Methodist Church
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Central Europe
Is Hungarian pastor's arrest matter of fraud suspicion or religious freedom?
Pastor István Ónodi might not have slept so well if he had known that his house would be turned upside down at daybreak. That early morning in February, he was arrested for fraud. The Hungarian has been detained on suspicion of “Fraud against the State budget”. Mr. Ónodi is a…
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Southern Europe
Waldensians oppose ban on surrogacy
Surrogacy should not be criminalised, and the now frequently used derogatory term utero in affitto (uterus for rent) should be abolished. This was decided by the Synod of Waldensians, Methodists and Baptists last week. In the coming days, the decisions of the synod, which met in the Waldensian 'capital' Torre…
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Eastern Europe
Estonian Methodists leave global group after LGBT conflict
The Methodist churches in Estonia have decided to leave their global mother church. A large majority voted for secession. During a church meeting, 97 per cent of the attending representatives indicated their support for leaving the United Methodist Church (UMC). The reason for their leave is the progressive course the…
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Northern Europe
Norwegian Methodist priest can perform same-sex marriage
The annual conference of the Norwegian Methodist Church has permitted priests to marry “whomever they want”, including gay couples. It is up to individuals to assess whether they can marry queers, Knut Refsdal, a supervisory priest in the Methodist Church and head of the Committee for the Church's Future. The…
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Northern Europe
Norwegian authorities will recognise same-sex marriage in Methodist Church
If the Methodist Church of Norway agrees to seal same-sex marriages, the civil authorities would recognise them, even if the international Methodist Church community would disagree. A church employee asked the authorities if they would recognise same-sex marriages if sealed in the Methodist Church of Norway. That is reported by…
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Northern Europe
Split among European Methodists because of marriage
The Methodist Church in Norway has approved same-sex marriages within their congregations. In a report from Dagen, the Christian Council of Norway recently discussed the roles of women in leadership and same-sex relationships. Both topics have proven to be contentious issues within the Church and have caused divisions among some…
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Eastern Europe
European Christians shocked; fear about religious freedom in occupied Ukraine
The European Evangelical Alliance sees no justification for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Other Christian organisations in the region respond concerned as well. Meanwhile, local Christians are worried about their freedoms. The EEA, representing over 23 million European Protestants, came with a statement on Thursday, saying that the invasion of…
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Northern Europe
Norwegian church needs license for lightning cross on tower
After the dispute over the illuminated cross at Skauen church in Skien, the municipality is now asking the congregation to apply for a special dispensation if the light in the cross is to be approved. The cross at the newly build church in Skien has been a centre of controversy…
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Northern Europe
No lightning cross on church without license, says Norwegian town council
The controversial cross on a church tower in the Norwegian city of Skien does not have the required license to be illuminating day and night. However, it is not the light that makes neighbours complain. It is the shape. “I find the huge luminous cross on the new church building…