The World, European and Portuguese Evangelical Alliances  submit a report on the religious situation in Portugal for the 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Young people are emigrating, housing prices continue to rise and the health system is overburdened as the country awaits the formation of a new government, says an evangelical leader.

The Lisbon Project has supported over 3500 migrants and refugees arriving in Portugal. All its activities are designed to be a place where people feel they belong.

According to research, 44% of Portuguese evangelical churches were started after the year 2001. Many pastors are from Brazil but 7 in 10 new believers are nationals.

The Portuguese Evangelical Alliance laments that there was neither a broad “philosophical, social and religious” conversation nor enough guarantees of “palliative and social care”. The parliament passed a third version of the text in December.

On 14th November the centenary was celebrated in the Igreja do Mirante, the oldest evangelical church in Porto.

Evangelicals in Portugal, Germany and Italy strive to be salt and light and build bridges with society through their socio-political work.

Portugal declares a new Situation of Calamity. “Those who need to go to work are very concerned, and the seniors are now more isolated and alone”, says evangelical leader Josué da Ponte.

How and when churches expect to go back to face-to-face gatherings.

It was launched during the Week of Prayer. More than 1,000 people have downloaded the app in the first days.

“There is great richness and diversity among Evangelicals, which needs to be celebrated and not only be a cause for concern”.

For the first time, the President of Portugal attended a worship service in an evangelical church. It was in Sintra, on Christmas Eve.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa participated in a Christmas service in the Evangelical Church of Sintra. “I left spiritually fuller”, he said after the ceremony.

The religious group founded by Edir Macedo has been accused of trafficking children from Portugal to Brazil and the USA. Portuguese evangelicals clearly distance themselves from the “doctrines and practices” of the group.

Half of the 62 victims died in their cars while trying to escape the flames. As Portugal recovers from the shock, churches in the region offer support.

“We realise that there is a need and a conviction in relation to the divine”, says António Calaim. Hundreds of young evangelicals will engage Catholics in conversations about the Bible.

Evangelical churchgoers are 0.4 per cent of the population and in some regions believers are almost “invisible”. The average size of an evangelical church is 49 people, according to a study produced by the Portuguese Evangelical Alliance.

Left-wing party Bloco de Esquerda targets Christians to celebrate new law allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.