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Senior members of the Church of Scotland voted Monday to let some congregations choose ministers who are in same-sex relationships — an important compromise that must still pass further hurdles before it can become church law. The church's General Assembly backed a motion affirming a traditional conservative view on homosexuality, but permitted liberal congregations to ordain openly gay men or women if they wish. The assembly's vote would require the approval of next year's General Assembly as well as votes by the church's regional presbyteries to become law. The process is complicated, and is expected to take at least two...

A new analysis of the 2011 census shows that a decade of mass immigration helped mask the scale of decline in Christian affiliation among the British-born population – while driving a dramatic increase in Islam, particularly among the young. It suggests that only a minority of people will describe themselves as Christians within the next decade, for first time. Meanwhile almost one in 10 under 25s in Britain is now a Muslim. The proportion of young people who describe themselves as even nominal Christians has dropped below half for the first time. Initial results from the 2011 census published last...

Acts such as showering the Princess’s hearse with flowers show that the public is reverting to a “Catholic” approach to death after centuries of protestant reserve, the Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols suggested. He said that the Princess’s funeral in 1997 marked a watershed in British history and would be remembered as the “end of the Reformation in England”. Catholic practices such as prayers for the souls of the dead and a belief in saints, which were dismissed by protestant reformers in the 16th Century, are now being rediscovered, he said. The recent growth in unofficial roadside...

The Queen will tomorrow back an historic pledge to promote gay rights and ‘gender equality’ in one of the most controversial acts of her reign. In a live television broadcast, she will sign a new charter designed to stamp out discrimination against homosexual people and promote the ‘empowerment’ of women – a key part of a new drive to boost human rights and living standards across the Commonwealth. snip The charter, dubbed a ‘21st Century Commonwealth Magna Carta’ declares: ‘We are implacably opposed to all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour, creed, political belief or other grounds.’...

Last month I stumbled upon an article about an atheistic “church service� in London. I didn’t even read the whole thing before I decided I had to go.The Sunday Assembly, as the group is called, meets once a month at The Nave in North London for “anybody searching for a sense of community, to meet and ‘turn good intentions into action.’�It is, all things considered, an atheistic church.Yes. A church for atheists.The Nave – new home to the atheistic church The Sunday Assembly This morning I woke up, sacrificed hearing Os Guinness speak at my own church, and ventured down to...

FULL TITLE: Primary school bans six-year-old boy from wearing Christian band in class for 'health and safety reasons' A furious dad has slammed a school after his six-year-old son was banned from wearing a Christian band in class on health and safety grounds. Peter Thompson's son Eddie had been wearing the band, decorated with the Christian symbol of a fish, out of sight for six months. But when a teacher spotted Eddie scratching his ankle she noticed the band, covered by his sock, and ordered him to hand it over. Now he is being kept at home after he was...

(Reuters) - A secretive group choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans, is under pressure to break a deadlock in their talks and reach a decision, nearly a month after an announcement was expected. The choice of the next head of the worldwide Anglican Communion comes at critical time for a church threatened by a rise in secularism and long-running divisions over senior women clergy and homosexuality. The 105th Archbishop of Canterbury will have to contend with the risk of a schism over sex and sexuality. Liberal church leaders in the United States...

[picture from "Queering the Church"] Around 200 Christians marched as a group in the Pride procession in London yesterday (7 July) to show their support for the dignity and equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Many wore T-shirts declaring "Christian and proud". Many other Christians joined other parts of the parade. A small number of Christians stood at the side of the march with placards expressing their sorrow for Christian homophobia. Later, a Christian service for Pride participants was hosted at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church. There were also participants of other faiths at the event, including Jews...

A law to allow same-sex weddings will destroy the institution of marriage for future generations, leaders of the Church of England warned yesterday. They claim it will lead to a constitutional crisis, arguing that human rights legislation will force churches to treat gay couples asking for a wedding in the same way they treat heterosexual couples. The Church of England’s warning comes in response to the Government’s consultation on legalising same-sex marriage, which will close this week. The proposed reforms, formally launched in March, have been described by Church officials as ‘half-baked’, ‘very shallow’, ‘superficial’ and ‘completely irrational’. They claim...

