Christianity: Norway to allow same-sex church weddings - by Catherine Hard

After 20 years of discussion, Norway’s main church has voted by an overwhelming majority to allow same-sex marriage.

The Lutheran Church of Norway today voted in favour of gay marriage: https://t.co/zXO7qz4uZN pic.twitter.com/BHmErVhrib

— Christian Today (@ChristianToday) April 11, 2016

88 of the 115 delegates backed the decision at the annual conference of the Norwegian Lutheran Church in Trondheim.

Under the new rules, priests who do not want to marry a same-sex couple will still have the right to object.

Those against the decision says the Bible defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

At present, gay marriage is possible in Sweden, Denmark and a number of anglo-saxon congregations around the world.

Norway became the second country in the world after Denmark to allow same-sex registered partnerships in 1993.

The Nordic country of 5.2 million people has allowed civil same-sex marriage since 2009.

Around 74% of Norwegians are members of the Lutheran Church, according to national statistics.

The number has been declining.

Read more: Norway to allow same-sex church weddings | euronews, world news

Vatican - gay community: "Pope Frances speaks out of two sides of his mouth" - Vatican refuses gay French ambassador′s nomination

Italian gay activists have slammed the Vatican after it reportedly refused to accept France’s nomination for new ambassador Laurent Stefanini on the grounds of his alleged homosexuality. 

French President Francois Hollande recommended 55-year-old Stefanini for the post in January, but the Holy See has so far failed to recognize his credentials French and Italian media reported on Friday.

"Clearly, even at the Vatican they do not practice what they preach," Flavio Romani, chairman of the Arcigay association said Friday in a statement, where he blamed "top prelates" of contradicting one of Pope Francis' most famous statements.

In 2013, the pontiff said that "if a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?

The debate comes as tensions rise between the Holy See and France's Socialist government after gay marriage was legalized in 2013, much to the outrage of the Catholic Church and traditionalists. 

Vatican officials have refused to comment on the allegation.

Read more: Vatican criticized after refusing gay French ambassador′s nomination | News | DW.DE | 10.04.2015

Religion - Catholics: In rare public split, as bishops differ sharply on anti-gay and abortion laws - by David Gibson

The Roman Catholic hierarchy has generally been viewed as a unified bloc in opposition to gay rights, but the emergence of especially punitive measures against gays in various countries has opened unusually stark and public fissures among bishops in different nations.

The divisions are also raising questions about whether Pope Francis, who has struck a charitable tone toward gays and lesbians, needs to take action.

Note EU-Digest: Christianity does not imply uniformity.  It is about open hearts, open minds, open doors. It certainly does not mean “empty” minds. As the Bible says: "Come near to God, and He will come near to you.” (James 4: 8)

Read more: In rare public split, Catholic bishops differ sharply on anti-gay laws - The Washington Post

Rusia - Netherlands relations: Putin demands Dutch arrest apology as ties worsen

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded an apology after police in the Netherlands briefly detained a Russian diplomat for alleged domestic abuse.

Condemning the incident as a breach of protocol, he said those who arrested Dmitri Borodin at his home on Saturday night should be punished.

The Dutch authorities are investigating reports Mr Borodin was assaulted.

Ties between the countries have been strained by the detention of Greenpeace activists in Russia last month.
The Netherlands launched legal action last week to free the activists, who were charged with piracy after a protest on an Arctic oil rig owned by state-controlled firm Gazprom.

The 30 people, who include two Dutch citizens, were arrested aboard the Dutch-flagged Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise.

Mr Borodin, a minister counsellor at the Russian embassy, told Russian media earlier that the men who arrested him had said they were responding to an alert raised by neighbors that children were being maltreated in the flat.

Read more: BBC News - Putin demands Dutch arrest apology as ties worsen

Gay Rights: France Legalizes Gay Marriage After Harsh Debate - by Lori Hinnant and Sylvie Corbet

France legalized gay marriage today Tuesday after a wrenching national debate and protests that flooded the streets of Paris.

Legions of officers and water cannon stood ready near France's National Assembly ahead of the final vote, bracing for possible violence on an issue that galvanized the country's faltering conservative movement.

The measure passed easily in the Socialist-majority Assembly, 331-225, just minutes after the president of the legislative body expelled a disruptive protester in pink, the color adopted by French opponents of gay marriage. "Only those who love democracy are here," Claude Bartelone, the Assembly president, said angrily.

Read more: France Legalizes Gay Marriage After Harsh Debate - ABC News

Gay Rights: why this wasteful, endless and time consuming discussion? - by RM

Many Europeans express amazement when reading or seeing this endless and time consuming discussion going on in America between the church, conservative and liberal groups, when it comes to the issue of gay rights --focusing and such things as the workplace, marriage and parenthood.

