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Central Europe
Catholic youth organisation Germany wants sexual self-determination for children
The German coalition is working on a self-determination law to make it easier for people to change their legal gender. The Association of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ) wants minors to have the same possibilities. If the government is able to pass its self-determination bill, adults can change their legal gender…
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Eastern Europe
Growing appetite for Christmas on 'Western' date in Ukraine
Almost half of the Ukrainians support celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December instead of the traditional January 7th. The percentage has grown this year from 26 to 44 per cent. That is reported by Religion Pravda. The news website quotes a sociological study of the Rating group. How long…
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Central Europe
Same-sex couple takes Poland to European Court for recognition of marriage
A Polish couple takes Poland to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. They could not get their marriage recognised by Poland's legal system. Polish journalist Agata Kowalska married a lawyer, Emilia Barabasz. Their marriage was sealed in Germany in 2018, Notes from Poland reports. However, when the couple…
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Southern Europe
Spanish Parliament passes transgender law
The Spanish Parliament has passed the controversial transgender law with 188 votes in favour, 150 against and seven blank ballots. That is reported by Elpais.com. The bill will now go for review by the Senate. The bill aims to give the LGBT community more rights. It should, for example, make…
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Western Europe
Complaints about Dutch pro-life adverts rejected
The Advertisement Code Commission responsible for the content of Dutch ads has rejected three complaints. The complaints were submitted against two advertisements for the pro-life organisation NPV-Zorg voor Leven. That is reported by the Dutch daily Reformatorisch Dagblad. The video clips in question show two women who tell that they…
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Eastern Europe
Bulgarian Church recognises autonomy of Macedonian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church formally recognised the independence of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC). On December 13, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church “accepted with spiritual joy” the Tomos of autocephaly given to the MOC, reports the Orthodox news portal Orthodox Christianity. The Synod of the Bulgarian Church…
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Northern Europe
Jews in Norway tend to hide their identity
More Jews are hiding their identity in Norway, the Holocaust centre in Oslo says. In the meantime, a school in the capital repeatedly suffers from anti-Semitic symbols. As soon as the one has disappeared, the next one comes up. That is reported by the Christian daily in Norway, Vart Land.…
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Central Europe
Family is where the children are, a German bishop says
The German bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck from the diocese of Essen pleads for an extension of the traditional family model. Family is, “where you live with children”, he says. Currently, the Roman Catholic Church upholds the traditional view of a family: a father, a mother and their children. Overbeck, however, argues…
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European Union
European Court condemns Switzerland and Denmark for surrogacy
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has slammed Denmark and Switzerland for not recognising parenthood to couples who had a child via surrogacy. In two recent court cases, the ECHR ruled that the two European States violated the rights of several children born to a surrogate mother. In Denmark,…
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Central Europe
German politicians distance themselves from churches
German politicians are increasingly distancing themselves from the churches. Especially under the current traffic light coalition, relationships have been weak. In the past, when people of faith went to politicians, all doors were open to them. That has changed. The importance of the churches is rapidly dwindling, reports the Frankfurter…
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