Head of the Scottish Catholic church, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, says symbol shows you 'live by Christ's standards in daily life' Britain's most senior Catholic cleric has called on Christians to wear a cross every day as "a symbol of their beliefs" and to combat the marginalisation of religion in modern society. The plea by Cardinal Keith O'Brien, head of the Catholic church in Scotland, to be made in his Easter sermon, comes as the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, appealed for more people to attend church this Sunday – even if they are "a bit vague" about religion....

A parish church has been torn apart by its priest’s decision to defect to the Roman Catholic Church. St. Annes R.C. Church in Darlington (England)On Wednesday, the 26-strong choir of St James the Great will sing for the congregation as they have always done during Holy Week. But this week they will do so a mile down the road in St Anne’s Roman Catholic church, their new home. Led by Fr Ian Grieves, the priest at St James in Darlington for 23 years, 58 parishioners will formally join the Ordinariate, the body set up by the Pope for disaffected Anglicans....

“The Church dies in Europe,” headlines Tygodnik Powszechny on the occasion of Benedict XVI’s visit to Germany starting September 22. Statistics published by the German episcopate tell it all: in 2010 over 180,000 Germans left the Church while only 170,000 were baptised. Also, the number of vocations has been dwindling: in 2009, 120 candidates entered the seminary; a year later there were just 79 of them. Similar trends are observed in countries like Spain or Ireland, once considered Europe’s Catholic vanguard. “Less churchgoers, less vocations, less support for the Christian ethic, less Vatican authority”, writes the Polish Catholic journal, noting...

Church Blocks Reforms Over Royal Marriages The Church of England has blocked a Government move to scrap a centuries-old law which prevents members of the Royal family from marrying Roman Catholics, The Daily Telegraph has learnt. If the Supreme Governor of the Church of England was a Roman Catholic, they would ultimately be answerable to a separate sovereign leader, the Pope, and the Vatican. 24 Apr 2011 Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, began work towards repealing the 1701 Act of Settlement, under which heirs to the throne must renounce their claim on marrying a Roman Catholic, in order to...

It's not often you see an obituary as snarky and bitter as the one written by British columnist Johann Hari announcing what he called the "slow, whining death of British Christianity" in the UK edition of GQ and online at The Huffington Post. Citing an unlinked ICM study, which is not available on the organization's website, Hari called on reader to "put your hands together and give thanks, for I come bearing Good News. My country,Britain, is now on the most irreligious country on earth." Hari called Christianity, "superstition," "weak," "cruel," and based on "intimidation." He predicted that, "As their...

Monday May 17, 2010 Charges Dropped against UK Preacher who Called Homosexual Acts a Sin By Hilary White  WORKINGTON, UK, May 17, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Charges have been dropped against Dale Mcalpine, an evangelical street preacher from Workington in Cumbria, who was arrested April 20 after he was denounced to police by a homosexualist police community support officer (PCSO). Mcalpine had, in a private conversation with a passer-by during his day of preaching, said that homosexual activity is a sin, in accordance with Biblical teaching.The Christian Institute reports that after reviewing the evidence, crown prosecutors decided to drop charges...

Church Warned That Flag of Jesus Is 'Religious Advertising' A vicar has been warned by council officials about flying a flag depicting Jesus Christ outside his church because it was deemed to be “religious advertising”. By Richard Savill 29 Apr 2010 Rev Mark Binney, vicar of St Andrew’s Church, Hampton, Worcs, said he had been told he needed planning permission if he wanted to fly a flag “advertising Christianity” in future. The flag was put up outside the church in the week preceding Easter Sunday displaying the words 'This is Holy Week' and an image of Jesus on the cross....

ROME, April 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pro-life advocates in Britain are shocked at the decision by the Catholic Education Service of England and Wales (CESEW), a body of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, to appoint a pro-abortion former Labour MP as its new deputy director. Greg Pope, the Labour MP for the Hyndburn riding in East Lancashire since 1992, was approved unanimously for the job by the CESEW interview panel, including by Bishop Malcolm McMahon, chairman of CESEW. In a media release by CESEW, Chief Executive and Director Oona Stannard, welcomed the appointment, saying Pope's experience...

