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Christians who lost employment tribunals for discrimination in the workplace took their fight to the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday. Their stories centre around whether religious principles have a place in the modern British workplace. When civil partnerships were legalised in 2004, Marriage registrar Miss Lillian Ladele refused to conduct them saying it was against her religious beliefs. Relationship councillor Mr McFarlane was sacked by Relate after objecting to giving sex therapy guidance to same-sex couples. Ms Eweida went home from a job with British Airways after she refused to conceal her silver cross necklace which breached uniform policy. Former nurse Mrs Chaplin was also asked not to display her cross necklace by the NHS Trust because the necklace breached health and safety guidelines. Mrs Chaplin had worn the cross necklace on the wards for 30 years.
Pray: that the judgement of the European Court will be led by the Holy Spirit and not by man. (Pr.1:5)
Europe’s first Christian Share Index was launched lat week by Stoxx Limited, a global index provider and creator of the leading European equity indices. The Stoxx Europe Christian Index will measure the performance of 533 companies selected from the Stoxx Europe 600 Index according to the values and principles of the Christian religion. According to The Financial Times, companies in the index include HSBC, Nestlé, Vodafone, Royal Dutch Shell and GlaxoSmithKline. It has been formed to enable investors to participate in the performance of European companies which are compliant with Christian moral and social doctrines. ‘With the launch of the index, Stoxx acknowledges the growing number of Christian market participants who wish to invest in accordance with their religious beliefs,’ said Hartmut Graf, CEO. ‘The new index provides a broad representation of European companies who act responsibly on an ethical, environmental, social and economical level; and are therefore inline with Christian values.’
Pray: for Christians everywhere that they will be wise with their finances as thay seek God’s guidance. (Pr.1:5)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/first.christian.share.index.launched/25798.htm
The Samson Committee investigating the abuse of children in state care in the Netherlands since 1945 is accusing the entire system - from the government to the foster care service to care homes themselves - of failing to do enough to protect children against sexual abuse. In releasing its final report on Monday, tellingly titled ‘Surrounded by care, still not safe‘, the committee said it would send 42 sexual abuse files to public prosecutors for consideration - this out of the 800 claims it received in the two years since it’s been investigating sexual abuse cases of children in care. ‘We don’t have any insight into the criteria they used for sending cases to the public prosecutor, but they must have reason to think they can still make cases after all these years,’ says Jolien Verweij, spokesperson for the Dutch NGO Defence for Children International. ‘But any chance to do something is good.’
Pray: that the care system in the Netherlands would be upgraded to enable it to meet the needs of those they serve. (1Pe.5:2)
More: http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/final-report-care-system-failed-protect-dutch-children-0
Hundreds of delegates from 154 countries will meet in Krakow, Poland, not to discuss politics or finances, but to discuss Jesus. Three or four student and leader delegates from each of 150 student movements in the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) meet every four years as part of the week-long World Assembly. IFES was founded in 1947 as a way to gather student ministries together into one world mission. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is just one of the dozens of student movements involved in IFES and represented at the World Assembly this week. ‘Everybody goes home with new ideas and strategies for ministry and evangelism on their campuses,’ explains Grahm Bob Grahmann, director of the IFES ‘So the end result of this World Assembly will be more, and better, and deeper, and more effective evangelism to students in universities around the world.’
Pray: that this conference would be led by God’s Spirit to be more effective in evangelising university students. (Jn.17:23)
This summer, some 100,000 young people from around the world – mostly between the age of 15 and 30 – will gather outside a village in the middle of France. They've been arriving here since June, to pitch tents, strike up friendships, enjoy plenty of music, and they'll continue to come until September. But this isn't some Gallic Glastonbury – it's a Christian community, and the crowds will sing psalms, not pop songs. At the heart of Communauté de Taizé, named after the small village near the site, are over 100 monks, who live together very simply, in a life devoted to prayer, singing and silence. Drawn from over 30 different countries, the community is ecumenical, with Catholics and Protestants worshipping together. When asked why so many young people come, Brother David said ‘It's not to tell them what they should or should not do, it's to let them have that time of meeting with themselves, with others, and with Christ.’
