Descendents of Nazi SS officers, together with Holocaust survivors and their offspring completed a week-long march across Poland and through the sites of former Nazi death camps today. The symbolic march began at Auschwitz, near Krakow, in southern Poland on Monday and ends on Friday 31st at Treblinka, 65 miles north-east of the capital Warsaw. At the opening ceremony one of the descendents of a Nazi SS officer asked for forgiveness for her grandfather, an electrician who installed the electrified barbed wire fence at Auschwitz-Birkenau and wired the camp's gas chambers. Other descendants spoke at the opening ceremony in an effort to try to begin to rectify the unspeakable bitterness that divides the two peoples. Lia Shemtov, an Israel member of Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu, together with hundreds of people from Israel, Poland and Germany, will attend the final ceremonies.

Pray: According to the words of St Francis that where there is hatred, let there be love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light’ where there is sadness, joy. Amen (Col.1:19-22)

More: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/159125#.UD35FaAsE9Z

A Polish atheist billboard campaign compares believing in God to killing and stealing, in what observers call an open challenge to the Roman Catholic Church. ‘In a country considered to be Catholic it's hard to be an atheist. Contrary to popular belief there are many of us although not all of us have let our beliefs be known. The billboard action is not aimed at believers. It is to show people that in a country where the stereotypical Pole is a Catholic there is a large group of atheists,’ Jacek Tabisz, President of the Polish Association of Rationalists, explained to The Scotsman. Over 80% of the Polish country identify as Catholic. The controversial billboards have been put up in several Polish cities featuring three boxes labelled ‘Do Not Kill,’ ‘Do Not Steal,’ ‘Do Not Believe,’ with tick marks next to each one. Another billboard asks the question ‘Don't believe in God,’ following it by ‘You are not alone.’

Pray: that this billboard action will have the opposite effect to that intended by causing many non believers to discuss and seek out Christian values.

More: http://www.christianpost.com/news/polish-atheist-billboards-compare-believing-in-god-to-killing-and-stealing-85977/

The Polish government prayed for the health of the EU on Sunday at a special ‘EU Mass’ in Warsaw. ‘The construction of a European union of countries, people and nations can become permanent not on the basis of a joint economy and foreign policy, but mainly on the basis of spiritual unity and common values,’ Archbishop Jozef Kowalczyk said in his homily to a congregation including Poland’s foreign minister. The Archbishop also prayed for Poland’s EU presidency saying, ’We commend unto God the Polish presidency in the EU Council. It is a great undertaking, challenge and opportunity for our executive powers, and our whole society.’ The call for divine intervention came as the Euro fell to an eight-month low and US president Barack Obama told a public meeting in Mountain View, California, that the debt crisis in Europe is ‘scaring the world’ Source: http://euobserver.com/1016/113745

Pray: for God to use the EU as a force for good in the world. (Ps.2:1)

More: http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/55788,Archbishop-calls-for-divine-intervention-during-EU-crisis

Climate activists say Europe failed to deliver at the UN’s Doha conference on climate change. ‘This time Europe - usually seen as a leader on climate change - comes away with dirty hands,’ Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace international, said in a statement on Saturday. Poland demanded to keep its ‘hot air’ carbon credits awarded to them in the 1990s in opposition to developing countries, which wanted the surplus emissions scrapped altogether. The credits were handed out under the initial 1997 Kyoto protocol and allow Poland to emit far greater carbon into the atmosphere than its EU counterparts. European decision makers at the summit, says Greenpeace, sided with Poland to keep the surplus emission credits. A recent study published in the journal Nature Climate Change says current global carbon emissions may increase the world's temperature between 4 to 6 degrees Celsius. The Doha summit brought together almost 200 nations to extend, by seven years, the Kyoto Protocol.

Pray: for the EU decision makers that they will not keep procrastinating over decisions that affect our world. (Ge1:26)

More: http://euobserver.com/environment/118464

The offices of several firms involved in the oil market hav e been raided by European Commission officials. The commission said it had concerns that ‘the companies may have colluded in reporting distorted prices’. It did not name the firms, and said the raids did not mean the companies were guilty of any charges. BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Norway's Statoil and the pricing agency Platts confirmed that they were working with the authorities in their inquiries. The investigation relates to the pricing of oil, refined products and biofuels. Even small distortions of assessed prices may have a huge impact on the prices of crude oil, refined oil products and biofuels purchases and sale s, potentially harming final consumers,’ the Commission said. As part of the investigation, the Commission said it was examining whether the companies may have prevented others from participating in the pricing process ‘with a view to distorting published prices’.

Pray: that the investigation into the oil market will reveal the truths and bring fair and just pricing. (Lev.19:15)

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22530379

There has been an alarming rise in the number of children sleeping rough across Europe, which is why the system needs an overhaul, writes Kate Moss. The number of rough sleeping children across Europe is on the rise. These are young people who have mostly run away either from home or from sheltered accommodation. They may also include minors who have made border crossings in search of a better life and improved opportunities or for any number of other reasons. Financed by the EU Daphne programme, the pioneering two-year children rough sleepers research project which we at the University of Wolverhampton are currently leading has been tasked with conducting precisely this study, for which ongoing collaboration is currently underway among a team comprising ten partner countries from around Europe. There is very little information about children who sleep rough. Figures show that 100,000 children go missing every year in the UK.

Pray: against this trend and the dangers that sleeping rough brings to young people. (Pro.22:3)

More: http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/number-of-children-rough-sleepers-on-the-riseaccording-to-new-study/#.UjcNu39kln4

The average Church of Norway member went to church once a year in 2010, Statistics Norway reported in the annual statistical report it sends to the church. Although church attendance has remained the same since 2000, other indicators show dwindling participation in the Lutheran state church in the past decade. A main reason why church attendance remains rather stable is the large number of people attending child baptisms. While these numbers are growing, the number of regular church-goers is dwindling. Of Norway's five million inhabitants, 78 per cent were members of the Church of Norway in 2010, as opposed to 86.3 per cent in 2000. Out of total newborns, 66.3 percent were baptised in the Church of Norway last year, down from 81.4 per cent in 2000. The percentage of 15-year-olds being confirmed edged lower to 64.9 from 68.3. The percentage of funerals performed in church continued to be very high at 91.1, but that was down slightly from 92.5 per cent.

Pray: that God would send revival to the church in Norway freeing it from stagnation to life. (Ps.85:6)

More: http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=4783

In the aftermath of attacks last July that killed 77 and were carried out by a self-described ‘cultural Christian,’ Norwegian Christians and Muslims on Nov. 22 jointly condemned religious extremism as ‘contrary to the teachings of our religions.’ Stating, ‘Religious extremists put themselves in the place of God and believe that they are fighting on behalf of God against the enemies of God. Religious extremism is therefore contrary to the teachings of our religions, especially with respect to the basic dignity and rights of all human beings,’ according to a news release. The statement said that religious extremism is part of the global reality, but notes it threatens the life, welfare, and rights of human beings in many local situations.

Pray: for more religious leaders to publicly adopt a balanced stance stand against religious extremism. (Pr.29:26)

More: http://www.canadianmennonite.org/articles/norwegian-christians-and-muslims-condemn-religious-extremism