At Masses July 18, bishops, priests and parishioners prayed for those who died, emergency workers who continued to clear mud-lined streets and residents seeking to salvage what they could from damaged and destroyed homes, the German Catholic news agency KNA reported.

Officials recorded at least 196 deaths July 19 in western and southern Germany, eastern Belgium and parts of the Netherlands. Hundreds more were missing.

In a visit to the region July 18, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the catastrophe the worst natural disaster in the country in 60 years.

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Merkel made the remarks when asked about a scandal engulfing Austria's anti-immigrant Freedom Party, whose leader Heinz-Christian Strache quit on Saturday as the government's vice-chancellor.

Strache was secretly recorded reportedly promising a Russian investor government contracts in return for them purchasing a newspaper and supporting his anti-immigrant Freedom Party. Read more

Practicing Catholic, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer - known as AKK in the German press - was seen as chancellor and outgoing CDU leader Angela Merkel's preferred choice. Read more

Surprising conscience vote results show all six Muslim MPs voted in favour of it. Chancellor Angela Merkel, known for her liberal views, voted against it.

Four of the six Muslim MPs are with the Green Party, one is with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and one with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The reform gives the same marital rights to homosexual couples as to heterosexual couples and allows them to adopt children.

"For me and the basic [German] law, it's about the marriage of a woman and a man. That's why I voted against it," Merkel, whose father was a Lutheran pastor said. She said she is in favour of same-sex couples adopting children, however.

Merkel has long sided with the right of her party on this topic. She leads the CDU and has always made the CDUs party line opposition to same-sex marriage clear. Until last week refused a "majority vote" to decide the matter.

Pressure from the Social Democratic Party forced her to change her strategy and on Monday last week she said she would allow members to vote according to their consciences.

The subsequent debate was emotional for many in parliament, including herself, she added.

"I hope that the vote today shows not only the mutual respect for different opinions but that this also leads to more peace and social cohesion as well," she said.

The bill is likely to pass through the Bundesrat — Germany's upper house — next week. The Bundesrat has previously approved legalizing same-sex marriage.

Germany is the 15th European country to legalise same-sex marriage.

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• CNN
• Washington Post
• Aljazeera
• euronews
• Image: The Independent

"Especially in a very secular world, we should always stress what is common in the Christian religion," said Merkel, who is the daughter of a Protestant pastor.

She was speaking during a rare appearance at the annual synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany, where Protestant leaders were working to make the "Luther Jubilee" more ecumenical by involving Catholics as well.

The German Chancellor said she had learned that "even the word 'jubilee' used in connection with the Reformation can give rise to discussions", because Catholics attach a special meaning to "jubilee years" and would prefer the anniversary to be called a commemoration.

In preparation for the celebration, the Evangelical Church — Germany's largest association of Protestant churches — and the Catholic Church have plans to write a book on Christianity together in 2013 and to hold a joint Bible conference in 2015.

The Evangelical Church president, Nikolaus Schneider, told the synod that there may also be a reconciliation service scheduled for 2017 "that recognises before God all the injuries both churches inflicted on each other".

Evangelical Church vice president Thies Gundlach has expressed the hope that, despite their differences, a "wonderful friendship" will develop between Catholics and evangelicals as a result of the anniversary events.

He said the "many ecumenical achievements that render visible the truth and beauty of Christian faith 500 years after the Reformation and 50 years after Vatican II" are grounds for joint celebration. He referred to agreement on the importance of Scripture, baptism and a general acceptance of ecumenism.

Catholic Archbishop Werner Thissen of Hamburg told the synod he hoped for an agreement on how to mark the anniversary.

"Times have changed dramatically since Luther," he said, noting that the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65 had "learned a lot from Martin Luther".

Sources:

Christian Post

Reuters

Image: MSN