The new EU rules aim to protect the consumers applying for loans online or credit card debt, overdrafts and loans that are unsuitable for their financial situation.
In a text adopted by the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, with 42 votes in favour, 1 against and 1 abstentions, MEPs say that legislation should cover credit agreements of up to €150,000, with the actual upper limit to be determined by the relevant national authorities based on the particular economic situation in a member state. Member states will be also able to exclude small value loans of up to €200, loans granted interest-free and without other charges, or loans that have to be repaid within three months and with minor charges.
Creditworthiness assessment
MEPs introduced further requirements to assess the creditworthiness of people taking out a loan before it is granted, including requiring information on a consumer’s current obligations or cost of living expenses. In order to assess the creditworthiness of consumers with little or no credit history, other information can be taken into consideration, such as from non-banking lenders, telecommunication providers and utilities.
However, data from social media and health data should not be taken into account and the right to be forgotten should be respected.
MEPs also agreed that The European Banking Authority (EBA) should develop guidelines detailing how creditors and providers of crowdfunding credit services perform this creditworthiness assessment.
Clear consumer information
Consumers should always obtain standard information so they can compare different offers, and understand the legal and financial consequences of loans and credit costs. The information should be shown upfront and in a clear way. Consumers should be able to see all essential information at a glance, even on their phone.
They should also be reminded that they have the right to withdraw from the credit agreement or the agreement for the provision of crowdfunding credit services without giving any reason within a period of 14 calendar days.
Consumer protection
MEPs stressed that credit advertising should contain, in all cases, a clear and prominent warning that borrowing money costs money, and that it should not incite over-indebted consumers to seek credit or suggest that success or social achievement can be acquired thanks to credit agreements.
As overdraft facilities and credit overrunning are increasingly common forms of consumer credit, MEPs want to regulate these financial products in order to increase the level of consumer protection and avoid over-indebtedness.
Next steps
Parliament negotiators are ready for talks with the Council and the Commission on the final shape of the rules, following plenary’s green light.
Rural Households in Afghanistan Remain Resilient thanks to Alternative Development Programme
Households in Panjshir, a mountainous province in central Afghanistan, often struggle to make ends meet. Traditional occupations, such as farming and livestock raising, don’t always provide sufficient income, causing youths and other labourers to migrate to the south and northeast of Afghanistan to work for poppy farmers.
Low-income communities like those in Panjshir are indeed vulnerable to starting or contributing to illicit, drug-crop cultivation. By providing sustainable livelihood options, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s Alternative Development (AD) programme aims to prevent these communities – who may be unable to obtain sufficient income from legal activities due to lack of markets, conflict, marginal land, and absence of basic infrastructure – from turning to illicit drug production.
The situation in Panjshir began evolving after the introduction of an AD programme, when many households began reaping the benefits of having their home-grown and homemade products linked to local markets.
Abdul Rahman, who used to own a small milk booth selling butter, milk, and more, is one such beneficiary of the AD program. In 2019, UNODC helped establish a Milk Collection Centre (MCC), which links milk farmers with milk processors and markets, in his neighbourhood.
Through the AD programme, Rahman received dairy processing equipment – including refrigeration, processing instruments to produce cheese, and tools to test if milk has spoiled. He also received training on milk processing on how to manage the MCC, as well as access to markets.
As a result, Rahman upgraded his small milk booth to a bigger shop where he now sells several kinds of dairy products and eggs. With a motorbike provided by the programme, he is able to collect and transport products directly from the doorsteps of the local poultry and dairy entrepreneurs on a daily basis.
“On average, I can process 2,000 litres of milk; 420 kg of cheese; 420 kg of yogurts, 170 kg of clarified butter, and 170 kg milk cream per month,” Rahman said. “With this amount, I earn around AFN 35,000 per month, which is twice the amount I earned from my milk booth.”
Abdul Rahman is not the only one who has prospered from this arrangement. Many local entrepreneurs, who previously did not have a sustainable market at which to sell milk and eggs, have growing businesses now that they have a guaranteed buyer in Rahman. He, in turn, can provide his customers with high quality and diverse dairy, as well as other homemade products.
