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Central Europe
Church bell causes tensions in Germany
A church bell causes political tensions within the German Evangelical Churches (EKD). Should the bell be returned to its owners from before the Second World War or not? The bell was originally from an evangelical congregation in eastern Germany. When in 1940, Field Marshal Hermann Göring, Hitler's deputy, demanded that…
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Western Europe
French believers unable to present joint declaration on euthanasia
Representatives of different religions in France did not present a joint declaration on euthanasia last Sunday. They say they have similar views but refuse to form a common front. Therefore, the Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish religions will not unite in their fight against euthanasia, Le Figaro reports. They said…
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Northern Europe
Pentecostal Church in Norway accused of making too much noise
A housing association complains about a Pentecostal Church in Norway about the level of noise of the church services. As the municipality rejected its claim, it is now taking the case to the National Ombudsman. The bass sounds from the music played during services and other gatherings is invasive, a…
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Central Europe
Church should stay out of politics, German believes
Churches should not speak out on political issues, the majority of Germans agree. They responded to a statement in a survey on behalf of the German press agency IDEA. About 55 per cent thinks politics is not the field of the church. Approximately 24 per cent holds the opposite view,…
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Southern Europe
Upheaval about Italian senator who opposes homosexuality with Bible text
The Italian senator Lucio Malan from the ruling party Brothers of Italy received the question of why he was opposed to homosexuality and same-sex marriage. But when he cited Bible texts to support his view on these matters, he was overwhelmed by a storm of criticism. The opposition parties even…
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Central Europe
Is a Christian morally obliged to become a vegetarian?
How do humans relate to animals? And how should Christians look theologically at these fellow creatures? German theologian Simone Horstmann researches this topic. She is very critical of the high meat consumption in Germany. Theologians ignore the topic of animals too often, Horstmann says in an interview with Katholisch.de. Theological…
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Central Europe
Study: legalisation euthanasia leads to more suicides
Countries that legalise euthanasia or assisted suicide see their number of “self-initiated” suicides, in other words, without the help of third parties, rise. That is remarkable because proponents of legalisation argued that these numbers would go down with legalisation. The study “Does legalisting Assisted Suicide Make Things Better Or Worse”…
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Western Europe
French MPs vote for enshrining abortion in constitution
A large majority of the members of the lower house of the French parliament have voted to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution. The bill will now be submitted to the conservative-dominated upper house, where approval is far from certain. Should it receive it, another referendum will be organised on…
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Northern Europe
Christian Norwegians host conference on gender and marriage
Norwegian conservative Christians will be organising a conference in January next year with the theme “Discipleship in a gender-neutral age.” “We have no desire for the conference to have a neutral or impartial profile.” According to general manager Øivind Benestad, the need for a conference that offers knowledge and awareness…
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Eastern Europe
Russia prohibits LGBT propaganda
The Russian parliament passed a law prohibiting the dissemination of information about homosexuality and bisexuality. It has been illegal in Russia to share this information with children for almost a decade. Parliament has extended this 2013 'gay propaganda law' to all ages. “Propaganda on non-traditional sexual relations is prohibited. The…
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