Tag: European Union News

Churches and clergy among targets in anti-Christian incidents across Europe

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Anti-Christian hate crimes remained elevated in Europe during the month of June, with arson attacks continuing to target Christian sites across the continent.  The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) documented 40 anti-Christian hate crimes last month, placing June second only to March (41 cases) for the number of recorded incidents in 2026. The incidents targeted churches, Christian institutions, clergy, religious symbols, converts to Christianity, and individual believers across Europe. According to the report, the cases included 12 arson-related attacks, nine acts of vandalism, eight occurrences of desecration, three incidents of physical violence, three thefts of religious objects, two threats, one case combining vandalism and violence, one incident of disruption to a worship service, and one attempted seizure of a religious site.

France recorded the highest number of incidents with 11, followed by Germany at eight, Italy at seven, Poland at four, and both Belgium and Spain at two.  Three incidents were reported in the UK and one in Switzerland, while additional cases were documented in the Netherlands and Estonia.  Among the incidents highlighted as “particularly serious” were the intentional torching of a liturgical book inside a church in La Chapelle-Caro, France, and an incident in which Catholic worshippers were disrupted while praying in Poissy by protesters shouting “Allahu Akbar” and anti-Christian slogans. The report drew attention to an online threat linked to ISIS calling for attacks on Pope Leo XIV and venues during his forthcoming visit to Spain, and expressed concern about a suspected arson attack that destroyed the former Convent of Mercy in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, as well as crosses being set alight during a music festival in Poland OIDAC said one of the clearest trends throughout June was the ongoing wave of arson attacks.

“June recorded 12 arson-related attacks, only one fewer than the exceptional peak of 13 recorded in May, making June the second-highest month for recorded arson during the first half of the year,” the report said. Vandalism remained widespread, with nine documented incidents – the highest monthly total since March – ranging from churches being deliberately flooded to objects being fired at church buildings and crosses being damaged or destroyed. The organisation said there was a pattern of repeated targeting.  Cowdenbeath Baptist Church in Scotland came under attack for the eighth time, while Hanau’s Holy Spirit Church in Germany was targeted for a second month in a row, and Belgium’s St Peter’s Church in Lommel was hit by another suspected arson. While churches remained the primary targets, OIDAC said June’s figures illustrated the risks faced by individual Christians. Among the three recorded assaults were violence against a Christian street preacher at Speakers’ Corner at London’s Hyde Park, an attack on a Catholic woman inside a cathedral in France, and the assault on a parish priest during a burglary at his presbytery in Levie, in Corsica. 

The report singled out threats against Belgian Catholic religion teacher Ahmed Yetrib, a convert from Islam, who said he had “never been so worried” after receiving threatening messages because of social media content explaining his conversion. OIDAC said such cases highlighted “the vulnerability of Christian converts from Islam, whose situation remains under-reported but raises significant concerns for religious freedom and security”.  Alongside the hate crimes included in its statistics, the organisation recorded dozens of additional incidents involving thefts, break-ins, fires and vandalism affecting churches where “an anti-Christian bias could not be clearly established” and which were therefore excluded from the official total. The report concluded that “anti-Christian hostility remained at a high level throughout Europe” during June.

“As in previous reporting periods, the figures presented reflect only incidents documented by OIDAC Europe at the time of publication and therefore cannot capture the full extent of anti-Christian hostility in Europe,” it said.  Official figures from the French Ministry of the Interior, cited in the report, documented 843 anti-Christian crimes in France last year – comprising 734 attacks on property and 109 attacks on individuals – representing a 9% increase on the previous year.  Attacks against individuals went up by 70%, including the killing of Iraqi Christian refugee Ashur Sarnaya, who was fatally stabbed in Lyon while livestreaming about his faith on TikTok. The June report follows OIDAC’s May findings, which recorded 37 anti-Christian hate crimes across Europe, including a record 13 arson-related attacks.

Source: Churches and clergy among targets in anti-Christian incidents across Europe – Christian Today

But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”
1 Peter 3:14

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‘A choice to die will become a duty to die’: Churches challenge assisted dying plan for the Isle of Man

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Churches on the Isle of Man are urging members of parliament to reject an assisted dying bill they say is rushed and fails to protect vulnerable people. Churches Alive in Mann represents the Church of England, Methodist Church, Catholic Church, United Reformed Church, Living Hope, Elim Onchan, Salvation Army, and Broadway Baptist. The bill is not yet law. Royal Assent was declined once over human rights concerns raised by the U.K. Ministry of Justice, and following amendments in June, the bill has been re-submitted. If assent is not granted by Aug. 13 — when the Manx parliament, known as the House of Keys, dissolves for general elections — the bill would fall. The Rev. Bill Leishman, minister of Broadway Baptist Church and assisted dying spokesman for Churches Alive in Mann, told Christian Daily International the bill was not “a done deal.” “In reality, there is still a slim chance that it will fall,” said Leishman. “Lots of Christians on this Island are praying for this,” he said. “