The women entrepreneurs of Panjshir province have particularly benefited from this intervention. The thriving MCC in their neighbourhood allows them to sell eggs and milk to a reliable buyer. As a result, they are able to contribute to their household expenses to improve their own socio-economic circumstances.
When the AD Programme was phased out in 2020, beneficiaries continued to utilize the knowledge and training they had received to manage and earn from their enterprises. When the political situation in Afghanistan changed in August 2021, for example, communities across the country were impacted both socially and economically. While the situation became difficult for Abdul Rahman and his community, the MCC continues to be a source of income and nutrition. The skills acquired from the project allowed Abdul Rahman not only to support his household but also those of his suppliers, from whom he continues to buy milk and eggs, even during leaner times.
Each MCC has the capacity to process 500 litres of milk per day and 15,000 litres per month, which converts to around AFN 40,000 net incomes. The UNODC AD Program has established 17 such district-level MCCs in the central region, all of which continue to stay resilient and sustainable during this conflicted time in the country.
And with the recent decree announcing an opium ban by the de facto authorities, the AD food security program is needed more than ever before.
Further information
UNODC’s alternative development approach is based on the idea that illicit drug supply can only be reduced successfully by addressing illicit drug crop cultivation through poverty reduction within a framework of sustainable development. Learn more here.
As per a newsletter from HRWF, it was the website Christian Network Europe (CNE) that broke the news on 4th July, of the EU appointing a new EU Special Envoy on FoRB (Freedom of Religion or Belief), even if there is no official record of this and seems to be a corridors rumour, justone day before the UK International Ministerial on FoRB started in London. That would have been a good opportunity that the EU missed to introduce, if this would be confirmed, this new appointment, and would have sent a strong message of the EU caring for such a fundamental issue for so many in Europe and around the world. Instead, the EU sent the Commission on Human Rights Eamon Gilmore, who delivered a pledge to the attendees, and that The European Times reported on.
While many speak loudly about protecting freedom of religion or belief, often decrease their volume even to silence when it comes to speaking out about the discrimination suffered by the “real minorities”, and even more if it is inside Europe, with the excuse of having “external mandates”. What will be it like with the new EU Special Envoy on FoRB, and how long will it last, is still to be seen in view of the last appointed one, but many minorities asked by The European Times, hope that they will not be forgotten outside, nor inside the EU since, as it is often flagged, the EU still must learn to practice what it preaches.
The new (to be) EU Special Envoy on FoRB
Mauro, a Roman Catholic, is currently the chairman of Pololari per I’Italia, the small Christian Democratic Party in Italy, CNE reports. He also works as a senior advisor and runs an international relations study centre.
He was an MP between 1999 and 2013. During that time, he already drew attention to the situation of persecuted Christians in the Middle East. In 2011, he was critical of a motion of the EU ministers of Foreign Affairs. The bill was about religious freedom but did not specifically mention Christian minorities, Domradio reports.
In an earlier interview with L’Osservatore Romano, Mauro said that he saw the prevention of persecution of Christians as an important part of his political career with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, of which he was also part at the time. There he was also active against discrimination and hate towards Christians, Catholic News Agency reports.
At another occasion, he said that religious freedom is a test for other freedoms and rights. “The persecution of Christians throughout the world is one of the greatest challenges to human dignity”, he stated, according to Catholic News Agency.
That Mauro is actively involved in combatting religious persecution, is shown by his actions for the Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi. She was sentenced to the death penalty, but is now free again.
Also, in his website he highlights a very important moment for him, saying:
“In 2004, thanks to my new position as Vice President of the European Parliament, I could broaden my range of action and pursuing the line of human dignity and religious freedom, I was delegated by the President of the European Parliament Hans Gert Pöttering to “Relations with churches and religious communities “. The resolution I propose on “Serious events that compromise the existence of Christian communities and other religious communities” for the protection of human dignity and human rights was approved by a large majority”.
In 2013, Mauro became a member of the Italian Senate. The same year, he founded the Christian Democratic Party Popolari per I’Italia.
Mauro was Minister of Defense for ten months during the Enrico Letta administration.
