Church scandals make headlines

But the vast majority of priests and ministers who serve the people faithful in a spirit of self-sacrifice are ignored by nearly all the media. Even when they’re assassinated.

The violence continues. Another priest was murdered in Brazil.

Brazilian priest Father Alvino Broering, 46, was stabbed at dawn on December 14th in the southern state of Santa Catarina (Brazil) by a man who then stole his car, according to information from the police. The priest suffered several stab wounds in the back, abdomen and face, and was later rushed to the hospital Marieta Bornhausen Kondyor Massif, where he underwent surgery, but unfortunately died shortly after…

Fr. Alvino was chaplain of the University of Vale do Itajai and director of the community radio station Conceição FM. The station celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2010, and Fr. Alvino had already begun to make preparations for the anniversary celebration. He was also a member of the Academy of Letters of Itajai, and was very active in the city and the region. He had been a priest for 20 years when he was appointed pastor of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, the Church of the Navigators. He was a very approachable priest, outgoing, charismatic, and loved by all.

The problem in the Congo is so bad, the clergy are imploring the president to step in.

“We appeal to you to ask you to ensure our safety and that of the people we minister to” is how the priests and religious men and women of the Archdiocese of Bukavu have addressed the President of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila, in a message delivered to the Head of State during his visit to the capital of South Kivu (eastern DRC)…

“The population of South Kivu is in shock from the targeting of the Catholic Church, whose social role and involvement in the democratization of our country you know,” says the message. “Therefore, are church personnel (priests, religious men and women) seen as..witnesses of all the massive human rights violations perpetrated in South Kivu for almost 14 years?”

The signatories of the letter also denounced the lack of resources for local police ( “there are not even 5 gallons of fuel to be given to emergency police units, to help the population at risk, as in the case of Sister Denise who waited in vain to be rescued in Murhesa”) and they ask that military police units be sent in to stop acts of banditry committed by some military forces.

“Our church does not cease to raise her voice to implore God for His blessing on our leaders and their administrators, so that the time of the celebration of our Golden Jubilee will allow us to really start a new era of peace, justice, and work for the reconstruction and prosperity of our country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” concludes the message.

Some peace and social justice stories make nice features on news networks, occasionally. These kinds of stories never do. Widespread attention on persecutions would (hopefully) increase pressure on authorities to protect and respect religious rights.

Speaking of which…..

The Ninth Circuit Court in California is considering arguments over an anti-Catholic resolution adopted by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

The challenge was made on the grounds that the resolution expresses government hostility toward the Catholic Church and its moral teachings in violation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.

For media who aren’t up to speed on the whole clause, that would be the part that says government cannot prohibit the free exercise of religion.

As Ezra Levant told the press in Canada, either these things wouldn’t be happening if they involved the Muslim or Jewish faiths…..or we’d be hearing a lot more about them if they did.