As to concerns should the Bill pass, the biggest issue is the impact on vulnerable people.” Leishman said the churches had noted real evidence of coercion in contexts where assisted dying has been legalized, including in Canada, the Netherlands, and Belgium. “Even without explicit and hard-to-spot coercion, there would be a subtle societal pressure,” he added. “In Oregon [U.S.], over the last few years, roughly half of people who have died through the Death With Dignity Act stated burden on family or loved ones as a reason to choose an assisted death,” said Leishman. Too many elderly or vulnerable people already feel a burden to their families, he said, without adding the pressure of assisted dying. “We are also deeply concerned about the impact this has on suicide prevention. To say to one group of people ‘Your life is worth living’ while facilitating another group to end their lives is a mismatch of values.” Leishman said the death penalty had been abolished on the Isle of Man and in the U.K. decades ago because innocent people were killed — a punishment with no remedy.

He drew a direct comparison with the bill’s effect on vulnerable people and said, “it’s the same.” “How many vulnerable people would be needlessly killed, or how many people might be coerced without detection?” he asked. “How many of those would make it worthwhile to give others a choice? We believe the risk is too great.” “Alongside our Christian calling to speak up for the voiceless and to protect the neediest in our society, the Churches on the Isle of Man are clear that life is sacred. “We have consistently called to fund Hospice more adequately, as the only safe way to help people have an end of life choice and a good death.” Churches Alive in Mann issued a statement last month titled “Response to Assisted Dying Bill Amendments,” raising concerns about the safety of the proposed law with particular focus on the most vulnerable members of Manx society. The churches welcomed several protections in the proposed Tynwald Amendments regarding mental capacity, coercion and reporting, but said “deep concerns” remained. Key protections had been “very rushed” without the usual parliamentary scrutiny, they said. The churches said the island’s democratic processes had never seen such a quick turnaround — apart from minor procedural changes — certainly not on matters of life and death.

Calling for fuller scrutiny, the churches raised concerns about the impact on hospice and palliative care funding, alongside concerns from the Isle of Man Medical Society: that the bill would spark a healthcare recruitment crisis, leave vulnerable patients exposed to undetectable coercion, and force clinicians to make unreliable life-expectancy predictions. Specific concerns remained about the requirement that an attending doctor in an assisted dying case need not have specific experience in diagnosing or managing terminal illness. With only one medical professional required — and that person not required to be a doctor despite the risk of complications — the churches warned of a lack of transparency or protection against coercion. A doctor would also be free to ignore conclusions of safeguarding and psychiatric referrals in certain circumstances, and the churches said conscientious objectors could face unemployment if they refuse to participate. “The very existence of this legislation will inevitably cause some of our elderly, disabled or vulnerable people to feel more of a burden,” the churches said in their joint statement.

“More worrying still, we believe the proposed amendments don’t go far enough in guarding against coercion. “As churches, we are often there to support people experiencing pain and difficulty, and we speak up now out of deep concern and compassion for all who would be impacted by this legislation. “For thousands of years, ‘Do not kill’ has been an ethical foundation for many civilisations. We believe that all human life is a sacred gift from God. The value of any member of our society is not determined by variable measures of the quality of life. The premature ending of individual lives will inevitably diminish the high value we place on all lives.” The churches called on Tynwald members to reject the rushed package of amendments. Dr. Graham McAll, a retired family physician on the Isle of Man and a member of Manx Duty of Care — an informal group of healthcare workers, social care workers, and others opposed to the bill — told Christian Daily International that the U.K. Ministry of Justice, which advises King Charles III, determined the bill lacked basic human rights protections under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

“Under ECHR, governments are required to protect the lives of their citizens, especially the vulnerable,” said McAll. “This Bill failed on that count and had no independent review mechanism for deaths.” A short timescale before the election led to “some inadequate rushed corrections” being proposed, bypassing the usual process, he said. For that reason, Manx Duty of Care issued a warning of a possible legal challenge in the European Court before the amendments were voted through. Now that the bill is back with the Ministry of Justice, McAll expressed concern that any resulting law could lead to unnecessary deaths. “We are very worried that this Bill could shorten people’s lives unnecessarily, that doctors will make mistakes in their prognosis, that abuse victims will be coerced, that palliative care will be undermined and underfunded, and that, in the end, a choice to die will become for many a duty to die,” said McAll.

“We, Manx Duty of Care, along with the charity Autism In Man, the Isle of Man Medical Society, and all the church denominations on the Island are firmly against this Bill. It is clear from Canada, Holland, and Belgium that once euthanasia is normalized, it spreads to those without terminal illness, and undue influence becomes common. And no drugs are licensed for this purpose anywhere in the world.” McAll called for competent Christians to stand for political election on the basis of the assisted dying issue and other relevant matters. “All candidates in the upcoming election will need to be quizzed hard on their attitude to this complex issue. It could turn centuries of medical and social ethics upside down, and our government’s suicide prevention strategy.”