Before becoming a politician, Mario Mauro was a history teacher. He graduated from philosophy and literary studies at the Catholic University of Sacro, Do Rzeczy writes.
Originally, the new to be confirmed EU Special Envoy on FoRB, came from the Italian town of San Giovanni Rotondo. He is said to belong to the Catholic lay movement Comunione e Liberazione, according to Domradio.
It is said that Mauro will succeed Christos Stylianides, the previous EU Special Envoy on FoRB.
Stylianides resigned after only four months in office. He served from May 2021 until September of that same year. He then favoured the position of minister in Greece.
Preventing discrimination outside de EU, of course.
As EU Special Envoy on FoRB outside the EU, Mauro will be responsible for preventing discrimination, promoting peace-building contacts, inter-religious processes and initiatives to reduce radicalisation in countries outside the EU, according to Do Rzeczy.
However, his influence outside the EU as a special envoy will be limited, proponents of the function of the special envoy fear. An often-heard critique is that the commissioner needs more means to fulfil his job well. Domradio writes. The reason for that is the lack of financial and human resources.
FoRB, Not a European priority
The function of the EU Special Envoy on FoRB does not seem to be a priority for the European Commission. Before Mauro’s successor, Stylianides, was appointed, the position had been vacant for ten months. Only after other politicians, among others, pressured the Commission it attempted to fill the vacancy.
However, after Stylianides resigned to take a position in the government of Greece, it took another nine months before the EU let rumours go around about a new successor.
A sign of the low support this post has had in the EU institutions is that it has taken 10 months for the European Commission to appoint a new person for the post.
Jan Figel was the first EU Special Envoy, appointed in May 2016. He completed his mandate in 2019 and was praised for his initiatives and has been so far one of the most open to religious diversity. Nevertheless, he was not re-appointed. The European Commission did not appoint a successor for Figel until the second half of 2021.
Mark MacGann is the man who gave the Guardian 124,000 messages and internal documents that led to the Uber Files. For two years, he was one of Uber’s top public affairs executives for Western Europe, Africa and the Middle East. For two years, he was one of Uber’s main public affairs managers for Western Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
A major investigation involving forty international newspapers, including Le Monde and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), also took part in the document analysis.
This wide-ranging journalistic investigation ‘Uber Files’, reveals how Emmanuel Macron, then Minister of Economy between 2014 and 2016, secretly helped the US company Uber set up shop in France, allowing Uber frequent and direct access to him and his staff, even telling the company that he had negotiated a secret ‘deal’ with his opponents in the French cabinet This was despite the reluctance of the government to which he belonged and after the violent taxi protests in France in 2015, during which several Uber drivers and their customers were physically attacked.
In defence of Emmanuel Macron, Mark MacGann admits he lied “I was the one talking to governments, I was the one pushing this with the media, I was the one telling people they should change the rules because drivers were going to benefit and people were going to have so much economic opportunity,” he said. “When that turned out not to be the case – we had actually sold people lies.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, MacGann said he was partly motivated by remorse. he decided to speak out, he said, because he believes Uber knowingly flouted laws in dozens of countries and misled people about the benefits to drivers of the company’s on-demand economy model.
In an effort to quell the violent backlash against the company and secure changes in taxi and labor laws, Uber planned to spend $90 million in 2016 on lobbying and public relations, according to a document.
Its strategy often involved going over the heads of city mayors and transport authorities and directly to the seat of power.
In addition to Macron, Uber executives met with Biden in Davos, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and George Osborne, the then British chancellor. A note from the meeting portrays Osborne as a “strong advocate”.
After his meeting with Kalanick (co-founder of Uber), Biden appears to have modified his prepared speech at Davos to refer to a CEO whose company would give millions of workers “the freedom to work as many hours as they want, to run their own lives as they want”.
In a statement responding to the leak, Uber acknowledged “mistakes and missteps”, but said it had transformed itself since 2017 under its current CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi.
“We do not and will not make excuses for past behaviour that is clearly not consistent with our current values,” he said. “Instead, we are asking the public to judge us on what we have done over the past five years and what we will do in the years to come.”
