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Number of Russian Jews leaving for Israel quadruples
The number of immigrants that moved from Russia to Israel has grown by 400 per cent in 2022 compared to a year earlier. The Aliyah Assistance Company helps Jewish returnees with their move and intensifies its work. According to statistics from Ofek Israeli, 32,494 Russian citizens have made the so-called…
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Central Europe
Opinions on Bible verse on German City Palace differ
The Biblical inscription on the dome of the City Palace in Berlin remains an issue of controversy. Last week, Minister of State for Culture, Claudia Roth, called for covering the Bible verse with lighting. Protestant Bishop Christian Stäblein from Berlin is annoyed by the upheaval and thinks it is nonsense…
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Eastern Europe
Ukrainian Christians struggle in war-torn country
Without water and electricity, life in Kyiv is grim. “It is such an unimaginable blessing from the Lord that our children are not here.” The Norwegian Bible Society employs the Ukrainian Victoria Rachynets. She lives in an apartment in Kyiv with her husband Anatoliy Rachynets, the assistant general secretary of…
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Northern Europe
Finnish proposal: Higher pastoral degree no longer required of army chaplain
Currently, army chaplains in Finland need a higher pastoral degree to be qualified for their work. A new proposal aims to release this requirement and enable army deacons with field experience to be promoted to the function of chaplain without needing this degree. The Bishop's Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran…
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Western Europe
French Roman Catholic Church wants to regain faith of population
Several cases of sexual abuse have undermined the trust in the Roman Catholic Church in France. Therefore, the French Conference of Bishops has decided to take measures to regain the population's confidence. Recently, the Emeritus Archbishop of Strasbourg confessed to inappropriate sexual behaviour towards a young adult woman. Before that,…
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Eastern Europe
Influence of Kirill on Putin is not as strong as you think
The Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has not the strong influence in Moscow as the West thinks. For that, Russia is too secular, a French expert says. Kirill himself wants to defend himself on the Western television. That says the French scientist Kathy Rousselet, research director at Sciences Po and expert…
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Western Europe
French police make nearly 50 arrests in child porn case
The French authorities arrested around fifty men suspected of possessing child pornography on Wednesday. Among those arrested are local elected officials. The age of the men in custody differs from 26 to 79. “It's the common man; there is no typical profile, unemployed, retired, working people”, said a source close…
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European Union
Ukrainian surrogacy child is welcome in Ireland
The Irish government intends to permit international surrogacy (mainly from Ukraine) while banning the practice in its own country. A judge criticised their communication in a trial about the Ukrainian child of the Egan family. Kathy Egan does not know whether she will be the legal mother of her boy…
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Northern Europe
Church of Sweden wants to open their own funeral parlours
The next church meeting of the Church of Sweden will decide whether the Church of Sweden can open their own funeral parlours. The plan is disputed. Opening up funeral parlours is the only way to keep alive the ecclesiastical funeral traditions, pastor Henrik Rydberg says to Dagen. “We can do…
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Belgium forbids conversion therapy
Belgium outlaws therapies that aim to change or supress someone's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Anyone who violates this ban on the so-called conversion therapies risks a jail term of between a month and a year or a fine of up to 300 euros. Proposing or encouraging conversion…
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