When the sickle swings : stories of catholics who survived communist oppression
(Book)

For over half of the twentieth century, across nearly half the globe, the Catholic Faith was repressed, restricted, or outright illegal. Since 1917, the atheistic, false messianic doctrine of communism found its expression in state powers, whose promises of "equality for all" routinely descended into totalitarianism, slavery, and slaughter. The Catholic Church was a principal target of these regimes. From secret Masses in the prisons of Cuba, to clandestine clergy in the catacombs of Bratislava, to showdowns with Soviet tanks on the streets of Brno, Catholics resisted communist persecution in every way they could. Like their ancestors before them, they risked it all for their Faith -- imprisonment, torture, death -- knowing that the preservation of the Faith, and their immortal souls, was the only worthwhile option -- and their greatest victory. Just as the Church is universal, Catholic resistance to tyranny is universal. These inspiring, modern-era stories, while geographically and materially disparate, demonstrate the same devotion and fortitude common to saint heroes of every age.