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a nationalist who served in the post longer than anyone elsebefore stepping down in 2020, was shot and killed on Friday at a campaign rally.
Security tackled the suspected gunman at the scene of an attack, and he was arrested by police. The shooting shocked many in Japan, which is one of the world’s safest nations and has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere.
“It is barbaric and malicious and it cannot be tolerated,” current Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the media.
Police say Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, fired two shots at Abe as he was making a political speech in the city of Nara. The first shot missed, but the second hit Abe’s chest and neck, and despite attempts to revive him he died several hours later.
Yamagami was unemployed and a former member of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years, police say, and attacked Abe because he believed he was associated with a group Yamagami hated. Multiple handmade guns were later found at Yamagami’s home.
Abe, 67, served as prime minister in 2006 and 2007, and again from 2012 to 2020, when he suddenly resigned citing health issues. Despite leaving office, he remained influential within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and continued to be a force on Japan’s political landscape.
Following the assassination of the former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, the exiled Tibetan leaders have expressed grief over his death on Friday. Hours after the news of Abe’s assassination surfaced, the exiled leader His Holiness the Dalai wrote to Abe’s wife to express his condolences, “I am deeply saddened to hear that my friend, Mr. Abe Shinzo has passed away following a gunshot attack this morning. . . As you know, your late husband was a steadfast friend of the Tibetan people. I very much appreciated his friendship and support of our efforts to preserve our rich Buddhist cultural heritage and identity.”
The head of the Central Tibetan Administration, President Penpa Tsering took to twitter to express his shock over the death of the Japanese leader, “Today the world has lost a great leader to a senseless act of violence. With the passing of Shinzo Abe, the Tibetan people have lost a long-time friend and supporter of the Tibet cause. We grieve alongside his bereaved family and the people of Japan.” Japan’s longest-serving PM Abe remained critical for a few hours after he was shot during a public event, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The officials and staff of the Dharamshala-based Tibetan government-in-exile held a mass prayer on Monday to mourn the death of the longest serving Japanese PM. At the prayer ceremony, the Sikyong reiterated the loss of such a powerful leader. “With profound gratitude and obeisance, the Tibetan administration and the Tibetans will eternally remember his notable contribution and support to the Tibetan cause, particularly his active involvement in establishing All Party Japanese Parliamentary Support Group of Tibet, comprising one of the largest Tibet supporters,” he added.
The Dalai Lama and Abe last met in November 2012 when he was a member of the Japanese Parliament. “We lawmakers here are in complete agreement that we want to help the suffering Tibetan people and help create a Tibet in which people do not have to kill themselves in a quest for freedom,” Abe had said during the Dalai Lama’s visit to Tokyo in 2012.
Under Abe, the Tibetan issue received a highlighted support from Tokyo with the formation of the All Party Japanese Parliamentary Support Group of Tibet, the largest pro-Tibet legislative body in the world. He was also a vocal supporter of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan issue despite objections from China.
When he left office, most Japanese were dissatisfied with his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, feeling he moved too slowly to impose a state of emergency mostly out of concerns about the economy.
In recent months, Abe had been a more outspoken critic of China. Earlier this year, he called on the United States to drop its long-standing practice of “strategic ambiguity” and give Taiwan assurances that it could count on American help in the event of an attack by China.
He also angered China by saying “a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency,” and noting that it would be impossible for Japan not to be sucked into a conflict over the self-governed island that Beijing considers a part of China.
VERONA, ITALY, July 12, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Hot off the success of their first single together, “You’re Not There”, popular Italian artist Lorenzo Gabanizza and rock icon Jeff Christie will release their anticipated second single, “I Guess I Am The Only One.” To the delight of Christie fans worldwide, the song will also feature former Christie band members Paul Fenton on drums and Kev Moore on bass! “I Guess I Am The Only One” will be released on July 10th, a few days before Christie’s birthday, on MTS Records.
The duo of Gabanizza and Christie is unstoppable. Jeff Christie is the legendary former lead singer for the rock band Christie who sold 30 million copies of “Yellow River” and Lorenzo Gabanizza is a hit singer-songwriter who has amassed more than 200K Spotify streams and 11K monthly listeners with chart-topping songs. On “I Guess I Am The Only One”, this charismatic, hit-making duo bring two amazing vocal talents together to sing about love, inclusion and acceptance. Their catchy country song is about being grounded in who you are and believing in love even when others are trying to bring you down.
