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Arsonist Nearly Burns Down 17th Century Catholic Church, Smoke Totally Damages Building
Life News ^ | May 17, 2023 | Micaiah Bilger

Posted on 05/17/2023 12:51:43 PM PDT by Morgana

A historic 17th century Catholic church was damaged in an arson attack Monday in central Mexico, the latest in an alarming rise in violence targeting churches and pro-life organizations across the world.

ACI Prensa reports the Diocese of Irapuato in Guanajuato, Mexico said the fire was set deliberately at Santiaguito (St. James) Church sometime between 1:04 a.m. and 1:26 a.m., and the suspect is male.

“The diocesan Church of Irapuato vigorously condemns this sacrilege, and we ask the corresponding authorities to find those responsible,” Father Efrén Silva Plascencia, spokesman for the diocese, said in a statement.

Silva said the fire caused extensive smoke damage throughout the “emblematic and iconic” building, which recently underwent restoration work.

“The Church will tirelessly continue in this mission of building peace. Violence always begets violence in any of its expressions,” he said.

Churches and pro-life organizations across the world have been hit by a wave of arson, vandalism, threats and other crimes in the past few years. LifeNews counted about 250 abortion-related attacks in 2022, including the shooting of an elderly pro-life woman in Michigan and ten arson/attempted arson attacks.

Attacks on Christian churches in the United States alone have almost tripled in the past four years, according to a December report from the Family Research Council. In April, the organization released supplemental data documenting 69 additional attacks in the first quarter of 2023. In comparison, there were 15 or fewer attacks within the same time period in 2018 through 2021, FRC found.

Others have documented a rise in attacks on churches and Christian organizations in Europe and Canada. According to True North, at least 71 churches in Canada have been vandalized or set on fire within the past two years.

The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe also tracks violence, censorship and other attacks on churches in Europe. In its 2021 report, the organization documented more than 500 anti-Christian hate crimes on the continent. According to the organization, the “high rate of hate crimes and growing secular intolerance” is having a “crippling effect on the religious freedom of Christians” throughout Europe.

The increase in crime has prompted many churches and pro-life organizations to increase security measures. In the United States, Republican lawmakers have been demanding action from the Biden administration to crack down on domestic terrorism against pro-life advocates and Christians. But, while the Biden administration has been aggressively working to expand the killing of unborn babies in abortions, it has done seemingly little to stop the violence and hostilities directed at pro-life advocates and churches.


TOPICS: Catholic
KEYWORDS: abortion; antifa; blm; cartels; catholic; mexico; prolife; romancatholicism

1 posted on 05/17/2023 12:51:43 PM PDT by Morgana
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To: Morgana

The demons of Sacrilege on the loose. The more God is shut out of Western culture, the bolder they are becoming.


2 posted on 05/17/2023 1:17:44 PM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: Morgana

The pro infanticide crowd is downright demonic, no denying.


3 posted on 05/17/2023 1:20:40 PM PDT by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: Morgana
the suspect is male

That narrows it. I wonder if his name is Mohammad?

4 posted on 05/17/2023 1:22:28 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (“You want it one way, but it's the other way”)
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To: fidelis

Have any proof this wasn’t part of God’s plan?


5 posted on 05/17/2023 1:43:59 PM PDT by Gunslingr3
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To: Gunslingr3

No. Do you have any proof it was?


6 posted on 05/17/2023 2:56:45 PM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis

Do you believe God is omnipotent and omniscient, or not?


7 posted on 05/17/2023 3:15:24 PM PDT by Gunslingr3
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To: Gunslingr3

You didn’t answer my question. I answered yours.


8 posted on 05/17/2023 3:26:05 PM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis

If you believe in an omnipotent, omniscient God the question answers itself, as nothing could happen without an all seeing, all powerful God desiring it to happen.


9 posted on 05/17/2023 3:29:06 PM PDT by Gunslingr3
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To: Gunslingr3

So you can’t or refuse to answer my question even though I answered yours. A simple yes, no, or I don’t know would have sufficed. I’ve been around too long to not recognize when someone is trying to lead around a discussion. Have a good night.


10 posted on 05/17/2023 3:49:40 PM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis
A simple yes, no, or I don’t know would have sufficed.

I can't answer the question for you, only tell you what your answer would be.

If you believe in an omnipotent, omniscient God, then you believe everything happens in accordance with his plans, as anything else wouldn't be possible. Do you believe in such a thing?

11 posted on 05/17/2023 4:16:51 PM PDT by Gunslingr3
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To: Gunslingr3
God is both omnipotent and omniscient but humans have free will. That makes it our choice not His.
12 posted on 05/17/2023 5:11:47 PM PDT by Varda
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To: Varda

If he is omnipotent, nothing can happen against his will, or he is not actually omnipotent.
Which is more acceptable: that god can’t stop a 5 yo getting a raped, or won’t stop a 5 yo from getting raped?


13 posted on 05/17/2023 5:23:12 PM PDT by Gunslingr3
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To: Gunslingr3
Omnipotent means knows all and is all powerful. Knowing all and being all powerful doesn't mean being the reason for every action of those with free will.
God does not cause sin. Man chooses it.
If I drop a piece of steak on the floor, I know that my dog will eat it even before it happens but I did not make the decision or cause the dog to eat it.

As far as bad things that happen, there is more to them than we usually know. For instance, it's impossible for us to know how good something is without being deprived of it. Evil is the absence of the good.

14 posted on 05/17/2023 5:46:38 PM PDT by Varda
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