Some jaw-dropping, horrendous news attracted my attention this week.
In Chile, up to August 2016, 17 churches were torched. In Nigeria, 53 villages were burned down, 808 people slain, 1,422 houses and 16 churches destroyed. In the Middle East, there is a full-scale persecution of Christians.
Last year, 90,000 Christians were killed because of their faith, though this figure is less than 105,000 registered in 2014, according to information compiled by Fr Joe Borg. Heart-breaking indeed. I hope John Guillaumier changes his nightmarish, extremely erroneous idea that the Catholic Church is militant, the slant he still harboured until the end of last year. I do not expect any apologies but a tear of compassion may be the first step towards evaluating facts in their true perspective and a new appraisal of the Church’s excruciating existence in certain parts of the world.
In the face of such relentless brutality, the Church keeps on going and growing because it is strengthened and sustained by the immoveable power of faith.