When someone claims to have been “offended” by someone else’s remarks, he is usually grandstanding. Believe me: I’ve been on the receiving end of synthetic outrage more often than most. It’s one of the reasons I feel a certain kinship with Rowan Williams. ... It’s a similar story with the fabricated row about Chris Grayling’s belief that religious B&B owners should not be forced by law to let rooms to gay couples. Such hoteliers are guilty of bad business as well as bad manners: they are harming their profits for no good reason. But you don’t have to be anti-gay...

The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland has lost all credibility because of its mishandling of abuse by priests, the leader of the Anglican church said in remarks released Saturday. A leading Catholic archbishop said he was "stunned" by the comments. The remarks released Saturday marked the first time Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has spoken publicly on the crisis engulfing the Catholic Church. The comments come ahead of a planned visit to England and Scotland by Pope Benedict XVI later this year. "I was speaking to an Irish friend recently who was saying that it's quite difficult in some parts...

Bounty House Hotel LIVERPOOL, April 1, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A UK Christian couple has been forced to put their hotel up for auction, even after having been cleared of all accusations in a religious discrimination case. Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang said that business at their nine-bedroom Bounty House hotel has collapsed and they are losing about £8,000 per month.The couple is receiving help from the Christian Institute and is considering legal action against Merseyside police and the Crown Prosecution Service. The charges were brought in April 2009 by a guest at the hotel who is a convert to Islam. Ericka...

Here below in full, the text of Pope Benedict's Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland. * * * 1. Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Church in Ireland, it is with great concern that I write to you as Pastor of the universal Church. Like yourselves, I have been deeply disturbed by the information which has come to light regarding the abuse of children and vulnerable young people by members of the Church in Ireland, particularly by priests and religious. I can only share in the dismay and the sense of betrayal that so many of you have...

LEEDS, March 19, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The U.K. Catholic adoption agency associated with the diocese of Leeds has won its case in the high court allowing it to continue to function according to the teaching of the Catholic Church on marriage and family life. Catholic Care chief executive, Mark Wiggin, told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) that he was pleased but not surprised at the ruling. "We always felt we had a strong legal case," Wiggin said. "In law we felt we were justified. We felt very strongly that we had over a hundred years of history as a Catholic charity providing services...

Catholic adoption society wins fight to be exempted over gay rights Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent A Catholic adoption society has won a High Court battle which could allow it to go against legislation forcing it to consider gay couples as adoptive parents. Catholic Care, which serves the dioceses of Leeds, Middlesbrough, and Hallam in South Yorkshire, launched the legal action saying it would be forced to give up its work finding homes for children if it had to comply with the legislation. Other Catholic agencies have already given up adoption or cut their ties with the Church to comply with...

As clergymen are warned they could be sued if they refuse to carry out homosexual "marriages" in church, what will the Equality Bill mean for religious doctrine?Eighty years ago a Scottish shepherd's boy won a place at St Andrew's University. A graduate of Divinity, John Ebenezer Brown went on to become a minister in Kirkcaldy, Fife. He was much loved by his flock – not least because he never let himself get angry. "I keep thinking of my father and how he never raised his voice," said the Prime Minister, in an interview with this newspaper a week ago. Even...

Leading evangelical bishop calls for Anglicans to ‘accept a diversity of ethical convictions’ to prevent schismA leading evangelical bishop will today call for Anglicans to “accept a diversity of ethical convictions” gay sex in order to prevent schism. The Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Rev James Jones, will use his presidential address to his diocesan synod today to argue that for an end to the battles over sexuality in the Anglican Communion so the Church can focus on mission. In his address, seen by The Times, he compares the debate over homosexuality to that over going to war, in spite...

Munich's answer to Lent: stronger beer Published: 26 Feb 10 09:56 CET Lent might be a period of abstinence, but Bavarian monks decided centuries ago that drinking highly alcoholic beer helped their fasting. Thomas Barkley explains Munich's Starkbierzeit tradition. The end of Fasching, what Bavarian Catholics call Carnival, heralds the beginning of Lent, the Christian season of fasting. Normally considered a period of abstinence, in beer-crazy Bavaria it's time to crack open extra strong Starkbier brews. Starkbierzeit has become such a fixture of Munich's annual event calendar that locals refer to it as the year's 'fifth season.' The supermarkets are...

