From our experience, we can give some safety advice for a person switching from other religions to Catholicism or living in atheist regimes.
1) DO NOT TELL OTHERS ABOUT YOUR CONVERSION
Don’t even tell your family or friends about conversion until you live on your own.
2) LEAVE NO TRACES
Leave no traces on your pc, smartphone, sms, books or diaries. Delete your device history and pay attention to automatic phone or email backups. Empty your trash and deleted posts/emails folders. Pay attention to printed pictures, holy cards, and prayers.
3) DON’T MAKE CHANGES TOO VISIBLE
Avoid sudden changes in dress or behavior. Changes that are too fast can cause dangerous reactions in your family or social environment.
4) IT IS BETTER THAT NO ONE SEES YOU WHEN YOU GO TO HOLY MASS OR PRAY.
Always choose moments when you are alone and, if you go to church, be very careful. If possible, go to an area where you are not known.
5) IF YOU CANNOT BE BAPTIZED IMMEDIATELY…
God sees your heart and, if there are great risks for your life or that of your family members, you must know that in case of danger of death, you can receive baptism from any Christian. Whoever baptizes you, do it with water saying “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.
6) PAY ATTENTION TO TRANSLATORS AND CULTURAL MEDIATORS
If you are in a refugee camp, especially in Muslim countries, pay attention to translators (even those from Western organizations). Don’t talk about conversion unnecessarily. If you are in reception camps in Europe, be careful of cultural mediators and translators. If you have to seek political asylum because of your conversion, seek help from a Christian operator and verify that the translation is not changed to harm you.
7) USE A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE
If possible, use a language other than your own to ask for help.
8) INTERNET and SATELLITE DISH
Learn to use proxies and VPNs to browse more anonymously. Or use the private browsing mode of Edge, Chrome, Firefox, etc. Clear your history and memorize (in your head) the addresses of the websites that interest you. Be careful not to tune your satellite channels to Christian channels. If you use social media, create unrecognizable sub-profiles, but don’t link them to a phone number.
This guide is just a first version that we would like to complete and translate into various languages and distribute in some tens of thousands of copies. If you want to support this initiative for the protection of Christians you can donate here
You can also write to us and pray for them and participate in the prayer network “Friends in prayer” that supports the association.
If anyone has other tips and advice you can write them here
info@amicidilazzaro.it
