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Europe is currently experiencing ‘an atmosphere of intolerance in relation to Christians, as well as to representatives of other traditional religions’ according to one of the most influential figures in the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's department for external Church relations also said that Europe needs to ‘discuss openly the violation of the rights of Christians’. He was speaking in Rome to a meeting organised by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to address the issue of discrimination against Christians. The meeting, entitled ‘Preventing and Responding to Hate Incidents and Crimes against Christians’, was organised by Lithuania,
which currently chairs the OSCE. Metropolitan Hilarion said that, while European civilization ‘is a culture that has developed on a Christian foundation’ it had ‘acquired a clearly expressed multicultural nature, having become a place of contact between peoples and religions from all over the world’.
Pray: that the people of Europe would remember their Christian foundations and revert to the truth. (Is.48:13-14a)
Disagreement between European countries over Libya has moved from the merely embarrassing to the wholly humiliating, after Germany again blocked Anglo-French no-fly zone proposals at a G8 meeting in Paris. The EU's Libya debacle is now the foreign policy equivalent of last year's eurozone meltdown, and similarly damaging to its global credibility and influence. Once again, Europe is being forced to confront an unpalatable truth: unless the US takes the lead, nothing gets done. Alain Juppé, France's foreign minister, suggested Europe had left it too late to stop Gaddafi winning. ‘If we had used military force last week to neutralise some airstrips and the several dozen planes that they have, perhaps the reversal taking place to the detriment of the opposition wouldn't have happened,’ Juppé told Europe-1 radio. ‘But that's the past. What is happening today shows us that we may have let slip by a chance.’ Pray: that God will have mercy on those who are afflicted and pray for wisdom for the EU over its decisions. (Ps.9:18) More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/15/europe-libya-intervention-eu-us
A religious liberty campaigner has been heckled at an EU meeting for saying Christians should not be sent to prison for peacefully expressing their opinions. A room full of feminist and homosexual activists jeered at Dr Gudrun Kugler when she spoke about the intolerance faced by Christians in Europe. Some of the crowd said that Christians ought to be thrown in jail if they make a ‘negative comment’ against a ‘minority group’. When Dr Kugler spoke about a pharmacy in Germany that had its windows smashed because of its opposition to the morning-after pill, someone shouted out ‘rightly so!’ and others nodded in agreement. She was delivering a five-year Report on Intolerance against Christians in Europe, including several religious liberty cases from the UK. Dr Kugler is a lawyer and founder of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe. Pray: for all Christians on the front line that God would equip them for the task and help them to stand firm. (Ac.4:29) More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/religious-liberty-advocate-faces-jeers-at-eu-meeting/
The European Union presidency has said that Iran's suspension of a stoning sentence against a woman convicted of adultery is not enough and demands it be completely overturned. Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere of Belgium, who holds the EU's rotating presidency, said that Iran's concession that the punishment against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani could be eased did not meet the human rights conditions the EU is insisting on. He said the Belgian presidency would work hard ‘to achieve that the punishment will be unequivocally repealed’. This week, several European Union nations and the continent's biggest human rights organization have criticised Iran for its plan to stone the 43-year-old mother of two even if Teheran has put the plan on hold for now. Pray: that the inhumanity of Iran’s sentencing policies be overturned by prayer and politics. (Ps.2:1-3) More: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/09/09/world/AP-Iran-Stoning.html?_r=1&ref=europe
EU foreign ministers have issued a statement condemning violence against Christians and calling upon states to protect freedom of worship. The statement was issued after the Foreign Affairs Council Meeting in Brussels on Monday. The foreign ministers said: ‘The Council expresses its profound concern about the increasing number of acts of religious intolerance and discrimination, as epitomised by recent violence and acts of terrorism in various countries against Christians and their places of worship, Muslim pilgrims and other ‘religious communities’ which it firmly condemns. The ministers expressed their condolences and ‘solidarity’ with the countries where religious violence was being experienced, as well as with the victims’. They went on to affirm the EU’s ‘strong commitment’ to the promotion and protection of religious freedom and called upon states to protect their citizens, including members of religious minorities. Pray: that this statement will be taken seriously by all the states within the EU. (Pr.10:6) More:http://www.christiantoday.com/article/eu.expresses.profound.concern.over.violence.towards.christians/27565.htm