Strangely enough, when people in America (or anywhere else for that matter) are asked if they believe in democracy and human rights close to 100 % of them will say yes.  Than why is it that people start "nitpicking" when it comes to freedom of choice, the freedom to worship, freedom of the press, gay rights, etc? 

Isn't it all a question of agreeing to disagree, instead of trying to impose the will of one group on another and wasting a lot of time in the process?

For eventually, with or without legislation, it will all still boil down to one's personal choices and beliefs.

EU-Digest

Roman Catholic Church feels Europe slipping from its hands - by Henry Chu

A smiling Pope Benedict XVI had just wrapped up an official visit to Portugal in May 2010, during which he praised Catholic organizations striving to protect families based on "the indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman."

But barely 72 hours after the pontiff flew home, the president of Portugal declared that he would sign a bill allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed. With Spain having granted such rights five years earlier, the move turned the entire Iberian Peninsula, historically a Catholic stronghold, into an unlikely hitching post for homosexuals.

"That shows the importance of the pope's views, of the Catholic Church's views, on same-sex marriage in terms of domestic politics," Paulo Corte-Real, a gay rights activist and economics professor, recalled wryly

Read more: Roman Catholic Church feels Europe slipping from its hands - chicagotribune.com

Catholic Church: Pope Benedict speaks out against Gay Marriage

At a recent meeting at the Vatican in honor of the accredited Vatican diplomatic corps Pope Benedict XV of the Catholic Church told diplomats from nearly 180 countries that the education of children needed proper "settings" and that "pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman."

"This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself," he said.

The Vatican and Catholic officials around the world have protested against moves to legalize gay marriage in Europe and other developed parts of the world.

Gay marriage is legal in a number of European countries, including Spain and the Netherlands.

Some Churches that have allowed gay marriage, women priests, gay clergy and gay bishops have been losing members to Catholicism, and the Vatican has taken steps to facilitate their conversion.

EU-Digest

Polish gay rights group hits out at new textbook

The education ministry shrugged off the complaint, saying textbooks were approved on the advice of experts and individual teachers were free to choose which ones they used. The 'Association for Diversity' - a Polish Gay Rights group - said a Government textbook, one of two authorized recently for use in family and sexual education classes, limits itself to a narrow, traditional view of homosexuality espoused by Poland's powerful Catholic Church.

For more: Polish gay rights group hits out at new textbook | Reuters

Gay Rights - Ireland: Gender recognition - let's get it right

In June of this year, the Irish Government withdrew its appeal against the 2007 High Court decision, which ruled that not allowing Dr. Lydia Foy to change her birth certificate was in breech of her human rights.

To comply with this judgement, the government is currently in the process of introducing legislation allowing Trans* individuals to obtain Gender Recognition Certificates (GRC); legally recognising their gender identity.

A gender recognition advisory group has been set-up, inviting comments and input from the general public on issues such as legal recognition and the right to marry. 

Realistically, I feel that all legislation should allow input from the communities it will affect. How much better would the Civil Partnership Bill be if we could all collaborate, and have that information transformed into legislation? This is an opportunity to ensure that the correct legislation is implemented from the onset; ending Dr. Foy’s 13-year struggle for recognition, and introducing equal rights for all Trans* people in Ireland.

For more: Gender recognition - let's get it right | gaelick

Breaking News - Pope: God decides sex, not man

For the complete report from Breaking News.co.tt click on this link

Pope: God decides sex, not man

Pope Benedict XVI criticized homosexuals in his end of year address yesterday, saying that the confusion of the sexes is as great a threat to humanity as climate change. In other words sex change is as big a threat as climate change. The head of the Roman Catholic Church launched the attack against "the negation of natural laws" and caused many homosexuals in Europe to react with counter-accusations. The fresh condemnation of homosexuals from the Vatican comes only days after the state rejected the United Nations proposals to de-penalize universal homosexuality, presented last December 18 by 66 countries.

Anti-gay bigotry spans European cultures

EUobserver:

"Anti-gay bigotry spans European cultures

TERESA KÜCHLER

EUOBSERVER / STOCKHOLM - In front of the parliament in Stockholm - the city hosting the 10-day EuroPride 2008 festival for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, the rainbow flag could be seen fluttering from buses, theatres and public buildings under the near-tropical sun which has blessed the Swedish capital this summer."

Edge: How the European Union Is Working Toward Gay Rights by Scott Stiffer

For the complete report in EDGE click on this link

How the European Union Is Working Toward Gay Rights by Scott Stiffer

"In the treaty of Amsterdam, the EU countries pledged not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation," says Human Rights Watch LGBT Advocacy Director Boris O. Dittrich. "Every EU country is obliged to implement an anti-discrimination law." Dittrich is also a Member of Parliament in the Netherlands. As such, he sponsored 1998’s landmark same sex marriage bill in that nation. He notes that all EU policies and directives represent minimum standards that are often exceeded by its more politically liberal and socially enlightened members. This is the case for gay rights, where the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Britain and now Spain have gone beyond the EU’s directives. Still, Dittrich adds, "Several states are known to be homophobic, like Poland and Malta." Some countries, such as Italy, face pressure from the influential Catholic Church each time a progressive issue comes up for a parliamentary vote there.

