Ukraine parliamentarians have re-submitted a bill to outlaw the promotion of homosexuality in public, and the homosexual movement around the world. Their supporters in the mainstream media, have erupted in outrage. The bill’s sponsor said that the growing acceptance of homosexuality in the West was ‘not evolution, but degradation’. It would ban the promotion of homosexuality in television shows and movies, as well as prohibit public ‘Gay Pride’ events. It is intended to preserve ‘the moral, spiritual and physical health of the nation’ according to co-author MP Pavlo Ungurian, speaking at a news conference Monday. ‘We are not against homosexuals, however, we do not share their values,’ he said. ‘Our goal is the preservation of the moral, spiritual and physical health of the nation,’ Ungurian said adding ‘We must stop the propaganda, the positive description and the publicity of this abnormal lifestyle.’
Pray: for the government in Ukraine that it will stay firm on its stand against homosexuality. (1Tim.1:9-10)
European leaders have mounted renewed diplomatic pressure on Ukraine over its treatment of Yulia Tymoshenko, the jailed former prime minister. Jose Manuel Barroso, the EU Commission president, said on Tuesday that he would not go to Ukraine during the European football championships in June unless there is a swift improvement in the human rights situation there. ‘It is clear that as things stand now, the president has no intention of going to Ukraine,’ Barroso's spokeswoman said. His announcement followed that of EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding, who is also skipping the opening ceremony of the Euro 2012 football tournament, to be hosted by Ukraine and Poland, on June 8. A German government spokesman also said any visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel during the championship, one of the continent's main sports events, would be linked to Tymoshenko's fate. Tymoshenko has been on a hunger strike since last week to protest against her alleged beating in prison.
Pray: that the Ukrainian authorities would have a change of heart and seek the truth and resolve the situation. (Dt.10:20)
More: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/05/2012517319725587.html
Ukraine Church hit by explosion
02 Aug 2010
An 80-year-old woman has died after an explosion at an Orthodox Christian church in southern Ukraine which injured at least eight other people, officials say. The blast in the city of Zaporizhzhya is believed to have been caused by a homemade explosive device. It is not clear who is behind the explosion. It came towards the end of a visit to Ukraine by the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I which has attracted protests by right-wing nationalists. Thousands of Orthodox believers gathered in the Ukrainian capital to celebrate the historic ‘Baptism of old Russia’. Modern Kiev is the place where the Christianity started in this part of the world. Back in 988, Prince Vladimir took the first bunch of pagans into the Dnepr River in Ukraine and baptized them to become the Orthodox Christians. The whole Christianization process took several centuries, but Kiev is still considered to be the cradle of Orthodox Christianity in this part of Europe. Pray: for the believers in Ukraine and against the enemy that is stirring up dissention. (Ps.64:1) More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10123640
Two-thirds of Europeans want Christian values
19 May 2010Around two-thirds of Europeans feel that Christian values are relevant to modern life and are ready to acknowledge Church efforts to promote them. A survey conducted in France, Britain, Italy, Germany and Spain for the Catholic La Croix newspaper found that ‘Christian anchorage’ among Europeans was still strong. Around half of Europeans also felt Christian values could promote dialogue with different cultures and religions and solidarity with the poor. Over half believed Christians were ‘sufficiently visible’ in society, but a quarter felt they were under-represented. However, only Italians felt the churches were doing a good job in communicating with young people.
Pray: for this underlying trust in Christian values to be strengthened by the work of the Church in Europe. (Ac.16:5)
Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that despite some promising developments, Christians in Turkey continue to suffer attacks from private citizens, discrimination by lower-level government officials and vilification in both school textbooks and news media, according to a study by a Protestant group. In its annual Report on Human Rights Violations, the country's Association of Protestant Churches notes mixed indicators of improvement but states that there is a ‘root of intolerance’ in Turkish society toward adherents of non-Islamic faiths. ‘The removal of this root of intolerance is an urgent problem that still awaits to be dealt with,’ the report states. ‘There is still a lot of room for improvement,’ said Mine Yildirim, a member of the legal committee for the association. The report documented 12 attacks against Christians in 2011, including incidents in which individuals were beaten in Istanbul for sharing their faith, church members were threatened and church buildings attacked. None of the attackers has been charged.
Pray: for Christians in Turkey that God would protect them from discrimination and spiritual attacks. (Ps.86:14)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/turkish.christians.still.experiencing.discrimination/29341.htm
Turkey’s religious freedom record slides
12 Apr 2012Sentiment against Christians in Turkey has persisted long enough for a US religious rights monitor to recommend it as a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ and pastor Orhan Picaklar knows such anti-Christian hostility first-hand. Picaklar, of Agape Church in Samsun, lives in the Black Sea region where Christians live under increasing pressure. He has seen his building attacked and his family and congregation threatened. Picaklar said. 'We have been here for 10 years, and people here still treat us like cursed enemies'. Picaklar’s son received death threats on Facebook. A man caused minor damage to Picaklar’s church building last month, the latest in a series of aggressions that has led the church to file charges after long declining to do so. Police called Picaklar in the middle of the night on March 4 because a young man had disturbed neighbours near the church building. Neighbours heard the suspect, yelling, ‘Corrupt, perverted Christians, we are going to bring this church down on your heads, get lost,’ among other threats, Picaklar said.
Pray: for pastor Picaklar and others like him as they lead the church in places of hostility. (Ps.5:11)
More: http://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/stories/index.php?newsitem=1&date=09apr2012&country=turkey
Turkey: The right to have places of worship
06 Mar 2011
The right to establish, own, and maintain places of worship is set out in the international human rights standards that Turkey is a party to. Yet religious communities face serious obstacles – both formal and informal – preventing this, Forum 18 News Service notes. Only the state-run Diyanet can open mosques and administer them. The largest community demanding to have its own places of worship is the Alevi community, which is around one third of the population. But despite government promises of a solution, none has yet appeared. Indeed, the state is currently attempting to close down an Alevi association because its statute describes its cemevi as a place of worship. Communities, such as Protestants and Jehovah's Witnesses, face serious obstacles in establishing places of worship, while Catholics, Greek and Syriac Orthodox and other communities face serious problems in maintaining places of worship. To implement human rights obligations this right must be made secure. Pray: for the rights of worshipping communities to be set free. (Ps.86:9)
Turkey: Protestants still face hardships
10 Mar 2011
A senior Turkish Protestant has said his country's small Christian churches still face severe hardships, despite recent pledges by the government to improve protection of religious rights. ‘We can't deny certain positive steps - since 2005, we've been able to apply for legal status as registered associations,’ said Zekai Tanyar, executive board chairman of Turkey's Association of Protestant Churches. ‘But full religious freedom is still a long way off here, and all Christian denominations face difficulties. Government officials assure us they'll look into our problems, such as by offering us police protection. But no attempt is being made to present us in a more positive light.’ In an ENI interview, Tanyar said Protestants differed from Turkey's Armenian and Greek Orthodox Christians, since most came from recent Muslim Turkish backgrounds, rather than from ethnic minorities, and did not have historic claims to churches and properties in the country. Pray: for God’s Church in Turkey that it would find ways of fulfilling its calling despite the difficulties. (Ps.33:12)