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Eastern Europe
Russian priest fined for anti-war sermon
A Russian court has fined the priest Ioann Burdin. He was arrested last week. During a sermon, Burdin spoke out against the Russian war in Ukraine. The court ruled that Burdin's statements were illegal. In his sermon, the priest said that it was unacceptable that Russian Christians killed their brothers…
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European Union
Christian organisations warn Ukrainians for human trafficking
Mostly women and children flee Ukraine since men need to stay behind to fight. Therefore, Christian organisations warn against human trafficking. “Where there are conflicts, there will be refugees and chaos. And chaos is an ideal breeding ground for people with less good intentions, such as human traffickers”. This says…
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Southern Europe
Expectation for better position of Evangelicals in Southern Spain
It seems that the Evangelical Council in Andalusia, in the south of Spain, is making progress in talks with the regional government. The authorities accept about 90 per cent of the requests. There might be an agreement at the end of 2022. The news platform Protestante Digital reports about the…
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Western Europe
Dutch Lower House votes for abortion pill via GPs
The Dutch Lower House of Parliament has agreed that the abortion pill should also be available through General Practitioners. A majority of MPs supported a private member’s bill to make this possible. Currently, the abortion pill can only be given by an abortion clinic. The secular Liberal and Socialist parties…
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Western Europe
Criticism of secular watchdog on religious schools in France
In France, the National Secular Action Committee has issued a report pointing out “important abuses” in private educational establishments, especially religious institutions. Secularism as a facade, biased historical teachings, discrimination: a survey published on Wednesday 9 March by the Comité national d'action laïque (Cnal) highlights serious abuses in many non-contractual…
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Eastern Europe
Ukrainian churches beg for a no-fly zone
The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations calls on European leaders to introduce a no-fly zone over Ukrainian territory or provide the Ukrainian army with modern air defence systems and fighter jets. “There is nothing more valuable than human life”, the Ukrainian Council of Churches states. Therefore, it urges…
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Eastern Europe
Cities in Lviv region forbid Moscow-oriented Orthodox Church
Authorities in the Ukrainian region Lviv have forbidden the activities of the Moscow-oriented part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Last week, this happened in another city already. The city council of Drohobych banned the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church because they would “artificial confrontation between certain groups of the…
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Eastern Europe
Ukrainian surrogate babies are trapped in Kyiv basement
While the biological parents are locked out of Ukraine because of the war, their children are born to surrogate mothers in the war-torn country. It is unclear how parents and children can be united. While the biological parents are locked out of Ukraine because of the war, their children are…
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Western Europe
French presidential candidates on the end of life
France will elect a president in April. Who are the primary challengers of the incumbent head of state Emmanuel Macron? And what are the candidates’ views on euthanasia and assisted suicide? In 2017, Emmanuel Macron and his movement ‘La République en Marche' won the second round of voting against the…
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European Union
European Union shows unity in accommodating Ukrainian refugees
Members of the European Union have received Ukrainian refugees with open arms. This union can be explained by “ethic and religious factors”, the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) director says. The European response to the sudden influx of fleeing Ukrainians was quick and unanimous. Everywhere, Ukrainians were welcomed…
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