Hundreds of Dutch activists have walked out of a Mass in protest at a Roman Catholic policy of denying communion to practising homosexuals. On this occasion, the church, in 's-Hertogenbosch, had already decided not to serve communion, so the protesters left, shouting and singing. The dispute began earlier this month when a priest in a nearby town refused communion to an openly gay man. The Netherlands was the first country to introduce gay marriage in 2001. Most Dutch people support gay rights, but the Roman Catholic Church teaches that homosexual activity is sinful. This dispute began during Dutch carnival celebrations...

A group of senior clerics, including the Bishop of Salisbury, the Dean of Southwark and four retired bishops, wrote in a letter to The Times today that religious denominations should be allowed to choose whether to register civil partnerships on their premises. "Straight couples have the choice between civil marriage and religious marriage. Gay couples are denied a similar choice. To deny people of faith the opportunity of registering the most important promise of their lives in their willing church or synagogue, according to its liturgy, is plainly discriminatory," they wrote. The Lords amendment to the Equality Bill is likely...

LONDON, February 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Britain’s Labour government clarified this week that an amendment to the Children, Schools and Families bill, that says faith schools may teach the mandatory Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) program “in a way that reflects the school’s religious character,” does not, in fact, give the schools freedom to oppose abortion, contraception and homosexual activity on moral grounds. The clarification has been hailed by a local pro-life and pro-family group as evidence that the spectre of "totalitarianism" has reappeared in Britain.A recent statement from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), made in response...

February 23, 2010 Anglican Bishops Back End To Ban On Gay Civil Partnerships In Church Gay couples could soon be allowed to “marry” in church after a decision by Anglican bishops and other clergy to support a relaxation of the ban. Senior bishops in the Lords have told The Times that they will support an amendment to the Equality Bill next month that will lift the ban on civil partnership ceremonies in religious premises. The amendment would remove the legislative prohibition on blessings of homosexual couples and open the door to the registration of civil partnerships in churches, synagogues, mosques...

A major effort is underway to elect Senator David Norris, the Dublin-based politician, as the first openly gay president of Ireland. Norris, 65, a former Trinity College Dublin lecturer who has led the campaign for gay rights in Ireland for a generation, is a highly respected figure in both literary and political circles known equally for his Joycean expertise as his advocacy of liberal causes. The Irish presidential election is scheduled for 2011, when current occupant Mary McAleese steps down after two terms. The Irish President does not play a role in party politics, which is left to the Prime...

Wednesday February 17, 2010 Gay Carnival “Prince” Denied Communion by Dutch Priest By Patrick B. CraineREUSEL, Netherlands, February 17, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Catholic priest in the small Dutch town of Reusel is drawing criticism for his decision last week to deny communion to an openly homosexual man, reports Chrétienté.info.Gijs Vermeulen, 24, served as the “prince” for the town's carnival this year.  In the official program for the event, he was pictured alongside his 5-year homosexual partner, Michael, and it is reported that the description of him focused on his homosexual lifestyle.Fr. Luc Buyens called Vermeulen in advance to...

PARIS, FRANCE, February 15, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- French homosexualist demonstrators had planned to have a "kiss in" in front of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris this Valentine's day.  But in response to the protests of a group of young French Catholics and patriots, it was moved away from the church of Our Lady.The kiss-in was ostensibly meant to combat “homophobia.” The organizer of the kiss-in, Arthur Vauthier, had nevertheless said that it was a "way to challenge the Church, to question the Church on the question of love and marriage between gays and between lesbians."  He had furthermore boasted that...

The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned that legalising assisted suicide would “cross a moral boundary”, and lead us into “very dangerous territory” during his address to the Church of England’s General Synod. Dr Rowan Williams also used his address to criticise Harriet Harman’s Equality Bill, currently before Parliament, which he described as “ideological” and “dangerous”. During his speech Dr Williams declared that the church “will argue fiercely, so long as legal argument continues, that granting a ‘right to die’ is not only a moral mistake, as I believe myself, but the upsetting of a balance of freedoms.” He also cautioned...