DNA - Boycot China Olympics: Largest crackdown on gays in China ahead of Olympics

For the complete report from DNA click on this link

Boycot China Olympics: Largest crackdown on gays in China ahead of Olympics

AIDS activists and gay rights supporters in China have sounded an alarm following one of the largest crackdowns on gays and lesbians in Beijing, evidently as part of a “clean-up” ahead of the Olympics. Wan Yanhai, China’s best known and most outspoken AIDS activist, has detailed several instances of police raids targeted at LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-sexual communities) in Beijing during March. Several gays and lesbians have been detained or interrogated, and establishments frequented by them have been raided and, in some cases, even shut down. Gays and lesbians otherwise enjoy unfettered freedom to live out their lifestyle in China, where homosexuality has been decriminalised in recent years. Official Chinese policy towards gay issues is, however, characterised by the “three Nos”: no approval, no disapproval and no promotion.

365Gay.com: Europe's Top Court Backs Gay Partner Pension Rights

For the complete report from 365Gay.com click on this link

Europe's Top Court Backs Gay Partner Pension Rights

The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that if a company offers pension benefits to the married partners of workers it must also offer the same benefits to same-sex partners. The case involved Tadao Maruko, a 65-year-old German who was turned down when he applied for spousal benefits from the company his deceased partner had worked for. The fund administering the pension said that because the couple were not married Maruko could not be considered.

Slate: Why religious people are against gay marriage. - By Steven Waldman

For the complete report from Slate Magazine click on this link

Why religious people are against gay marriage. - By Steven Waldman

It's hard to overstate just how upset religious conservatives are about gay marriage. Gary Bauer's e-mail newsletter about the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling declared, "Culture Wars Go Nuclear." Brian Fahling of the American Family Association said it was "on an order of magnitude that is beyond the capacity of words. The Court has tampered with society's DNA, and the consequent mutation will reap unimaginable consequences for Massachusetts and our nation." A new poll from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found, not surprisingly, that opposition to gay marriage and homosexuality is highest among the most religious.

Net News Publisher: Moldova ‘gay bashing’ victim granted EU asylum after police brutality

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Moldova ‘gay bashing’ victim granted EU asylum after police brutality

A British judge has documented evidence of police beatings and general prejudice against gays in Moldova, and has ruled that it is unsafe for a Moldovan ‘gay bashing’ victim to return to his native country. According to the court, being homosexual today in Moldova is in some cases life-threatening. In a written ruling, judge Colin MacAulay QC allowed a Moldovan asylum seeker to stay in Great Britain because to return to Moldova would put his life in danger for being gay. Describing the case of Andrei Ivanov, a homosexual man from Moldova, the judge wrote that: “He was assaulted by the police and told to leave town, otherwise he would be killed and his house would be burned down.” Andrei Ivanov, 24, fled his native Moldova after police in the country attacked him. After beatings and death threats, the victim of ‘gay bashing’ by police was forced to flee to the West to save his life.

PlanetOut.com: U.S. envoy to speak at anti-gay Polish summit

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U.S. envoy to speak at anti-gay Polish summit

Many prominent U.S. conservative groups are shifting their attention overseas this week, organizing a conference in Poland that will decry Europe's liberal social policies and portray the host nation as a valiant holdout bucking those trends.

Co-sponsors of the congress include the American Family Association, Concerned Women For America, the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, the Heritage Foundation and the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, which promotes the "intelligent design" concept of the universe's origins.

Allan Carlson, president of the Howard Center and founder of the World Congress of Families movement, acknowledges that social trends in Western Europe give conservatives little reason for optimism. Spain last year joined Belgium and the Netherlands in legalizing same-sex marriage; heavily Roman Catholic Portugal, one of few holdouts banning abortion, last month legalized the procedure up to the 10th week of pregnancy.

To Be Publications Inc.: Polish deputy PM: Muslims understand the gay threat - by Rex Wockner

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Polish deputy PM: Muslims understand the gay threat - by Rex Wockner

If Europe doesn't ban abortion and limit gay propaganda, Muslims will take over, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Roman Giertych said March 2. "Abortion must be banned immediately," Giertych said. "Homosexual propaganda must also be limited so children will have the correct view of the family.

"The propaganda of homosexuality is reaching ever younger children," he explained. "In some countries it is even forbidden for children in hospital to talk or read about Mommy and Daddy, because this allegedly violates minority rights. Let's free ourselves of this unwise political correctness. If we will not use all our power to strengthen the family, then as a continent there is no future for us. We will be a continent settled by representatives of the Islamic world who care for the family."