“I guess I’m the only one to believe in love enough to die I guess I’m the only one to believe that dreams come true And I’ll never fool myself being someone that I’m not to please you”
Song Credits: Lorenzo Gabanizza – Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, Background vocals Jeff Christie – Lead vocals, Background vocals Kev Moore – Bass, Lead guitar, Background vocals Rusty Wright – Lead guitar, rhythm guitar Paul Fenton – Drums Christopher Lydon – piano Mixed – Peter Hall Mastering: Greg Calbi, Steve Fallone
About Lorenzo Gabanizza
Lorenzo Gabanizza
Lorenzo Gabanizza was a member of various groups, notably a Queen cover band called Mantras, with which he toured Europe. His “Queen project” continued with his band The Slightly Mad. Gabanizza started a fund-raising program to help fight AIDS that was recognized by the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the organization that was founded soon after Freddie Mercury‘s death.
In 2004, Gabanizza became a member of the Vic Elmes band Christie Again. He wrote the song “Meet me at the river” that became a success and featured in the album Christie Again all the hits and more.
In 2016, Gabanizza produced and recorded a self-penned album, Celtic Bridge (Italian way music), a concept album sold well both in Europe and the United States, entering the American download charts top 100.[1] In Germany, Gabanizza was seen as a fresh pop/Celtic rock style singer, and was compared to great artists as U2 or Angelo Branduardi.[2] Gabanizza’s version of “Danny Boy“ that was featured on the album gained him a place on the list of best Celtic performers in Italy. In July he appeared in front of 12,000 people at the worldwide event Celtica among others such as Vincenzo Zitello, Katia Zunino, and Celkilt.
January 2018, he released a single, “Demons”,[6] which included a cover of the Linkin Park song “One more light”, and donated all the royalties to the 320 change direction, founded by Chester’s Bennington widow Talinda Bennington.
During summer 2018, he was injured in a terrible traffic accident. February 2019 he get back to work and released another single “I am wrong” which comes along with a cover of Linkin Park’s “The messenger” and reached #69 on the European top 100 indie charts.
In November of the same year, Lorenzo released a new single, “Straight to the heart” with the same musicians of the album “Out of darkness” with mastering by Don Tyler. The single suddenly entered the European Country charts reaching #1 and the MTV Usa spotify single at #6. The videoclip of the song, directed by Oscar Serio, starring Lorenzo himself and the actress Martina Sacchetti, topped at 6th place on MTV Usa charts.
2020 had a strong start for Lorenzo. His Ep, “All the words we never said” reached 8th on European Indie Charts, 1th on MTV USA, 48th on Italian indie charts. On the day of twin towers attacks, September 11, he released the Ep “Someone waiting to their door” which reached Number one on the EACM Charts. The title track features Grammy fiddler Ian Cameron.
On October 22nd, “You’re Not There” was release by MTS Records. The single features Jeff Christie on the lead vocals, along with stellar musicians: Snake Davis, Katey Brooks, Max Gabanizza, Rusty Wright, Bruce Hoffmann, Hale White, Darrell Nutt. The song was mixed at Breakneck Studios, Philadelphia by Peter Hall (Liam Gallagher’s engineer) and mastered at Sterling Studios by 62 times Grammy Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone.
Forest fires: EU mobilises its firefighting fleet to help Portugal
For the third day in a row, peacekeepers have had to deal with more than 100 fire starts across the country and the peak temperatures are still to come. About 1,500 firefighters have been mobilised to put out three forest fires that have been raging for more than 48 hours in central and northern Portugal, as the country is hit by a heat wave that has prompted the government to declare a state of emergency.
Portugal has activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to request emergency assistance for the current wildfires in the central part of the country. In an immediate response, the European Commission has mobilised this morning 2 Canadair firefighting airplanes from its rescEU fleet positioned in Spain. The planes are supporting Portuguese first responders in the affected regions.
Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said: “With our quick response to the Portuguese request for assistance, the EU demonstrates its full solidarity in facing the destructive forest fires in central Portugal. I thank Spain for swiftly mobilising two firefighting planes via the RescEU this morning. Our thoughts are with those affected, and with the fire fighters and other first responders on the ground. We stand ready to provide further assistance.”
In addition, the EU’s Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service was activated by Portugal on 8 July for the forest fires affecting Leiria and Santarem districts in Ourém municipality. These maps support first responders with an assessment of the impact and damage of the fires.
Background
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism strengthens cooperation between and among Member States and Participating States in the field of civil protection, with a view to improving prevention, preparedness and response to disasters. Through the Mechanism, the European Commission plays a key role in coordinating the response to disasters in Europe and beyond.
When the scale of an emergency overwhelms the response capabilities of a country, it can request assistance via the Mechanism. Once activated, the Emergency Response Coordination Centre coordinates assistance made available by its Participating States through spontaneous offers. Should the emergency require additional assistance, the rescEU reserve can be activated.
To date, all EU Member States participate in the Mechanism, as well as Iceland, Norway, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey. Since its inception in 2001, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has responded to over 600 requests for assistance inside and outside the EU.
Message from Ambassador of Greece to the UK, H.E. Mr Ioannis Raptakis on 5th July 2022 to the International Ministerial on Freedom of Religion or Belief hosted by the Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom.
Raptakis stressed that:
“Religion and faith are such unifying factors, and when not politicized, they help us tap into our humanity.”
Watch the full video below
Full message (original transcript by The European Times):
The last three years may have been extremely challenging, but they have also provided us with time for reflection, time to see what brings us closer, and time to appreciate the things that unite us.
Religion and faith are such unifying factors, and when not politicized, they help us tap into our humanity, our better elements as people, and into a spirit of peace and shared values.
Greece fully respects, protects and promotes the inalienable right enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Throughout our history and civilization, we have steadfastly manifested a rights-based approach to sustaining such a universally recognized necessity.
And we are joining our voice here today with our host, our partners in the International Religious Freedom of Belief Alliance, and other participants in advocating for freedom of religion or belief.
The Greek constitution stipulates that freedom of religious conscience is invaluable. It also places freedom of worship under the protection of the law.
Greece is an adamant supporter of the effort to combat anti-Semitism. During its presidency of the Holocaust International Remembrance Alliance, the Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister Dendias stated that we do not want to see the memory of the Holocaust as an echo of the past. We see it as a living reality and a force for the preservation and advancement of our freedom and our way of life.
Moreover, the quality of life of the Muslim minority and thrice offers undeniable evidence that human rights and religious freedom rights are fully respected.
Greece has the highest number of mosques per citizen of Islamic faith than any other country in Europe. This is respect for freedom of religion or belief in action.
Freedom of religion is also closely connected with the implementation of the 1972 World Heritage Convention of UNESCO’s. There are World Heritage monuments which have existed as places of religious expression linking history, religion and culture.
One should not use for political or other purposes, monuments that transmit an image of universality, interfaith coexistence and peace in the modern world. The example of Hagia Sophia, the world-known museum transformed into an active mosque is concrete proof that diminishing a monument’s universal value can result in cultural and religious polarization.
Such actions not only run counter to religious freedom and the enjoyment of diverse cultural richness but also do not allow for the opportunity of better understanding, coexistence and respect among future generations of Christians, Muslims or other denominations.
In the same vein, the work of the Ecumenical Patriarchate should be supported by us all. Just a few days ago, we worked together with a current IHRA presidency, and other delegations in Geneva on the presentation of the action plan to combat anti-Semitism.
We believe that through education policies of tolerance and understanding and respect for international human rights law, we can convey the message that freedom of religion or belief is a prerequisite for peace, solidarity and tolerance. Thank you.
“The role of religion in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine” was a theme in focus at a virtual seminar hosted by the Conference of European Churches (CEC) on 30 June. Speakers representing Ukrainian churches addressed pertinent topics related to global church response, religious diplomacy and the responsibility of European churches in promoting ecumenical dialogue, while safeguarding justice and truth.
