[NYer]

(Van Deutekom inspects one of many rows of shelves with surplus statues in the basement of the Museum for Religious Art in Uden, Netherlands, 20 March 2012/Tom Heneghan)

(St John Vianney Catholic church in Eindhoven, which has been closed and is being transformed into a health centre. Since the hall is so large and expensive to heat in winter, the exercise rooms are being built in this modern structure inside it. 20 March 2012/Tom Heneghan

(Eugene van Deutekom inspects statues stored in the basement of the Museum for Religious Art in Uden, Netherlands, 20 March 2012/Tom Heneghan)

[NYer]

(Van Deutekom shows old Mass vestments out of fashion in western churches but still in demand abroad, especially in the Baltic states. A surplus gold chalice and silver ciboria are on the shelf at the diocese headquarters in 's-Hertogenbosch. 20 March 2012/Tom Heneghan)

[MeganC]

Sad to see Europe piss away their Christian birthright without even a fight.

[Our man in washington]

Hey, Europe, you are like someone sitting in a tree. The things you like—your freedom, your prosperity, your art—are like the beautiful leaves in front of you. The Judeo-Christian tradition is the trunk of the tree. Keep that in mind.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

There is an irony to this. Amsterdam is known for what used to be legal drugs and prostitution. However, it is also a hotbed for religious missionaries. I have no idea why, but the place is a magnet for them.