Leaders of the Methodist Church yesterday offered to surrender more than 200 years of independence from the Church of England. They said they were ready to 'cease having a separate existence' and merge with Anglicans to help the cause of Christianity. The promise, made to the Church of England's parliament, the General Synod, follows two decades of growing anxiety among Methodists over falling membership and its receding influence in society. Once seen as a pillar of working class culture and a major contributor to the thinking of the Labour Party, the church has seen its membership shrink to just 265,000.

LONDON, February 11, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Britain’s left-leaning Catholic magazine, the Tablet, has called for the Catholic Church to “if not doctrinally, at least pastorally” change its teaching on homosexuality. The Catholic Church, said an unsigned editorial titled, “The Deepest Human Desire,” should “move on with confidence,” to facilitate greater acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle, or risk losing public approval.Referring to the media uproar following comments made to the English bishops by Pope Benedict XVI opposing the Labour government’s proposed Equality Bill, the Tablet said, “The Church must take seriously, and ponder deeply, the underlying reasons for this week’s furore.”The...

Anglican Bishop Nigel McCulloch London, England, Feb 10, 2010 / 02:08 am (CNA).- As the Church of England’s General Synod begins, some Anglo-Catholic leaders have said if their concerns about the introduction of women bishops are not addressed they will withdraw their resources from the Anglican Church and focus them on ministries outside the formal church structure.The Church of England introduced women to its priesthood in 1994. It is committed to the consecration of female bishops as well, The Telegraph reports, but controversy continues about the implementation.Many of those who favor female bishops argue they should be introduced on...

The Anglican Church in Canada – once as powerful in the nation's secular life as it was in its soul – may be only a generation away from extinction, says a just-published assessment of the church's future. The report, prepared for the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia, calls Canada a post-Christian society in which Anglicanism is declining faster than any other denomination. It says the church has been “moved to the far margins of public life.” According to the report, the diocese – “like most across Canada” – is in crisis. The report repeats, without qualification or question, the results...

The Archbishop of Canterbury today issued a "profound apology" to the lesbian and gay Christian community. In a powerful address to General Synod Dr Rowan Williams warned that any schism within the church would represent of a "betrayal" of God's mission. But he made clear that he regretted recent rhetoric in which he has sought to mollify the fears of the traditionalist wing of the church. The Archbishop is from the Church's liberal Catholic wing and a man who once espoused equal rights for gays within the Church. More recently he has adopted a conservative line for the sake of...

A Christian teacher yesterday claimed he was forced out of his job after complaining that Muslim pupils as young as eight hailed the September 11 hijackers as heroes. Nicholas Kafouris, 52, is suing his former school for racial discrimination. He told a tribunal that he had to leave his £30,000-a-year post because he would not tolerate the 'racist' and 'anti-Semitic' behaviour of Year 4 pupils. The predominantly Muslim youngsters openly praised Islamic extremists in class and described the September 11 terrorists as 'heroes and martyrs'. One pupil said: 'Don't touch me, you're a Christian' when he brushed against him. Others...

Church of England Is "Living In The Past", Says BBC's Head of Religion The BBC's head of religion has accused the Church of England of "living in the past" and said that the corporation should not give Christianity preferential treatment. By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Media Correspondent 06 Feb 2010 BBC's head of religion, Aaqil Ahmed [Pic in URL]. Aaqil Ahmed, a controversial executive whose appointment last year prompted more than 100 complaints, said: "I think all the faiths should be treated in the same way. I don't believe in treating any faith differently." He dismissed claims that the BBC was marginalising...

Christian teacher told today how he lost his job after complaining that Muslim pupils as young as eight hailed the September 11 hijackers as 'heroes'. Nicholas Kafouris said he was forced from his £30,000-a-year post because he would not tolerate the 'racist' and 'anti-Semitic' behaviour of children. He said the predominantly Muslim youngsters openly praised Islamic extremists in class, and hailed the terrorists of the 2001 atrocities as 'martyrs'. Mr Kafouris, 40, told how one pupil said to him, ‘Don’t touch me, you’re a Christian’, when the teacher accidentally brushed against him with his arm. Others said, ‘We want to...

