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Church in the WorldPriest sentenced in new crackdownAlgeria Tom Heneghan - 23 February 2008The Algerian Government has convicted a Catholic priest of proselytism in the first case brought under a law passed two years ago to punish anyone inciting a Muslim to convert, writes Tom Heneghan. The move has alarmed church officials in Algeria, who say it is part of a wider crackdown including refusals of visa applications and other kinds of harassment. Fr Pierre Wallez, who has worked in Algeria for 35 years, received a one-year suspended jail sentence on charges of celebrating Mass in an unauthorised place. Bishop Alphonse Georger of Oran in western Algeria said that Fr Wallez had prayed only with Christian migrants from Cameroon when he visited them in an area near the Moroccan border. Fr Wallez has been visiting the migrants - most of whom aim to cross over into Europe - for the past nine years with the full knowledge of the local police, Bishop Georger said. An Algerian doctor working with Fr Wallez, Fethi Cherigui, who is not a Catholic, was sent to jail for two years on charges of stealing medical supplies from hospitals. Bishop Georger said the supplies were paid for by Caritas. In reaction to increased missionary work by evangelical Christians, the Algerian parliament passed a law in March 2006 that banned proselytising and restricted non-Muslim religious services to approved buildings. Punishments range up to five years in prison and stiff fines. Catholic sources have reported rising harassment in recent months from Algerian officials (The Tablet, 28 July 2007). "They reject entrance visas for our delegates systematically," the Archbishop of Algiers, Henri Teissier, told the Italian bishops' conference daily Avvenire. "In November, they withdrew residence permits for four young Brazilian priests working with Portuguese-speaking African immigrants." Protestant leaders also report increased pressure on their churches, which are mostly in Kabylie in north-eastern Algeria. Protestant church sources say four Christians were sentenced there to five years in prison for "blasphemy" against Muhammad. |
 In this week’s issueMaking markets moral Iron and velvet Love in a Catholic climate Someone to talk to A good Lent takes planning South American surprise Is the Church too slow in recognising that academies are the future for Catholic schools? Christopher Lamb Goodwin the scapegoat Elena Curti The pain of being a coeliac Catholic Sr M, guest contributor Why the Benedictine family will survive Christopher Lamb The Church's moral obligation to victims of clerical sexual abuse Speeches from this week's conference in Rome This week in Rome bishops and religious superiors met at the first Vatican-backed symposium devoted to forging a global response to the crisis of clerical sexual abuse that has disgraced ... Archbishop voices 'shame and sorrow' after priest's abuse trial Longley to visit parishes 'damaged' by Walsh Today, Tuesday 7 February, Bede Walsh, who served as a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, has been convicted by a jury, following a 10-day trial at Stoke-on-Trent ...
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