Red Terror in Spain (Terror Rojo en España)

This article is dedicated to all the victims of communism worldwide.

For the major part of its history Spain has always been a land of Catholicism, it is the traditional land of the Reconquista, the Cid and the catholic kings (los Reyes catolicos). It is because of the Spanish empire that 500 million claim to be Catholics.
But this glorious Christian heritage and past is marked by a Dark period in which being Christian was a crime in the land that always was a fervent defender of Christianity… it is what is called the “Red terror”, another criminal record in the hall of fame of communism.
Between 1873 and 1931, Spain was having a political instability; the monarchy fell in 1873 leaving a place for the 1st Spanish republic and the 2nd in 1931. The political debate in the country was between defenders of the monarchy (conservatives) and communist all along with other left groups.
After the general election of 1936 tensions escalated between the two rivals and soon turned violent into clashes. Both parties fought each other in what was called later the Spanish civil war, but the atrocities committed by the communists (called Republicans in opposition to the right groups called nationalists) were by far barbaric and criminal.
The first year of the war witnessed the most terrible massacres: priests, nuns, clergy, monks, church attendants, bourgeoisies, politicians, industrialists …. Were slaughtered and murdered for the Christian faith. The catholic church of Spain lost 20 % of its clergy (6,832) in what was recognized to be the most severe persecution of Christians in the western world (de la Cueva 1998, p. 355)!!!
The death toll was not exactly known, it is estimated that between 38000 and 110000 were murdered by the communists (men of a Mancha). All this along with the destruction and burning of monasteries and churches all over the country.
Oct 28, 2007 the Vatican beatified 498 Spanish civil war victims. The pope paid tribute to the "martyrs" of the war, saying they "paid in blood for their faith in Christ and his Church" (ABC news).

Further details: Red Terror (Spain) on Wikipedia

Tribute to the Immortal Lebanese Forces Martyrs

"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church" Tertullian Apologeticus

Between 1975 and 1990 , 15000 Lebanese forces combatants scarified themselves to secure and defend the Christians existence in Lebanon.

Martyred to defend our existence, and the preservation of our heritage, and to remain in our land ... They have given their lives for the sake of our existence, and to maintain the survival of Lebanon, there is no love greater than the self-sacrificing and greater than human sacrificing himself for his loved ones.

We will stay loyal to you .. You will always remain the bridge that connects generations , you will remain the symbol of sustainability, and the spirit of the people who believed in their cause , refused to abandon its land, history and civilization, drawn by their fathers and forefathers and their leaders.

Rest in peace, my fellow heroes, take your rest where you are, your memory will flourish with each September, the month of the martyrs who generously gave their blood to feed the Lebanese cause with more faith, persistence and tenacity ...

Viva La Vida or Death and all his friends!! : French revolution terror

Viva La Vida or Death and all his friends: It’s the title of Coldplay’s 4th studio album and as we can see the album art is about the French revolution.
Behind the glamorous slogans of the French revolution : “Liberté égalité fraternité “ (Viva la Vida) lies a criminal and a dark record of killing and persecussion of Christians in France (Death and all his friends). It’s what is called the Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution.
After the fall of the monarchy in 1789, the church and the Christians in French were the target of organized crimes and killings. September 1792 was the darkest period of the revolution , on the 2nd of September 1792, priests, nuns and citizens were killed, mutilated, aggressed and raped in a very barbaric and cruel way, "with circumstances of barbarity too shocking to describe" according to the British diplomatic dispatch (check : A British Observer of the September Massacres). In 48 hours almost 1 400 prisoners were condemned and executed. More than two hundred priests, almost a hundred Swiss guards and many political prisoners and aristocrats were among the victims.
“Under threat of death, imprisonment, military conscription or loss of income, about 20,000 constitutional priests were forced to abdicate or hand over their letters of ordination and 6,000 - 9,000 were coerced to marry, many ceasing their ministerial duties. Some of those who abdicated covertly ministered to the people. By the end of the decade, approximately 30,000 priests were forced to leave France, and thousands who did not leave were executed. Most of France was left without the services of a priest, deprived of the sacraments and any nonjuring priest faced the guillotine or deportation to French Guiana. By Easter 1794, few of Frances 40,000 churches were open, many having been closed, sold, destroyed or converted to other uses.
Victims of Revolutionary violence, whether religious or not, were popularly treated as canonized martyrs, the place of their killing becoming objects of pilgrimage. Catechizing in the home, folk religion and syncretic and heterodox practice also became more common. The long term effects on religious practice in France were significant - many who were deprived of their regular religious practice in France never regained it”. (Wikipedia : Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution )
Other than the murders, the calendar was changed from Gregorian calendar into French republican calendar which was a pure failure. Crosses, church bells, and sanctuaries were destroyed… monasteries , cathedrals and private proprieties were robbed . Street and place names with any sort of religious connotation were changed. The French army moved on to Rome, and forced the Pope Pius VI into exiled where he died.