A Christian teacher told today how he lost his job after complaining that Muslim pupils as young as eight hailed the September 11 hijackers as 'heroes'. Nicholas Kafouris said he was forced from his £30,000-a-year post because he would not tolerate the 'racist' and 'anti-Semitic' behaviour of children. He said the predominantly Muslim youngsters openly praised Islamic extremists in class, and hailed the terrorists of the 2001 atrocities as 'martyrs'. Mr Kafouris, 40, told how one pupil said to him, ‘Don’t touch me, you’re a Christian’, when the teacher accidentally brushed against him with his arm. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1249393/9-11-bombers-heroes-What-Muslim-children-told-Christian-teacher-forced-job-tolerating-racism.html#ixzz0exaAvpzP

Under the current law, religious groups can restrict jobs to believers and refuse to hire people whose private conduct is inconsistent with their teaching. The Government had been proposing to water down these restrictions in Harriet Harman’s Equality Bill, which was being debated in the House of Lords yesterday. However, the key amendments to change the law were thrown out by peers in a vote by 216 to 178 in a humiliating defeat for Miss Harman. Miss Harman can try to force the measure through the Commons – and risk losing the whole Bill because of the short amount of...

Atheist David Miliband Sends Son To Faith School David Miliband has been accused of hypocrisy for sending his son to a Church of England school even though he himself is an atheist. By Alastair Jamieson 24 Jan 2010 The foreign secretary and his wife, Louise, have sent the eldest of their two adopted sons to a faith school more than one mile from their north London home despite living close to a secular primary. The headteacher of their chosen school is an outspoken critic of government education policy and does not support controversial tests for 10 and 11-year-olds. Children should...

January 18, 2010 Bishop Attacks Morals Of Monks Who Brew Scotland’s (15% Proof) Tipple Of Choice A bishop has condemned Buckfast, the fortified wine [Pic in URL] made by monks and regarded by some as the scourge of Scotland. The Right Rev Bob Gillies, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney in the Scottish Episcopal Church, accused the Devon-based Benedictine monks of betraying Christian values. Bishop Gillies is the first senior clergyman to criticise the monks of Buckfast Abbey, who have always claimed they are not responsible for the antisocial behaviour that results from the widespread abuse of their product. Speaking on...

Christian Campbell, an Anglican blogger who aspires to full communion with Rome, excerpts an article in French newspaper La Croix which details how rapidly France is de-Christianizing: The IFOP Institute has just made a survey on Catholicism in France for the daily La Croix. The result is mind-blowing: *Whilst, in 1965, 81% of the French declared themselves as Catholics, they were no more than 64% in 2009. *More serious: whilst 27% of the French went to Mass once a week or more in 1965, they are no more than 4.5% in 2009. *At a doctrinal level, generally, itÂ’s a catastrophe:...

Two recent news items concern the progressive Islamization of Europe: one from Dr. Bruce Bawer on the sustained, emotional and physical attacks on critics of Islamic traditions, including the harsh treatment of women; and another from Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, retiring Archbishop of Prague, who warns, "The fall of Europe is looming." When one reads the important insights from Bawer, one can see that, given the current trend, the Cardinal is correct. Critiquing a writer who "sneers" at alarms being set off about Europe's Islamization, Bawer says: His thesis: Europe is chugging along just fine; Islam poses no real challenge to...

How Long Before Small Boys Here Ask: A Church? What’s That, Grandad? PETER HITCHENS I had hoped to have a sort of Christmas truce this week, but the controversy just keeps on raging, drowning out the choirs and bells. And one of the problems is Christmas itself. How much longer will it exist in the form we know today? I fear it won’t be much longer. Many of its traditions are visibly dying. Teachers complain that children don’t know the carols any more, because their parents don’t know them either. Dying tradition? Members of the Royal Family attend the Christmas...

Anger greets Dutch queen's Christmas message Published on 27 December 2009 - 12:08pm Many media experts and internet users have fiercely criticised Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands following her 2009 Christmas message. The queen tackled subjects including virtual communication which she said actually divided people rather than bringing them closer together. Although no names were given, she was taken to be referring to social networks such as Hyves, Facebook, Twitter and to text messaging in general. Internet expert Vincent Everts has told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that the queen doesn't know what she's talking about. He argues the opposite of what...