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Eastern Europe
Russians burn Ukrainian Baptist church
The Russian military burned down a church building of the Ukrainian Baptists in the town of Vovchoyarivka in the Luhansk region. At the beginning of the war, the invaders confiscated the Church of the Nativity to house soldiers, the Baptist denomination of Ukraine writes on Facebook. “They then robbed it…
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Western Europe
Study: Teenager sleeps better when smartphone use is limited by rules
Teenagers between 15- and 16 years old sleep better when they and their parents have made rules for the use of digital media. That is concluded by researchers of the Dutch Amsterdam Academic Medical Centre (Amsterdam UMC). When parents set rules for using smartphones or tables, teenagers will go to…
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Central Europe
Hungarian nationalists try to ban Jewish slaughter
Slaughter should not cause more suffering for animals than strictly necessary. Therefore, ritual kosher and halal slaughter should be forbidden, the Nationalist Our Homeland (Mi Hazánk) party in Hungary argues. For kosher or halal slaughter, animals are not sedated. That causes unnecessary suffering, MP István Szabadi said in a press…
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Western Europe
French bishops write letter on the end of life
How should Christians view euthanasia in the case of terminal illnesses? French bishops wrote a letter on the end of life to answer that question. “Death concerns each one of us. And it frightens us. Yes, we are not made for death.” That is the message that the bishops want…
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Eastern Europe
Pope should have read Dostoevsky better, says Ukrainian diplomat
The Pope would have known how cruel the Russians were if he had read Dostoevsky carefully. That said the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States. This statement by the diplomat attracted much attention the last few days. Pope Francis said last Sunday that he highly appreciates the Russian people and…
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Central Europe
Quarter of German Christians sees fall of the Berlin Wall as a miracle of God
A quarter of all the Germans still see the Fall of the Berlin Wall as a divine miracle. The Iron Curtain that separated the Eastern block from the Western world after World War II fell on November 9, 1989. The majority of Germans (55 per cent) does not see the…
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Moldovan Orthodox Church will not break with Moscow
The Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moldova rejects a call from the Liberal Party of the country to join the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church and break with the Moscow Patriarchate. The Liberal Party argued that Moldovan priests should join the “ancient and primordial Bessarabian Metropolis, which…
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Western Europe
Euthanasia of minors is concerning, Dutch churches worry
Protestant churches in the Netherlands worry about the new end-of-life proposal for children between 1 and 12 years old. According to the churches, the bill allows euthanasia for incapacitated people. It is to be discussed by a special commission of the Dutch Lower House. The Protestant denominations wrote a letter…
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German Protestant Church wants to change doctrine on peace
In response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Protestant Church of Germany (EKD) wants to reconsider its war ethics. Therefore, it wants to set up a so-called peace workshop. The Protestant Church announced that in a press release on Monday. That day, a synod meeting took place in Magdeburg.…
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Central Europe
German Christian avoids car no less than others
On average, German Christians are no more ecologically minded than the population, but they are no less environmentally conscious. More conservative churches seem to focus less on the subject than other churches. The agronomist Thomas Kröck used an online survey and in-depth discussion groups to investigate how environmentally conscious Christians…
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