(Vatican Radio) Denmark has tightened its border controls with Germany, hours after Sweden imposed similar measures to deter migrants entering from Denmark.Listen to Matthew French's report: Denmark has become the latest EU country to impose border restrictions to deal with the flow of illegal immigration in Europe.The Nordic countries of Finland, Norway, and Sweden have already imposed border restrictions between themselves and other EU countries to restrict the flow of illegal immigrants.Danish Prime Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen said the decision was "not a happy moment" but Denmark "must respond" to Sweden's restrictions.The new controls would not cause a problem for "ordinary" Danes and Germans, Mr Rasmussen said.However rail commuters from Denmark to Sweden will now have to change trains at Copenhagen Airport and go through checkpoints. The move is expected to cause serious disruption to traffic flows from Denmark.Sweden's...
(Vatican Radio) Denmark has tightened its border controls with Germany, hours after Sweden imposed similar measures to deter migrants entering from Denmark.
Listen to Matthew French's report:
Denmark has become the latest EU country to impose border restrictions to deal with the flow of illegal immigration in Europe.
The Nordic countries of Finland, Norway, and Sweden have already imposed border restrictions between themselves and other EU countries to restrict the flow of illegal immigrants.
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen said the decision was "not a happy moment" but Denmark "must respond" to Sweden's restrictions.
The new controls would not cause a problem for "ordinary" Danes and Germans, Mr Rasmussen said.
However rail commuters from Denmark to Sweden will now have to change trains at Copenhagen Airport and go through checkpoints. The move is expected to cause serious disruption to traffic flows from Denmark.
Sweden's own restriction mean all travellers wanting to cross the Oresund bridge from Denmark will be refused entry without the necessary documents.
An estimated 20,000 commuters daily cross the Oresund bridge, which connects the Swedish cities of Malmo and Lund with the Danish capital, Copenhagen.
The Germany foreign ministry said "Freedom of movement is an important principle, Schengen is very important but it is in danger."
Germany itself introduced border controls on the Austrian frontier in September, and last week Norway, which is not an EU member but belongs to the Schengen area, said refugees coming from other Schengen countries without visas would be turned back.
Meanwhile Finnish authorities are bracing for larger numbers of arrivals over the country's long eastern border with Russia. Most of the arrivals come by air to Murmansk and then by land to the Finnish frontier.
In recent weeks about half of those entering northern Finland have been from Afghanistan, with others from Iraq, Nepal, Bangladesh and various African countries.
As well as beefing up ID checks on all of its border crossings with other EU nations, Finland now prevents travellers from crossing its eastern border by bicycle.
Asian elephant. / Credit: Filiz Elaerts / Unsplash (CC0)CNA Newsroom, Mar 27, 2024 / 13:00 pm (CNA).Despite repeated protests from Catholic bishops, wildlife attacks continue to pose a severe threat to the lives and properties of both Catholics and other residents in the Southern Indian state of Kerala. On Wednesday, local media reported significant damage from two elephants in Kerala's Idukki district, alongside a tiger's attack on livestock. This year alone, elephant attacks have resulted in 27 fatalities in the region. Video footage of a Catholic man trampled to death on Feb. 10 made headlines and sparked protests, only to be followed by news of a potential mauling by a tiger of a Catholic woman on her way to Mass four days after the fatal attack. Further fatal elephant tramplings followed the incident.The Catholic Church in Kerala has been leading the charge in urging the government to take decisive action to protect human lives. "The series of shocking ...
Catholic faithful offer prayers during an Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Mary's Basilica in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad in India on Feb. 14, 2024. / Credit: NOAH SEELAM/AFP via Getty ImagesBangalore, India, Mar 27, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).A watchdog group that monitors violence committed against Christians in India has released a study documenting 161 such crimes in the first 75 days of 2024.These numbers may underestimate the number of crimes and acts of persecution committed against Christians in India, according to A.C. Michael, a Catholic and coordinator of the United Christian Forum (UCF), which released the report. "These figures are based only on the complaints registered on our toll-free helpline number (1-800-208-4545) to report incidents of anti-Christian violence. The actual numbers will be certainly much more," Michael told CNA on March 27."We feel frustrated that despite documenting and making public the shocking data regularly, there has been no re...
On Holy Wednesday, the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land venerated the column to which, according to tradition, Jesus was bound to be scourged. They prayed the station dedicated to the column during the daily procession that the Franciscans perform inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. At the end, they intoned the hymn "Columna Nobilis" and then, one by one, they performed an act of veneration. March 27, 2024. / Credit: Marinella BandiniJerusalem, Mar 27, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).In Jerusalem on Holy Wednesday, the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land venerate the two stones that, according to the Gospel of Luke, were stained with the blood of Jesus during his passion.The first stone is venerated at the Basilica of the Agony, which stands at the place where Jesus withdrew to pray after the Last Supper in an orchard known as Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives.Father Alessandro Coniglio, who presided over the Holy Wednesday Mass at the Basilica of the Agony (G...