Displaying items by tag: Europe

Irish hospitals with a Catholic ethos will be expected to carry out abortions when the country’s new laws on terminations come into effect, the Taoiseach has made clear. Leo Varadkar said that while individual doctors, nurses or midwives could opt out of performing procedures on conscience grounds, entire institutions will not have that option. He was addressing concerns about surgical abortions. The government is drafting legislation to allow any woman to request an abortion up to 12 weeks, subject to a cooling-off period, and to allow abortion in extreme cases between 12 and 24 weeks. This was after citizens voted two-to-one in a referendum to repeal the state’s constitutional ban on abortions. The Taoiseach said the legislation would follow the model of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013, which allowed for terminations in extreme medical circumstances and for individual medics to opt out.

7 out of 10 Western Europeans call themselves Christians. However, the majority are non-practising (defined as attending church less than once a month). Across the 15 countries studied, 79% of self-identifying Christians believe in God, ranging from 93% in Portugal to 59% in Sweden. No national Christian population in Western Europe puts a high premium on evangelism; only 8% of believers say they try to persuade others to adopt their Christian convictions. Fasting during holy times and wearing religious symbols are also uncommon practices. About 24% say they tithe, ranging from 43% in Portugal to 18% in the UK. Among non-practising Christians less than half believe God is all-knowing (34%), all-powerful (26%), or all-loving (47%). Most practising Christians assert God’s omniscience and His all-loving nature, but barely half agree that God is all-powerful.

A new government has to be formed after the anti-immigrant Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) won 25% of the vote in the general election. The centre-left, anti-establishment party, Marjan Sarec List (LMS) came second with 12.7%. SDS is led by former PM Janez Janša, a vocal supporter of Hungary's nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban. The SDS said the door for talks and coalitions is open to all other parties. It would need to join at least two other parties to gain a majority. Most other parties have ruled out a coalition with Mr Janša because of his extremist views. They could form a centrist coalition. SDS believes money spent on migrants would be better used for Slovenia’s security forces. Mr Janša wants Slovenia to ‘become a country that puts wellbeing and security first’. The banking system, the health sector, and pensions will become key issues on the next government's agenda. Post-election negotiations are expected to be difficult.

Mainland Europe is a mission field on our doorstep. Jean Darnall and Smith Wigglesworth both prophesied God’s Spirit would flow from the UK to mainland Europe. Some from the UK and other European nations have relocated to France as ‘missionaries’. The evangelical church in France has seen remarkable growth equivalent to one new church every ten days. There are now 650,000 evangelical Christians in France. At the same time, the Roman Catholic church has declined, but there is a thriving RC charismatic movement. Social despair, mistrust of political leaders, and high unemployment, combined with a cultural willingness to discuss and debate have created conditions favourable to evangelical church growth. Now a Paris-based ministry with a vision for France and Europe called Jesus2Europe invites UK intercessors to join in prayer for France between 1 and 7 June. You can sign up for a prayer slot at

Security at Calais is tight and Caen is becoming the point for illegal migrants to reach the UK. On 30 May the Road Haulage Association spoke of truckers running a gauntlet of violence and intimidation by migrants trying to cross into Britain. ‘We have evidence of real and present threats to lorry drivers’ lives. Lorries are forced to stop by makeshift roadblocks where migrant gangs attempt to get on board - frequently with threats of violence. There have been threats of rape towards female drivers. There is no question that the risk to drivers is significant and the situation is deteriorating.’ The RHA said that the French authorities need to do more to ensure that hauliers can operate safely. Drivers have the right to complete their journeys in safety and though the police and security forces are doing their best, they are heavily outnumbered. The RHA is calling for the deployment of the French military, who have the resources necessary to bring the situation under control.

Following difficult negotiations after the 4th March election Italy has agreed to have a coalition government. Ministers are drawn from both the anti-establishment Five Star (M5S) and the right-wing League. Their newly chosen minister, Giovanni Tria, is in favour of Italy's continued membership of the single currency. But the populists' conflict with the EU is not entirely over. The M5S and the League have promised both new welfare spending and also tax cuts - which may run into conflict with the EU's spending rules.Army general Vincenzo Santo believes 80% of the flow of Mediterranean migrants is controlled from Italy’s coastlines by its Mafia. With a new government pray that the migration issues will be dealt with. Many are anxious about immigration and afraid of migrants. Italians no longer trust in the EU protection of borders, the principle of Schengen zone and the solidarity principle in general. See

Belarus has accused the UK embassy in Minsk of ‘creating problems’ by flying a rainbow flag for International Day Against Homophobia. The embassy said the banner directed attention to the discrimination that LGBT people encounter constantly. But the interior ministry said the majority of Belarusians ‘support traditional family values’, and ‘such statements are a challenge to these values’. Alexander Lukashenko, who has led Belarus for nearly a quarter-century, believes it is ‘better to be a dictator than gay’. Orthodox Christianity is Belarus’s major religion, with significant Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish communities. Homosexuality is not illegal but it is considered taboo: Belarus passed legislation in 2016 banning information that ‘discredits the institution of the family and marriage’.

Far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) have seen growing support in polls as campaign discourse focuses on refugees and migrants. With national elections due in September, migration policy is shaping up to be a core campaign issue for parties across the political spectrum. Linda Snecker, for the Left Party, believes the increasing focus on migration is changing the political landscape. While 27,000 people applied for asylum in 2017, immigration minister Helene Fritzon said the country should only grant asylum each year to 14,000 -15,000 applicants. SD claim their party does not oppose immigration, but argue that it ‘must be kept at such a level that it does not pose a threat to national identity or the welfare and security of Sweden’. Many SD members share, spread and sympathise with news and propaganda sites connected to white nationalism.

Greece’s parliament passed a bill on 15 May aimed at making asylum procedures simpler and faster and easing overcrowding in its refugee camps. Five camps on islands close to the Turkish coast hold more than double their capacity, and have been mired in violence over living conditions and delays in asylum claims that often take months to process. Human rights groups and the European Commission, which has offered Greece millions of euros in emergency aid, have criticised the government for not doing enough to manage the situation. Migration minister Dimitris Vitsas acknowledged that the bill ‘will not magically solve the refugee and migration issue’, but said the government wanted to reduce the wait for thousands of asylum seekers. Human rights groups criticised the bill, which foresees a shortened appeals procedure for rejected asylum seekers, saying it would lead to slapdash procedures violating refugees’ rights.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, has agreed to face a grilling from European Union lawmakers over how the data of as many as 2.7 million Europeans could have ended up in the hands of consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. On 16 May, European parliament president Antonio Tajani said that Zuckerberg had accepted the EU institution’s invitation to cross the Atlantic and face lawmakers in person as soon as next week. The meeting will take place in private on 22 May, the assembly’s press service said. Facebook, in an statement, said it accepted the ‘proposal to meet with leaders of the European Parliament and appreciate the opportunity for dialogue, listen to their views, and show the steps we are taking to improve protection of people’s privacy’.