-
Northern Europe
Church of Sweden makes official apology to Sami
During a special service on Wednesday, the Church of Sweden made an official apology to the Sami, the indigenous inhabitants of Sweden. The service was held at the end of the General Synod. According to Archbishop Antje Jackelén, the Church must acknowledge the dark history, even when it is painful…
Read More » -
Central Europe
German coalition puts churches at a distance
Germany has a new coalition, the so-called Traffic Light combination. According to Christian sources in the country, it is clear that the cooperation with churches will be scaled down. Some even say this coalition is a step “on the way to an injustice state”, because of the abortion policies. The…
Read More » -
Eastern Europe
Russian Jehova's Witness acquitted of extremism
A Jehovah’s witness from Russia was acquitted of extremism for the first time since the country banned the religious group in 2017. The court of the city of Vladivostok ruled that joint prayers among members of banned religious organisations “do not contain elements of extremism”. As a result, Dmitry Barmakin…
Read More » -
Western Europe
France attempts again to extend abortion term
The French government attempts to extend the abortion term from 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy for the second time. This extension results in a higher health risk for expecting mothers. The majority of doctors opposes the proposal, [Die Tagespost](https://www.die-tagespost.de/politik/frankreich-lebensschuetzer-gehen-auf-die-barrikaden-art-223063) reports. On November 29 and 30, the French National Assembly…
Read More » -
Northern Europe
We are not dirty, says Norwegian Down activist
Since Norway passed a law that all pregnant women should get a NIPT test to discover whether their unborn child has a birth defect, such as Down syndrome, Marte Goksør (39) fears that more children with Down syndrome will be aborted, [Vartland](https://www.vl.no/nyheter/2021/11/19/marte-goksoyr-blir-skremd-av-aborttal-eg-skjonar-ikkje-kva-foreldra-tenkjer-pa/) reports. Goksør, who herself has Down syndrome, is…
Read More » -
Central Europe
Czech kids have better relationship with father due to pandemic
For children in the Czech Republic, the relationship with their father became better during the Covid pandemic. Working and schooling at home together worked out well for the whole family. That is the outcome of the local Unicef research project “Mladé Hlasy” (Young Voices) published recently. The German Radio Prague…
Read More » -
Southern Europe
Popular initiative in Italy to recognise human from moment of conception
Every human being must have the legal capacity from the moment of conception. It is the short and poignant text of a popular initiative in Italy. “Every human being has the legal capacity from the moment of conception. The patrimonial rights that the law recognises in favour of the conceived…
Read More » -
Eastern Europe
Räsänen gets support from Russian Christians
In a remarkable move, Christian denominations in Russia joined each other to support their Finnish fellow believers. Members of the Christian Interfaith Advisory Committee, the largest inter-Christian platform created for the interaction of traditional Christian confessions in the Eurasian space, issued a joint statement in support of Christians in Finland…
Read More » -
Eastern Europe
Russia tries to protect churches against sexually suggestive pictures
Russian police are investigating several cases against young people who posted sexually suggestive content on social media near places of worship. The police department in the city of Kaluga, which is 180 kilometres southwest of Moscow, said it discovered “while monitoring the internet” a photograph of a woman flashing her…
Read More » -
European Union
Germany and Slovakia consider compulsory vaccination
More countries seem to be considering a general obligation to vaccinate within the European Union, following Austria's example. The discussion is in full swing in Germany, and the Prime Minister of Slovakia has also expressed his opinion in this direction. In Germany, especially in the christian-democratic CDU/CSU, the voices in…
Read More »