News

In January 2020, the city of Frankfurt hosted the first synodal assembly of the German Catholic church. Delayed by COVID-19 restrictions, smaller regional meetings resumed recently in September (CRUX, October 12, 2020). The 230-member synod, including bishops, archbishops, and lay people, convened in order to discuss how to stop the loss of German Catholic members.

German chancellor hopeful Norbert Röttgen recently “delivered a stark warning on the future of transatlantic ties, saying the reelection of Donald Trump as U.S. president could endanger the alliance and open the door for China and other powers to try and fill the vacuum” (Politico, September 28, 2020). He further commented that it is not possible to build a partnership with the United States as long as Mr.

Following the peace deal between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain, and the powerful involvement of both Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the Middle East appears to be fracturing (Israel National News, October 2, 2020). The mostly Sunni nations mentioned above are gravitating more toward Israel and the United States, while Iran and Iraq are moving closer to Turkey.

In the last six months, Brexit appears to have taken a back seat to COVID-19. But regardless of the drop in press coverage, the Brexit process is moving forward, and the European Union and United Kingdom are still at loggerheads over a trade deal.

Last week Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain signed a historic peace deal that is being lauded by some and criticized by others, especially by Hamas in the Palestinian territory (Al Jazeera, September 13, 2020).