Top writers, film-makers and artists in the Czech Republic are asking the Pope to practise what he preaches and to prevent the Czech Government from returning state-owned property to the country's Catholic Church.

A major new study of attitudes towards religion around the world has been conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation – and finds that the majority of people in all the 13 nations surveyed favour a clear separation between religion and the state.

One Law for All and the Lawyers' Secular Society (LSS) have announced a student research competition on the subject of sharia law, sponsored by the National Secular Society.

The Catholic Church in Austria has reacted "with satisfaction" at the failure of a referendum that sought to strip churches of their many privileges.

New legislation, inspired by the German "church tax" model, will soon allow all Romanian citizens to direct a part of their income tax to the churches or other organisations of their choosing.

The EU ombudsman has upheld complaint by the European Humanist Federation that the European Commission has failed to comply with an EU Treaty which requires the EU to conduct a "regular, open and transparent dialogue with churches, religious communities as well as philosophical and non-confessional organisations."

The EU Commissioner responsible for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, Vivianne Reding, has said that blasphemy laws and other such restrictions are not acceptable and pose a threat to free speech.

The European Commission is to investigate complaints submitted by the National Secular Society concerning whether UK legislation relating to state funded 'faith' schools breaches European employment laws in relation to discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief.

The European Court of Human Rights has rejected three of the four landmark cases of alleged religious discrimination in the workplace. The ruling has been welcomed by the National Secular Society.

The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has commissioned an opinion poll to find out what Germans think about Muslims. Generally, the results are regarded as "catastrophic".

The Dutch parliament has accepted a motion that will abolish the law that makes it an offence to insult God. Supporters of the motion say that they are confident that they have enough support for it to pass easily.

The Presidents of the European Council and European Commission today heard a plea for greater protection for pregnant women's right to life following the death of Savita Halappanavar in Ireland.

The Austrian bishops conference held its plenary meeting in Brussels this month because it wants to be nearer the EU – where it hopes to increase its influence.

Members of the European Parliament have this week examined Tonio Borg's bid to join the European Commission. Alarm has been raised about Mr Borg's performance in his home country of Malta, where he has opposed women's rights, gay rights and issues such as contraception and abortion.

Poland's harsh anti-abortion laws were condemned this week by the European Court of Human Rights after an almost unbelievably callous series of events were inflicted on a teenage victim of rape.

Secular groups around Europe are preparing to oppose the nomination of the Maltese Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg to replace the recently resigned European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection.

The Catholic Church and other right-wing groups in France have given notice that they intend to resist the newly-elected President's progressive social agenda.

Tunisia's ruling Islamist Ennahda Party has ruled that the country will remain constitutionally secular and sharia will not form the basis of law.

The Executive Director of the National Secular Society, Keith Porteous Wood, has spoken out at the United Nations Human Rights Council about the need to hold religious minorities to the same standards of human rights observance as everyone else. He has also criticised the increasing acceptance of religious law as a legitimate alternative to democratically agreed legal systems.

Feminists and supporters took to the streets of several Polish cities last Sunday, demanding ties between Church and State should be cut.