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Central Europe
Poland now faced with record low birth rates
Last year, Poland experienced its largest population decline. Notes from Poland reported that the number of live births has reached its lowest point since World War II. At the same time, the number of deaths continues to rise in the country. Its national statistics agency (GUS) revealed that there were…
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Eastern Europe
Ukrainian churches say farewell to Russian calendar
Starting on September 1, 2023, the UGCC in Ukraine will switch the dates of certain holidays from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. That means that they will celebrate Christmas on December 25. It is the first church in Ukraine to take this step officially. It is clear step…
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Southern Europe
Pro-life Croatian men pray for family life
Be Manly. That was the theme for a public prayer of Croatian men in Zagreb last Saturday. Fathers should have a more central role in the upbringing of children, they say. Women’s rights activists in the country think differently. The supplicants pray for a more central role of fathers in…
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Central Europe
Upheaval in Hungary about gay US ambassador
There have been tensions around the US ambassador to Hungary. Hungarians are afraid that ambassador David Pressman will undermine traditional values in the country. Last week, US ambassador David Pressman, who is openly gay, criticised the Hungarian political leaders for defending the same conservative policies as Putin does. That was…
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Eastern Europe
New Orthodox Church in Ukraine supports a ban on its mother church
The (newly formed) Orthodox Church in Ukraine (OCU) supports a ban on the traditional Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) from the Moscow Patriarchate. The Holy Synod of the OCU calls on the Ukrainian state authorities to continue “protecting national security in the religious sphere”. As things stand now, that would mean…
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Central Europe
German party wants ban on ritual slaughter
The right-wing AfD parliamentary group in Germany has requested a national ban on ritual slaughter. However, the anti-Semitism commissioner in the country harshly criticises that proposal. According to anti-Semitism commissioner Felix Klein, the initiative reminds of the 1930s when the National Socialist party rose to power. He calls the motion…
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Eastern Europe
Ukrainian chaplain killed during church service
The Ukrainian chaplain Yaroslav Pavenko was killed by shelling on Saturday. He died while preaching to Ukrainian soldiers. Pavenko served in the military as a chaplain with two others. Their group was hit by a missile, Invictory reports, based on CHVE.org.ua. Photo Facebook, ?????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????????/Ukrainian Pentecostal Chur…
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Northern Europe
Number of divorces plummets in Sweden
More and more married couples decide to stay together. The trend has been ongoing for several years, new statistics show. There were some fears that the Covid pandemic would negatively impact marriages. That would mean that more people would go separate ways. However, these fears seem to have been ungrounded.…
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Southern Europe
Turkish forces arrest IS fighters after perceived threat for churches
The Turkish counterterrorism unit has arrested 15 people from the Daesh terrorist group. The suspects are accused of receiving instructions for terrorist attacks against some consulates and religious buildings. At the same time, the police say to have not found any concrete proof of threats after the arrest. The 15…
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Central Europe
LGBT lobby wants to take Hungary to court for ban transgender names
Hungary recently banned transgender name changes. The LGBT lobby disagrees with this decision and threatens to take the State to the European Court of Human Rights. The Hungarian Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that a law prohibiting name changes for transsexual people is not unconstitutional. That is reported by Remix.…
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