Päivi Räsänen was the main speaker at the 2022 General Assembly of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance: “Everyone should be free to express their deeply held beliefs about important issues without fear of censorship or criminal sanction”.

Streets and squares in the city will be named after women such as Isabel de Baena and Francisca de Chaves, tortured by the Spanish Inquisition.

Over 750,000 signatories had asked for a vote, but the highest court says the life of the weak and vulnerable would not be protected. Evangelicals praise the decision.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier was re-elected with a large majority. He is a member of the Evangelical Reformed Church and very outspoken about his faith.

The second hearing focused more strongly on the interpretation of the law than the first hearing. Bible quotes and questions about faith were not heard this time.

As tensions grow in the area, evangelicals continue to “trust in God, who is always with us. And we believe that our people will not give up”, says a pastor in Kharkiv.

The Austrian racer is a committed Christian who has helped refugee families in his country. He is the second alpine skier to win three golds in three Winter Olympic Games.

Czech and Spanish evangelicals went online to begin the year in prayer and in practical fellowship with their brothers and sisters.

The Finnish Member of Parliament charged with incitement to hatred against homosexuals faces the court again on 14 February. She defends herself against what she considers “false claims” of the prosecution.

Pornography websites could be fined up to 10% of their annual turnover or be blocked. Christian associations welcome “a significant, but long overdue step in the right direction”.

Big Tech companies in the US and China “spread technologies and hope that any problems that might follow will be easily overcome”, says expert Jonathan Ebsworth. Giants such as Meta have not demonstrated a willingness to seek “the good of society as a whole”.

The speakers at the evangelical gathering stressed that criticism and offense should not be equated to hate speech, and that freedom of expression should prevail in case of doubt.

Over 800 women participated in person and the conference was also available online.

The Prayer Spaces in Schools have offered thousands of young students a creative way of reflection and prayer. Jana Nimmo, in Germany, explains how children and teenagers use the chance to express their hopes and worries.

The Catholic population in the city has decreased over 35% in 20 years, according to official data. In four districts there are already more other Christian churches than Catholic temples.

His wife has also been sentenced to two years in prison. The Evangelical Federation ratifies its policy of “zero tolerance” for any hint of abuse in church contexts.

Spanish evangelicals denounce that “fundamental freedoms are at risk”, due to “authoritarian” legislative initiatives and “demand for all the right to think differently and to freely express it”.

The Winter Olympics begin this week amid complaints about the Chinese regime's “massive abuses” of minorities and the strict surveillance of its citizens.

A long-standing religious tension stretching back many centuries has contributed significantly to the current Russian build-up, largely lost on the western secularist mind.

Connie Main Duarte (Portugal) and Jan Wessels (Netherlands) will succeed Thomas Bucher in October 2022.

Evangelicals say the new contract “contains guarantees for freedom of religion” but also warn about its application, because “certain terms could be misinterpreted”.

“People know so little of the Bible that discipleship starts much further down the line”, says James Ros, leader of the church planting movement #EastGermanyBelieves. 

The Swiss Evangelical Alliance regrets “grievous mistakes in the past” but opposes a law that could limit the freedom of people to seek help according their religious convictions.

Portugal receives over 100 complains of sexual abuses in only five days. An independent report in Germany on the cover-up of sexual abuse in Munich has also been published.

In Ukraine, prayer gatherings multiply in the face of “stress and fear”. In Russia, evangelical leaders call for mediation.