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Western Europe
Deep divisions about euthanasia in French citizens' debate
The Citizens' Convention on the end of life in France shows deep divisions between participants. The 185 participants have fundamentally different views on the end of life. The Convention started on December 9 and will continue until March. It is part of President Macron's plan to liberalise euthanasia and assisted…
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Northern Europe
Norway investigates legality of school devotions
Are schools allowed to hold devotionals where students pray and talk about their faith together? That is the question the Norwegian State Administrator has asked the Directorate of Education. The question initially comes from a secondary school that asked the State Administrator if it is legal to organise meetings with…
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Southern Europe
First new church in Turkey in more than 100 years
In a few months, there will be the first opening of a newly built church since the foundation of the Turkish Republic in 1923. St. Ephrem Church is built in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The construction started three years ago. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally laid the foundation stone…
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Northern Europe
Finnish Christian Democrats: Preserve traditional values after next election
Finland’s Christian Democrats (KD) would like to see traditional values preserved after this year’s elections. Voting starts in March, but the elections are set to take place in early April, according to a report from KD-Lehti. Candidate lists for the parties will be released soon. The party plans to prioritise…
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Eastern Europe
War leaves Ukrainians at risk for sexual violence
When Russians took over the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, 26-year old Olha knew she was trapped. As she lay tied up and detained on the table, she began to wonder what would come next. Around eight or nine days as a prisoner of war, her Russian interrogator began to…
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European Union
Prayer Week for Evangelical Churches in Europe
European Evangelical Churches are called to pray during a special Prayer Week this week. The event, organised by the European Evangelical Alliance, takes place between January 8 and 15. The theme of the Prayer Week of this year is 'joy', Evangelical Focus reports. “Christmas lays just behind us. We have…
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Eastern Europe
Russian Patriarch preaches forgiveness of sins of killed soldiers of WWII
All the sins of Russian soldiers killed during the Second World War are forgiven, according to the Russian Patriarch Kirill. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church said so during the Christmas service on Saturday, Ria Novosti reports. He stated that the Lord forgave the sins of the soldiers who…
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Central Europe
Polish town yields to EU threat about LGBT free zones
Swidnik, a town in Eastern Poland, gives in to the demands of the European Union to abolish LGBT-free zones. It does so because it fears losing millions of euros from EU subsidies. Four years ago, Swidnik was one of the first places in Poland to embrace the policy of LGBT-free…
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Eastern Europe
Ukrainians call on UN to protect Orthodox Church
The Ukrainian NGO Public Rights has called on the United Nations for the rights of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate. The call has mainly to do with “enforced disappearances” of UOC clergy but also broader with the violations of the rights of believers. The…
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Southern Europe
Spanish Protestants regret continued discrimination of pastors by government
The Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain (FEREDE) regrets that the government has not listened to its demands in 2022. The Spanish authorities still refuse to recognise the pensions of Evangelical pastors who were prevented from contributing before 1999. “We have not seen any political will to improve the…
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