Speakers in the seminar were H.E Archbishop Yevstratiy of Chernihiv and Nizhyn, Deputy Head of the External Church Relations Department of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, spokesperson for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and Professor at the Kiev Theological Academy, Prof. Sergii Bortnyk, member of the Department for External Church relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Professor at the Kiev theological academy (UOC), and Dr Christine Schliesser, Director of Studies at the Center for Faith and Society at the University of Fribourg. CEC President Rev. Christian Krieger opened the seminar.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February this year, CEC has engaged deeply with its Member Churches, and churches beyond its fellowship, advocating for peace in Ukraine.
CEC has been closely following developments in Ukraine and the neighbouring countries, highlighting experiences of the churches in Ukraine, discussing their responses to the war and hopes for the future. CEC through its events, statements and official messages, has highlighted religious voices in Ukraine, especially voices from the churches in the country, raising awareness about the war in Ukraine.
Presentations from the speakers will be made available in due time.
On July 4, Pope Francis announced that he had the intention to visit Moscow and Kyiv as soon as possible. The head of the Vatican is regularly speaking to Ukrainian President Zelensky but would like to visit Putin before heading toward Kyiv. He believes that he might be the neutral agent that could convince Putin to put an end to the war.
On the other side of the line, in Moscow, there are different reactions to this idea. In the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, most are in favour of such a visit. Even in the Presidential administration, the reaction is pretty positive, and they view this controversial proposal favourably. But that is not the case within the FSB and the military. There, it is another story, and the intervention of Francis is viewed with at least suspicion and more usually with complete reluctance.
The main actor of this diplomatic move is the head of the World Union of Old Believers Leonid Sevastianov. Sevastianov has access to the Pope and is highly considered by him, and is the one whom the Supreme Pontiff would listen to when it comes to Russia. He is also the one lobbying the Presidential administration in Russia, pushing the idea that the Vatican is the only “neutral” State and then the only one in a position to act as a genuine mediator. Leonid Sevastianov is a strong Christian, who strongly believes that his spiritual mission is to do all in his power to put an end to the war.
But the fiercer opposition is coming from the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) Moscow Patriarch Kirill. Kirill is a strong supporter of the war, and justifies it, as several religious leaders in Russia, by the need of protecting the Christian world from the decadent West corrupted by cults and pagans, a message that is embraced by the Kremlin. His biggest fear is to see the Pope coming into his “territory”, preaching for peace. Even before the war, Kirill opposed the coming of the Vatican’s head, and the reason was then clear: Kirill is poorly considered by the believers, and barely attracts none (or very few) when he publicly appears. If Pope Francis would come to Russia, it’s likely that he attracts thousands of Christians to greet him, which would definitely undermine Kirill’s image in the country.
So Kirill is activating his network behind the scene to prevent Sevastianov to succeed, which is not without risk for the latter. Kirill is a former agent of the KGB and does not back off from dirty tricks to reach his goals. Sevastianov, who in fact is a former colleague of Kirill, and worked for years as the director of the St. Gregory the Theologian’s Charity Foundation, the biggest Orthodox Foundation in Moscow founded by Kirill and Metropolitan Hilarion, has recently declared that the support of the Moscow Patriarch to the war was to be considered as heresy, from a religious point of view. That’s no shy statement by far.
Hilarion himself, who was considered the number 2 of the ROC and was the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, has recently been demoted and sent to a small diocese in Hungary. There is no clear interpretation of this demotion: some say that Hilarion was opposed to the war and was punished for that. Others say that Kirill saw him as a threat as he was in a position to replace him as Patriarch, and some say that it is to have him in a better position to lobby for the ROC on the international scene after Kirill has been sanctioned by the UK, and barely avoided the EU sanctions thanks to the last-minute intervention of Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary.
Nevertheless, if Sevastianov’s diplomacy is a risky one for himself, it is also a steady one. Sevastianov has kept pushing for it since February, gained the support of the Supreme Pontiff and is now making progress in Moscow. Of course, even if he would succeed in getting Francis to Moscow, the big question is will it have any impact on Vladimir Putin? History will tell.
