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Central Europe
Judge decides that anti-Semitic monument in Wittenberg can stay
The anti-Semitic monument at the Wittenberg City Church can stay there. That was decided by the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe. The so-called “Judensau” (Jewish pig) is from the 13th century and shows a sow on whose teats Jews suckle. This was intended to humiliate Jews in the Middle…
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Eastern Europe
Unification Orthodox Church in Ukraine seems far away
Although the direct consequences of the break between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Patriarchate seem irrelevant, unification of the orthodox denominations in Ukraine appears to be further away than ever. That is the opinion of Dagmar Heller, expert orthodoxy from the Denominational Institute of Ecumenical Studies and Research…
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Central Europe
German church leader distances herself from assisted suicide
Assisted suicide is not an expression of freedom and should not be seen as an equal alternative to life. That is the opinion of Annette Kurschus, the president of the council of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD). Kurschus said so during a Synod meeting in Bielefeld this week, Idea…
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Northern Europe
Norwegian Christian weekly faces internal conflict
Finn Jarle Sæle, the editor in chief of the Norwegian Christian weekly Norge iDag, is in a conflict with his first assistant, Bjarte Ystebø. The team seems to be in an open conflict with each other that is fought on the website as well. Even though Sæle passed his 75th…
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Northern Europe
Free Church Norway keeps traditional view on marriage
The Free Church of Norway maintains its traditional view that marriage is “God's good plan for cohabitation between one man and one woman.” The Synod decided so last week. Synod members voted against a proposal to look at theological arguments for and against same-sex cohabitation, Vart Land reports. According to…
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Central Europe
German Christian reluctant to talk about faith
Christian university students experience hostility because of their faith. It seems that secular intolerance restricts the Christian freedom of expression. That is shown by new studies on Christian freedom of expression. The research is conducted by International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF), the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America…
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Eastern Europe
Ukrainian priests file lawsuit against their own patriarch from Moscow
More than 400 priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate have signed a petition that calls for a church tribunal against their own Patriarch Kirill. According to the priests, the Moscow patriarch is guilty of supporting the war in Ukraine and spreading militaristic ideas. The UOC…
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Central Europe
Old Catholic church in Switzerland allows same-sex marriages
The Christ-Catholic Church in Switzerland has voted to open marriage to all, regardless of sexual orientation. Starting on July 1, same-sex couples can get married in the Old Catholic Church denomination, which is independent from the Roman Catholic Church. The decision was taken by the National Synod of the Catholic…
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Central Europe
Czech president attracts much attention for veto against gay marriage
The Czech President Milos Zeman has attracted much attention with his announcement last week that he would not sign and even veto a bill for gay marriage. In the Czech constitutional order, the president signs the bill approved by the parliament. Only then does the bill become law. The lower…
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Northern Europe
Christian school Norway in financial problems because of grant cut
A Christian school in Norway has to fire employees and increase student fees because of financial problems. Recently, the Norwegian government decided to reduce subsidies to private schools strongly. Therefore, Danielsen secondary school in Bergen now has a deficit of four million kroner (almost 400,000 euros). To compensate for the…
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