A Polish bishop is accusing the European Union (EU) of being ‘all talk’. With Poland in the middle of a huge refugee crisis, Bishop Krzysztof Zadarko is asking “where’s the support?” Millions of Ukrainian refugees have been pouring across Poland’s border since the 24 February Russian invasion. There’s been no support at all from the Read more
Cleaning up Vatican finances and making them more transparent is paying big dividends. Before the financial clean up – which Pope Benedict XVI launched in 2009 and Pope Francis has continued – the Vatican Bank had been an embarrassment to the Church. The aim of the clean-up was to fight money laundering and terrorist financing and Read more
Fostering unity in Europe is something “the Church must never cease working at or doing something for,” Cardinal Reinhard Marx says. “The Church has always viewed the unity of Europe positively, even today. “Nationalism is one of the biggest causes of war,” adds Marx, who is the President of the German Bishops’ Conference. During a Read more
One of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bavarian allies is alleged to have rejected a deal she made last week in Brussels to slash migration. The deal Merkel made with other European Union leaders shares out refugees on a voluntary basis and creates “controlled centres” inside the bloc to process asylum requests. Read more
Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has called on the European Union (EU) to return to its “proper values” and traditional Christian roots. Morawiecki, who was sworn in as prime minister on Tuesday, says his dream is to “re-Christianise the EU. “We want to change Europe. “My dream is to make it Christian again, since unfortunately, Read more
Cardinal Reinhard Marx has spoken out about the lack of vision some of the European Union’s (EU) leading members are showing. Marx, who is the president of the German bishops conference, says the EU’s broken promises, the exaggerated personal ambitions of some of its leading members and lack of vision have eroded people’s trust in Read more
The European Union risks dying, Pope Francis told 27 heads of state from the 28-nation bloc who were visiting Rome on Friday. They were there for the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. The Treaty was the foundation document for what is now the European Union (EU). “When a body loses its sense of Read more
They come seeking refuge, but when asylum seekers cross into the European Union, they often find little compassion. In Greece, they are held in squalid detention camps, while in Italy they often end up on the street. Here is what they face at entry points across the EU. They know they are putting their lives Read more
British-American historian Walter Laqueur experienced the demise of the old Europe and the rise of the new. In a SPIEGEL interview, he shares his gloomy forecast for a European Union gripped by debt crisis. SPIEGEL: Mr. Laqueur, you experienced Europe and the Europeans in the best and the worst of times. Historical hot spots and Read more
Churches in Europe have welcomed pledges by the European Union to make financial aid for countries conditional on their protection of religious freedom. The European Union contributes aid to many nations of the South Pacific. The Brussels-based Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, said action was needed “given the systematic and increasing Read more