of Jerusalem and Haifa have seen an increase in the frequency of attacks on Christian sanctities in recent years, Wadie Abu Nassar, an adviser to the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land told the Arab48 news website.

In the last five years, 157 attacks were committed on Christian sanctities, with the past year alone seeing 40 documented attacks against sacred sites, monks and nuns.

"In the city of Haifa, some provocative incidents were committed by some religious Jews, near the Mar Elias Monastery on Mount Carmel," Abu Nassar said.

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(June 14) Indian Pastor, Associate Get Bail In Conversion Case | INDIA

A court in a central Indian state has granted bail to a pastor and his female associate 10 days after they were arrested on charges of religious conversion under the sweeping anti-conversion law.

A sessions court in Satna district in Madhya Pradesh on June 13 granted bail to pastor Mayaram Ningwal and his companion Aarti Saket.

But pastor Roshan Faster, who was arrested along with pastor Ningwal on June 4, is yet to be released from jail, Christian activist Minakshi Singh told UCA News on June 14.

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(June 14) Russian Missile Damages Moscow Patriarchate Church In Odesa | UKRAINE

Temple of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), based on the territory of the Odesa Polytechnic National University, has been damaged in the recent Russian missile attack.

A correspondent says windows and doors are broken in the church. Currently, public utilities workers and church ministers are removing glass and garbage from the premises.

The blast wave also shattered windows in the building of the Odesa Polytechnic University.

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(June 12) Eight Killed In Sunday Night Attack In The Congo | CONGO

This attack comes five months after 15 Christians were killed and dozens injured when the rebel group detonated an improvised explosive device at a church in Kasindi while hundreds of believers gathered for a service.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorist group conducted a Sunday night attack in Kasindi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), leaving eight dead, 12 injured and many others missing.

Christians in Kasindi called an International Christian Concern (ICC) staffer asking for prayers around 10, p.m., as the terror group aligned with the Islamic State (IS) invaded the town.

“Please know that the ADF has invaded the Western side of the town of Kasindi and Christians are being killed as we speak,” said a villager. “People have been alerted and they are fleeing the area. The attackers are using hammers and machetes to avoid being heard if they use guns. We are asking for your prayers since this attack can turn out to be a mass massacre of believers if it is not stopped.”

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