CNE's Podcast: YouVersion downloads popular in persecuted countries; Non-Orthodox Christians targeted in Ukraine; Gender reassignment attitudes in Norway; Confession ban in Poland; UK school counsellor appeals after sack
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NewsRound Europe is CNE’s news podcast. It has a bulletin with some remarkable news topics from the European continent. At the end, we have a question-and-answer session with a colleague about an article.
YouVersion popular in persecuted countries
The YouVersion Bible app is getting more popular, especially in countries where persecution is at its highest. Dagen reports that on January 5th, the app saw nearly 800,000 downloads.
The highest number of downloads came from countries within Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where persecution against Christians has remained at "extreme levels." The downloads correlate with an Open Doors report showing a 166 per cent increase in the Middle East. YouVersion in Egypt saw the most increases, at 94 per cent, and 48 per cent in Pakistan.
Approximately 380 million Christians are undergoing persecution around the world, and discrimination remains the highest in nations such as Iran, North Korea, Libya, and Nigeria.
International Christian Concern says to Dagen that in Egypt, Christian women are harassed, kidnapped, and forced to marry Muslim men. In Pakistan, those who believe in Jesus can face ongoing discrimination.
They are often forced to take on low-paying jobs such as sewer cleaners and street sweepers.
International Christian Concern also calls the uptick in Bible downloads "a testament to the human heart's longing for Jesus."
Russian soldiers target non-Orthodox Christians
Some Ukrainian Christians in Russian-occupied areas are facing increased discrimination. The reason? They are non-Orthodox Christians. In Melitopol, Russian soldiers attacked several local non-Orthodox congregations in 2022, Christianity Today reports. A pastor from one of these congregations said that they arrested several church staff members and closed his church, as well as many others in the area.
The pastor's congregation, Grace Church, was targeted by Russian soldiers during a morning service. Soldiers fingerprinted and copied identification documents from the congregants. They also escorted the pastor home to hunt for "extremist literature that had ties to the West."
Despite finding nothing, he was given two days to leave the town. Pastor Brytsyn now lives in Rivne, Ukraine. He leads another congregation that has expanded to at least 16 countries.
In October, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence banned churches linked to the Kremlin. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has also initiated proceedings to separate from the Moscow Patriarchate. That decision is still pending.
Most Norwegians want age restrictions for gender reassignments
An opinion poll commissioned by InFact for Dagen shows that a large number of Norwegians believe in raising the limit to start hormone treatment for those in gender reassignment therapy. The current age limit is set to 16 years old in Norway, and parents must consent to their child's therapy between the ages of 16 to18 years old.
Almost 65 per cent are in favour of raising the age limit, while 22 per cent are opposed, and 13 per cent remain undecided on the issue.
Gender and age were also factors in the assessment. At least 70 per cent of men and almost 60 per cent of women favour raising the limit. However, only 40 per cent of young women favour raising the age requirement. Why are the majority of men in favour of an age restriction? Dagen writes that most women seek out gender reassignment treatments.
Dagen reached out to the project leader of the organisation, Gender Incongruence in Norway, and she released the following statement: "We have no need to comment on this poll. Decisions about medical treatment should be made by medical personnel, not public opinion," she says.
Polish activist aims to ban Catholic confession
Polish actor and activist Rafał Betlejewski has started a petition to ban minors under 18 from Catholic confessions. The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe or OIDAC reports that the petition saw over 13,000 signatures. It is now in the debating process of Poland's lower house of parliament.
So why initiate this petition? Betlejewski believes that the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation is a "traumatic event that subjects young people to concepts of good and evil."
A petition with similar wording was also filed in 2023 but was rejected because it did not meet the admission criteria.
The MPs in parliament have at least three months to decide on the proposal. If approved, Catholic leaders would have to ban communion as a confession must precede before a first communion.
Many Catholic leaders see the move as an attack on the church. One Archbishop from Poznan compared the proposal to what was experienced in the Stalinist regime. It is an old Communist tactic with "dubious psychology," he says. In the Stalinist era, children were not allowed to attend church services or be baptised until the age of 18.
UK school counsellor to appeal after sack over beliefs
Also reported by OIDAC, a school counsellor who was fired for promoting traditional beliefs on marriage wants to file an appeal. The UK court recently rejected her case, which dates back to 2023.
Ms. Gonzen Soydag, who worked as a counsellor at an all-girls Catholic high school, was fired after promoting her Christian beliefs on marriage on social media.
In addition to her counsellor position, she worked as a social media influencer with over 30,000 followers on her accounts. The posts in question were referring to a woman's role in marriage, which some viewed as misogynistic.
However, Soydag says that the content was aimed at initiating a discussion, not exactly to say that her statements would lead to the perfect life. In one instance, Soydag says that the wife is the helper who assists in achieving the family's vision, and this vision will be different for every family.
The headteacher at St. Anne's Catholic High School for Girls wasn't impressed with her statements and said, "We can't have someone with that mindset" work at the school. The Waterford Employment Tribunal also ruled that Soydag's statements are exclusive to the nuclear family and force students into feeling devalued.
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