The Greek constitution says that while Orthodox Christianity is the ‘prevailing’ religion of Greece, the state guarantees freedom of worship for all faiths. But it doesn’t look that way to many who aren’t Orthodox Christians, including Muslims who are forced to worship in an unofficial basement mosque in Athens. A government plan to build an official mosque has been stalled for more than a decade. At a nearby cafe, some local residents say they’re unhappy about their Muslim neighbours . ‘If they build the mosque here in the neighbourhood I would oppose it along with many others,’ a resident said. ‘But if they want to build it on the top of a mountain I would have no problem.’ The battle over the Athens mosque has been complicated by Greece’s problem with illegal immigration. ‘I don’t want to send the message to illegal immigrants that Greece is a friendly place for illegal immigrations.’

Cross-border cooperation involving the Royal Gibraltar Police, Borders & Coastguard Agency and the Policía Nacional has led to the arrest of a people-trafficking gang operating in the Costa del Sol. They employed fraudulent methods to mislead immigration officials in Spain, Gibraltar and the United Kingdom. Last month two Albanian men flew from Gibraltar to Luton and attempted to enter Britain using forged Italian ID cards, but Aurelt Kasa and Eltjon Islami - both in their early 20s - were sent back to the Rock after UK Border Force Immigration detected that they were using forged ID cards. They were arrested on arrival and are currently being held on remand at HMP Windmill Hill awaiting deportation. These arrests sparked off an investigation which led to the identification of a third individual suspected to be a facilitator and important member of the criminal group. A process of information exchange, surveillance and close liaison then began with Spain’s national police with responsibility for Immigration – the ‘Cuerpo Nacional de Policia, Seccion de Extrangeria’. Another two Albanian subjects were detected in separate instances by RGP/BCA officers a few days later, carrying similar false identification documents and trying to use Gibraltar as a platform to reach the UK. On Wednesday 17 June , following a lengthy and co-ordinated surveillance operation, a further two Albanian nationals were intercepted and arrested by the Spanish Police, foiling their plans to board a plane in Gibraltar to the UK. The facilitator, a German national of Romanian origin who was identified in the first instance by the Gibraltar authorities, was also arrested. Acting Commissioner of Police Ian McGrail said, ‘What a great example of cross border police co-operation this has been

Pray for the networks of relationships developing all over Germany which are leading to many conversations about a personal relationship with God. There is unrest with demonstrations being held by groups in several main cities over the perceived lack of ‘voice’ in political and economic decisions. Pray for godly responses to these activities and that a ‘soft or gentle answer turns away wrath’ as it says in Proverbs 15:1. Pray also for Campus fur Christus as the need is high for additional staff to work in ministry. Every summer individuals, young and old,  travel to Germany on short-term mission trips. Pray that God will grant divine appointments and that the spiritual impact will be felt by both the visitors and the locals. Continue to pray for Angela Merkel and other German leaders who are trying to work toward a peaceful resolution to the Russia/Ukraine conflict.

Aid agencies have warned that the problem of migrants camping out in Calais before trying to reach Britain has risen to a level of crisis not seen before.Their numbers in the French port have swollen from around 1,000 in April to 3,000 this month, and it is predicted that up to 4,000 more will arrive in the coming weeks. Aid workers warn that some of the sprawling makeshift campsites, known locally as the Jungle, have become so large as to be untenable. Dozens of migrants have occupied derelict barns and erected tarpaulin-covered wood structures big enough for families, as many wait to try their luck at hiding on lorries to Dover. Maya Konforti, a volunteer for l’Auberge des Migrants, an aid group based in Calais, said the number of migrants arriving was ‘definitely climbing’. She said, ‘The situation is catastrophic. They don’t have enough tents, blankets or food and with Ramadan it’s more difficult.’ She urged Britain to ease the burden on France.