The European Commission has told France that it faces action over its expulsion of Roma (Gypsy) migrants if it fails to adopt EU rules on freedom of movement by 15 October. France welcomed the fact that the EU was not accusing it of discrimination. But Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said France had not respected a 2004 EU directive on freedom of movement. The controversial expulsions of thousands of Roma led to a serious row between Brussels and Paris. ‘France is not enforcing European law as it should on free movement, so we are launching an infringement process against France,’ Ms Reding told France 24 television. Ms Reding also says France has failed to transpose into law a 2004 EU directive on freedom of movement, which sets out procedures for deporting migrants deemed to be staying illegally. (See Prayer Alert 3810 & 3510) Pray: that the French government reconsiders its current decisions over the Roma. (2Ch.19:7) More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11437361
Sweden has said the EU should put pressure on Pristina to improve relations with Serbs in north Kosovo following three months of escalating violence. Foreign minister Carl Bildt sent a letter to EU institutions on 17 November after visiting the Serb-controlled town of north Mitrovica, which he described as ‘more tense and more divided today than it has been for a very long time.’ The letter - seen by EUobserver - says the European External Action Service and the European Commission should ‘launch a structured dialogue with Pristina on the issue of the north.’ He added: ‘While we must be firm in rejecting any notion of partition, we should also be realistic enough to admit that there will be no easy solution to overcoming an existing division that is currently growing stronger and more hostile by the day.’ For its part, the commission has invited Pristina to put forward a ‘comprehensive agenda’ to pacify the region.
Pray: that there would be a breakthrough leading to peace and reconciliation. (Ps.85:8)
Top BBC journalist George Alagiah has urged Europe’s decision makers to do more to address the global food ‘crisis.’ The news anchor told a Brussels conference that the world needs to increase food production by 100 per cent by the year 2050 ‘in order to sustain itself.’ He said, ‘As the world’s population continues to grow, and more and more households in emerging economies join the world’s middle class, the demand for animal protein is expected to double by 2050’. The conference was organised by the International Federation for Animal Health Europe (IFAHEurope). Those attending the conference were told that there is an urgent need for realistic policies to address the challenge and the role the animal health industry can play. At present, 1.02 billion people do not have enough to eat, 907 million of these live in the developing world. ‘Some 20 per cent of animal productivity is lost due to diseases in animals’. Pray: that the delegates from this conference would use their knowledge to raise awareness in their home nations. (Pr.12:11)
The EU is preparing to send a team of technical experts to Sudan in the coming weeks, with senior officials warning that Africa's largest and soon to be divided state continues to pose the greatest risk to the continent's security, despite recent competition from Egypt. ‘The mission will be sent to south Sudan to make a strategic assessment of what support the EU should provide for stability, building, development and security sector reform.’ Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for EU high representative Catherine Ashton, said on Tuesday. Final results from last month's referendum, released on Monday, showed that nearly 99 percent of the 3.9 million voters in south Sudan elected to separate form the Arab-led and Muslim north. A complete lack of development in southern Sudan for the past 25 years, security failings and a history of epidemics and floods are among the challenges facing the region, set to gain independence in July, said the official. Pray: for the teams of experts that they will be given God’s wisdom in ways to help this new nation. (Pr.2:6)
In a significant legal development, the European Court of Human Rights has requested that the British Government state whether they believe that the rights of Christians have been infringed in recent cases where individuals have been penalised for expressing their faith in the workplace. The request has come because legal action is being taken by four Christians who argue that their rights have been infringed. The four Christians are: Gary McFarlane, a counsellor who was sacked by a counselling service for saying that he would not give sex therapy to homosexual couples (See PA5310); Shirley Chaplin, a nurse who was banned for wearing a cross around her neck (See PA1510); Nadia Eweida, a British Airways employee who was prevented from wearing a cross; and Lillian Ladele, who was disciplined by Islington council for refusing to conduct civil partnership ceremonies for homosexual couples. The cases have been viewed by the European Court as being of such importance that they merit further investigation. Pray: that this development will lead to the law being changed to protect those who wish to practice their faith. (Ps.5:11)