Pray: for the Taizé community and the many visitors that they may learn more about and grow closer to Christ. (1Co.14:26)
Faith leaders gathered in Brussels have expressed their readiness to work with the European Union institutions to promote fundamental freedoms. This was the seventh in a series of annual meetings aimed at keeping dialogue open with churches and communities of conviction. The President of the European Council spoke of humanity’s shared historic march toward freedom and justice, values rooted in the European Treaties. It was underscored that cooperation with religious groups in an effective EU neighbourhood policy has a vast scope — from education and health to rebuilding post-conflict societies.
Pray: for the continued cooperation and understanding between religious groups. (Ac.2:44)
More: http://www.euronews.net/2011/05/30/eu-faith-leaders-reconfirm-cooperation/
Church leaders from 12 major European dioceses who hope to re-evangelize their cities during Lent 2012 met this week in Rome to finalize plans for a new initiative called ‘Metropolitan Missions,’ reports Catholic News Agency. ‘The climate of unity among the cities that share same project was very strong,’ Auxiliary Bishop Jean Kockerols of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium told CNA at the conclusion of the Jan. 9 meeting. ‘It was very interesting to hear from the other 11 cities who are working on the same priority,’ he added.
Also represented were the Metropolitan Archdioceses of Barcelona, Budapest, Cologne, Dublin, Lisbon, Liverpool, Paris, Turin, Warsaw and Vienna. The meeting was hosted by the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, which is headed by Archbishop Rino Fisichella. This year’s ‘metropolitan missions’ are the first of their kind. If deemed successful, they could be introduced elsewhere around the world, including the United States, in the coming years.
Pray: for the Metropolitan Missions and that through the power of the Holy Spirit they will bring revival to their cities. (Mk.13:10)
The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says Serbia and Kosovo are close to a deal to end the ethnic partition of the former Serbian province. She spoke after the leaders of both nations expressed optimism about an agreement as early as this week. In a significant U-turn, Serbia offered to recognize the authority of Kosovo's government over the north, in exchange for autonomy for Serbs living there. The two sides were at odds however over the powers any Serb institutions in the north would have. But Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic now says they are in his words ‘never closer’ to settling their differences. Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci told reporters earlier they were at what he called ‘the beginning of the end’ in reaching an accord to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia. The two men spoke after separate talks with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Belgrade and Pristina.
Pray: for the success of these discussions and pray for a breakthrough that will bring reconciliation. (Eph.4:13)
More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/27189-news-watch-eus-ashton-expects-breakthrough-in-kosovo-dispute
The number of euthanasia cases in Holland has increased by 13 per cent in one year, prompting the Dutch Government to launch an official inquiry. Last year 2,636 Dutch people were killed by euthanasia, with 80 per cent of the victims dying at home after being administered lethal drugs, whereas in 2008 this figure was 2,331. The rise in euthanasia deaths has prompted the Dutch Health Ministry to launch an inquiry into the nation’s euthanasia laws. Pro-lifers have warned that the increase has been caused by the demise of Holland’s palliative care system. Phyllis Bowman, Executive Officer of Right to Life, said: ‘I am sure that the increase in numbers of people opting for euthanasia is largely a result of inadequate pain control.’ Holland became the first country in the world to legalise voluntary euthanasia in 2002, but the Dutch Government has acknowledged that involuntary euthanasia poses a serious problem. (See story in GB & I above) Pray: that the Dutch Government would reconsider the present law and restore the sanctity of life. (1Cor.3:16-17) More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/euthanasia-deaths-increase-in-holland/
European markets have fallen sharply as investors look to offload riskier assets amid fears that the eurozone debt crisis is spreading. Britain's FTSE-100 dropped 1.5 per cent while Germany's DAX-30 and Paris CAC-40 were both down more than two percent in mid-session trading on Tuesday. The euro also fell to a four-month low against the US dollar. Asian stocks also tumbled on Tuesday, with the Nikkei closing 1.43 per cent lower in Tokyo, Sydney losing 1.90 per cent, Hong Kong 2.19 per cent and Shanghai 1.48 per cent at the close of the day's trading. The losses come off the back of a steep sell-off on Monday. ’Things in Europe just seem to be going from bad to worse; you get the feeling that authorities are merely trying to plug the holes in a sinking ship. At the end of the day, they're just delaying the inevitable’, said Ben Potter, strategist at IG Markets.
Pray: for the financial situation within the eurozone that a solution will be found to halt the slide into further recession. (Pr.22:2-4)
More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/07/20117126241121921.html