Source: ‘A choice to die will become a duty to die’: Churches challenge assisted dying plan for the Isle of Man – Christian Daily International

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24

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Fourth toddler dies in France as Europe’s brutal heatwave forecast to shift east

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The number of deaths in France linked to the heatwave has climbed to four toddlers and more than 55 drownings, as the brutally hot conditions sweeping Europe were forecast to shift east, choking 150 million people under 35C (95F) temperatures. Scientists said the heatwave was the most severe and widespread ever, leaving nearly half of the region’s 850 largest cities grappling with unprecedented heat stress. They said the extreme temperatures had been made possible by the climate crisis driven by fossil fuel burning. On Friday, a hospital in Marseille said an 18-month-old child had died in emergency care earlier in the week after he was found in a car in a state of hyperthermia.

A police source told the newspaper Le Figaro it was believed that the father, who works in the area, may have forgotten his son in the car when he was supposed to drop him off at daycare. Paris bans drinking alcohol in public as hospitals hit heatwave breaking point Read more Earlier this week, a three-year-old boy in a Paris suburb was found dead after climbing into a car and becoming trapped when the child lock was activated. Separately, the bodies of two children aged two and four were found in their family’s car in a residential car park. France’s sports minister, Marina Ferrari, said on Friday that at least 55 people across the country had drowned, up from the 40 reported earlier in the week. “By yesterday night we were at 55, but we fear that the situation may worsen,” she told the broadcaster Franceinfo.

View image in fullscreen France’s health minister, Stéphanie Rist, visits an emergency shelter during the heatwave in Paris. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images In the UK, the Met Office said the record for the hottest June day had been broken for the third day running. Provisional figures showed a temperature of 37.3C in Santon Downham, Suffolk, on Friday, beating the previous record of 36.7C set on Thursday. “And temperatures are still rising,” the forecaster added. As a Met Office red alert for heat remained in place for an unprecedented third day running for London and south-east England, while an amber alert covered most of central and eastern England, calls on the government to take more action grew louder. The UK Health Security Agency’s red heat-health alert was extended until 11pm on Friday and covered all of southern and central England, while an amber heat-health alert was in place for all of England until 9am on Sunday.

A red alert means there is a significant risk to life even for healthy people. Several hospitals have declared critical incidents and health experts warned emergency services were struggling to cope with the impacts of the heatwave. More than 1,000 schools in the UK have been closed or partially shut this week as poorly insulated buildings, many without air conditioning, overheated. Train passengers were urged to avoid non-essential travel on Friday, with many railway operators running reduced or slower services. Firefighters continued to tackle a wildfire in Derbyshire affecting an area of about 200 hectares (494 acres). View image in fullscreen A commuter tries to keep cool on the tube in London. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock A hosepipe ban in Kent came into effect on Friday morning as South East Water said demand had increased in response to the heat, while late on Thursday Britain’s energy operator raised the alarm over power supplies needed to meet the extra demand for air conditioning and fans.

London ambulance service said it had responded to its highest number of life-threatening emergencies ever on Wednesday, and its chief operating officer, Craig Harman, said he expected “demand to grow day on day over the next couple of days”. Officials in Paris, where temperatures hit a June record of 40.9C on Wednesday, expressed similar concerns. “We are reaching a saturation point in hospital facilities,” the Paris police chief, Patrice Faure, told BFM TV as he announced a ban on drinking takeaway alcohol in the street. The head of the Association of French Emergency Doctors said there had been 55 deaths in the care of emergency health services in Paris in 24 hours. “Fifty-five is enormous,” Patrick Pelloux told Reuters. “Normally it’s three or four over 24 hours.”

Organisers of Paris Pride said they would postpone the event, probably until September, after police expressed concerns that the gathering of thousands of people could increase pressure on emergency services. The Pride march in Lyon as well as the Solidays music festival – aimed at raising funds to support programmes for people affected by HIV – were also called off. View image in fullscreen A man showers horses in Vienna. Photograph: Elisabeth Mandl/Reuters While the extreme temperatures were forecast to peak in France and Britain on Friday, the heat was expected to intensify in central and eastern Europe. In Belgium, a planned re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, which regularly draws thousands of people, was cancelled, while in the Netherlands – where officials this week issued their first-ever red alert for heat – organisers cancelled the four-day techno music festival Defqon 1.

Source: Fourth toddler dies in France as Europe’s brutal heatwave forecast to shift east | Extreme heat | The Guardian

With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Isaiah 26:9

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in key election, ending 16 years in power

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is set to lose the national election, with opposition leader Peter Magyar set to win a large majority in parliament. It is a bombshell result in an election seen as one of Europe’s most consequential this year. Orbán, the longest-serving leader in the European Union and a longtime ally of President Trump, conceded defeat Sunday night after what he called a “painful” election result, ending 16 years in power. “I congratulated the victorious party,″ Orbán told supporters in Budapest. “We are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our homeland from opposition as well.”

Source: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in key election, ending 16 years in power – CBS News

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58