Curtailment of religious rights? Christians told to pray silently in Italian church so as not to disturb Muslim migrants

Reuters

Are Muslim refugees already beginning to infringe on the rights of Christians to freely and openly practice their religion?

Much to the surprise of several faithful, Christians hoping to practice their faith in a church in Italy were told by a Catholic charity group to "pray in silence" so as not to disturb Muslim migrants from Africa who were seeking temporary refuge there.

Volunteers from Caritas, a Roman Catholic organisation focused on relief efforts, who discouraged some Christians from praying the rosary out loud at the Saint Anthony Church in Ventimiglia, Italy, worried that this might offend the African refugees, who were mostly Muslims.

Understandably, some of the parishioners were not comfortable with this request, knowing full well that they have the right to worship God in public. A woman, for instance, requested that the migrants be taken to another church so that she could freely recite the rosary.

Instead of accommodating the female parishioner's request, the parish priest, Fr. Don Rito, showed up and personally accompanied her and other parishioners to another church.

The Italian town's mayor, Enrico Ioculano, meanwhile admitted that the presence of immigrants in his area has already placed them in an "untenable situation." He said the town is already struggling with its finances ever since it accommodated the refugees.

Online users who read this story on Breitbart, however, were also not pleased with the current situation in Italy and elsewhere in the West. A commenter even urged Christians to worship more publicly if faced with this situation: "It is time Christians take an equal stand for our religious rights" to a more direct reaction from one who said, "After being told that, it would have been extremely hard for me not to stand up and start praying at the top of my lungs."

Others meanwhile painted a grim picture of the future, saying this is just the start of the curtailment of freedoms to accommodate the migrants.

"It's all part of the New World Order. Bring down the major institutions, create chaos and mayhem in the streets, then step in like a saviour to stop the fighting that you caused. The people will pay any price for their security," one online user was quoted by WND as saying.

Others predicted that the United States will experience similar limitations to religious freedom if it elects a pro-immigrant president.

"Lock and load my friends. Get ready. After the presidential elections are over and Hillary is our new POTUS, we will be in deep poop because of her immigration policies," one commenter said.