Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Feb 04: Europe, The Church in Europe
Europe
World
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Geography
Area: 22,978,500 sq km74% is in the Russian Federation. This is 17% of the earth’s surface.
Population: 732,758,546 Annual Growth: 0.10%
Urbanites: 73%
Peoples
Religion
Largest Religion: ChristianReligion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
---|---|---|---|
Christians | 522,017,165 | 71.34 | -0.3 |
Evangelicals | 18,342,106 | 2.5 | 1.1 |
Answer to Prayer
Religious freedom in the former Communist world means the opportunity for Christians to practice their faith publicly and to enjoy fellowship and collaboration with their brethren from elsewhere in Europe and the world. It sees new expressions of Christian faith emerging in Central and Eastern Europe that engage the spiritual, social, relational and economic needs of many who feel lost in the vacuum of power and philosophy left by former Communist regimes.For an additional 5 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Europe.The Church in Europe
Europe
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Challenge for Prayer
Catholicism has been rocked by sex abuse scandals, even more than by the Vatican’s inflexible stance on contraception, the ordination of women and the obligatory celibacy of Roman Catholic priests. The inadequate and long-delayed response of the Vatican – and the apparent cover-ups – yield outrage and anger, disillusionment and disgust. Now the increasing antipathy toward Catholicism and, by extension, to all organized religion, heralds yet another sad chapter in the decline of faith as a redemptive force in European life. Catholicism is now fighting a rear-guard action, willing to accept significant numerical losses in order to preserve the integrity of its teaching. Pray that these tragic abuses might catalyze deep changes in Catholicism, bringing redemption to many.For an additional 7 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.