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The Persecution of Catholics in Europe
Peter Kopa, Prague, July 9, 2026
Radomír Malý is a renowned intellectual in the Czech Republic. He is a historian. Below is a summary and commentary by our think tank on his article published on June 28, 2026, in “Protiproud.” He reflects on the persecution of Christians—especially Catholics—in Western “democracies” of the liberal variety, which, at first glance, may not seem as open as they were during the communist era, but which represent a form of persecution that more clearly reveals the very essence of the satanic rebellion against God.
Various recent reports (ACN, Open Doors, Holy See) agree that Christians in general are today the most persecuted religious community in the world, with nearly 400 million affected by violence or discrimination. Why does it seem to target Catholics? Catholicism is the largest branch of Christianity in terms of numbers and has a historical and visible presence in almost every country; therefore, when “Christians” are targeted, it is very often specific Catholic communities (parishes, bishops, congregations) that are targeted.
Hatred of Christianity
During the Russian occupation, teachers and cultural workers were not allowed to declare themselves believers, under penalty of being fired from their jobs, as were people in positions of responsibility in any field of activity. The situation was even worse in the 1950s, when thousands of clergy and devout laypeople were imprisoned in communist jails; there were even judicial murders for fidelity to Christ and the Catholic faith, as demonstrated by the case of the priests Jan Bula and Václav Drbola, who were recently beatified.
Although it cannot be denied that, in general, in all so-called democratic countries, one can publicly express a dissenting opinion or hold different religious, philosophical, or political convictions. The risk in these countries is lower than in dictatorships (for now), which by no means implies that “democracy is all right.” Democracy, too—especially in relation to the true Christian faith and its moral principles—can become just as suffocating or even as bloody as totalitarian regimes.
Ritual Sacrifice to Satan
The legalization of induced abortions and euthanasia has turned today’s democratic states—which hypocritically boast of rejecting the death penalty—into the most cynical murderous systems in history.
These monstrosities were first legalized in the communist Soviet Union and in Nazi Germany. However, today’s democratic regimes have turned them into a sacred ritual sacrifice—not, of course, to God, but to His adversary: Satan. A sacrifice that, with appalling cynicism, is presented as a “human right of women or the elderly.”
The Denigration of the Family
And it is not just about human life, but also about the monogamous family. Today’s parliamentary democracies, in the spirit of gender ideology, equate legitimate marriage between a man and a woman with same-sex unions or even polyamorous relationships; one can change one’s gender at will, switch sexual partners according to one’s mood at the moment, and so on.
If legitimate monogamous marriage between a man and a woman becomes “one of the possible forms” of human coexistence, this implies, de facto, the disappearance of the family as such, since its unique value lies precisely in the fact that, in accordance with the natural moral order imprinted on the human heart, only the family represents the optimal setting for the birth of children and the upbringing of future generations.
State violence is intensifying
In the 1980s and 1990s, dozens of trials were held in the U.S. and some other democratic countries against defenders of unborn life, who committed the “crime” of standing peacefully outside abortion clinics with signs urging expectant mothers to give their babies a chance at life. The sentences ranged from several months to even years of prison without parole.
The auxiliary bishop of New York, Austin Bernard Vaughan, a prominent anti-abortion activist, also spent some time in prison. More recently, in the 2020s of the 21st century, Lauren Handy was sentenced to five years in prison without parole. In Canada, meanwhile, the well-known activists Mary Wagner and Linda Gibbons spent a total of several years in prison. In Europe, in the 1990s, the Benedictine abbot of Le Barroux, Monsignor Gérard Calvet (who celebrated the traditional rite), was among those arrested and convicted in France for participating in a demonstration in front of an abortion clinic.
Today, however, the repression has gone even further. It is no longer necessary to demonstrate one’s opposition in front of the building where unborn children are murdered. The murderers have invented the so-called “protection zone” around abortion clinics, and it is enough for someone to pray publicly there to be arrested and convicted; it is not even necessary for them to be praying—it is enough for the competent authority to “assume” that they are praying. These cases are particularly well-known in the United Kingdom.
Persecution for Homophobia
The 21st century has also brought with it administrative or even criminal prosecutions for alleged “homophobia.” In the Western world, there have already been numerous cases in which bakers or pastry chefs have had their licenses revoked simply because, in accordance with their conscience, they refused to bake a cake for the “wedding” of a same-sex couple. Criminal proceedings for so-called “hate speech” against homosexuals are becoming increasingly common; a new Canadian law, as we recently reported, even allows for the criminalization of Bible passages that condemn same-sex relationships.
Finnish Protestant Christian politician Päivi Räsänen is facing legal proceedings for “hate speech” against homosexuals, as we have previously reported. German writer Tobias Haberl, author of several bestsellers, has spoken out on the case, stating that it marks the beginning of the persecution of Christian believers. In Poland, where Tusk’s liberal-socialist government is in power, a Catholic pro-life activist has been sentenced to eight months in prison for publicly protesting against so-called “sex education” that is being mandatorily implemented in schools.
Since Christianity is the bastion of resistance against these perversions, the democratic state’s attack is increasingly directed against the public profession of faith as well, under the pretext that “the state is secular according to the Constitution, and public expressions of Christian faith offend non-believers or Muslims.”
Even in the 1960s, it was unthinkable that, for example, flight attendants would be fired for wearing a crucifix around their necks or social workers for praying with their clients at the clients’ request.
Today this is commonplace, and the United Kingdom stands out particularly in this regard. In France, meanwhile, crosses, chapels, Christmas nativity scenes, and the like are being removed from public spaces under the guise of the “secular nature of the state.” In Berlin (Germany), police recently assaulted and brutally beat a group of Poles who were carrying a cross to honor the memory of the victims of Nazism; it was precisely the cross that was the source of the problem in this case.
Persecution of Christian Parents
Recent years have also seen the administrative persecution of parents whose only “crime” was providing a Christian upbringing for their children at home. In Sweden, a court recently decided to strip the Samson couple, originally from Romania, of custody of their two daughters (ages 13 and 14). The reason? They regularly took them to Mass every Sunday, educated them at home according to Christian principles, and prayed together with them. This was labeled “religious extremism.”
In Brazil, an even worse case occurred. In São Paulo, the Catholic Denardi couple was sentenced to 50 days in prison without parole for legally homeschooling their two daughters (ages 11 and 15) at home, as part of what is known as “homeschooling.” The court accused them of “intellectual negligence,” even though both girls are wonderful piano players and are fluent in several foreign languages. However, the authorities “discovered” that they lacked “knowledge” regarding gender and sex education—which, apparently, is unforgivable.
These cases are just the tip of the iceberg. Nevertheless, they sufficiently demonstrate that today’s democratic Western nations are not decent states. Violence against Christians and defenders of authentic moral values is steadily intensifying, and it is only a matter of time before it reaches us with all its brutality. The syndrome of the French Revolution, upon which modern democracy is based, remains a constant threat.