Member organisations
13 February 2013
European Humanist Federation “EHF welcomes a brave decision of the ex-pontifex” Let’s be fair, Joseph Ratzinger’s resignation announcement proves the courage of a man who has become aware of its limitations. We must now hope that Catholics – at least those who still pay attention to the voice of the pontifex maximus – will be guided with more inspiration in the future. Joseph Ratzinger used his influence to impose dogma and faith as the bases… read more »
8 January 2013
The Bill to give legal status to Humanist weddings passed all stages in the Dáil on Thursday, December 20th 2012. Having already passed all stages in the Seanad, it is now set to be signed into law by the President. This is a major victory for the Humanist Association of Ireland which has been campaigning for this change for the past decade. Humanist wedding ceremonies have grown in popularity in recent years but, in order… read more »
10 September 2012
15th September 2012 The “Secular Europe Campaign” is an annual effort that sees many diverse groups united in demanding an end to religious privileges and asking that the European Institutions must remain secular. Starting in 2008, this Campaign has a special focus on the Vatican, given the enormous political and economical power it holds, but aims at representing all the issues around secularism and human rights, including opposition to state-funded faith schools, rejection of religious… read more »
3 June 2012
Changes to Bylaws Apart from the regular business of the General Assembly (approving the annual report and accounts, budgets and plans), this year we also approved some significant changes to our bylaws. These will be included in the Bylaws on this website once they have received official approval by the Belgian authorities. (a) Membership categories The General Assembly agreed to abolish the category of Consultative Member: all organisations that pay the minimum membership fee of… read more »
4 February 2012
Cesare Pianciola writes: Growing organizational and financial difficulties have led the Comitato Torinese per la Laicità della Scuola – Turin Committee for Secularism in Schools – to decide at a general meeting on January 17th to cease publication of their quarterly Laicità and to dissolve the Committee. (This will be formally effected at a meeting on March 22.) The Comitato was founded in 1983 by a group of secular teachers, among whom was Professor Carlo… read more »
19 December 2011
Massimo Redaelli writes: “With 6 billion Euro per year, Italy could accomplish miracles.” This is the slogan on the maxi-posters of the new campaign by UAAR that earlier today were posted around Genova, and that tomorrow will cover the streets of Venice, too. After the notoriety gained by the website “The Cost of the Church” (the first detailed list of the fiscal privileges and the economic contributions the Church enjoys), the association decided to… read more »
1 December 2011
The third annual “summit” meeting of “philosophical and non-confessional” organisations with the three EU Presidents under Article 17 was held on November 30. The press conference: Presidents Buzek, Barroso and van Rompuy. David Pollock is between the first two; Pierre Galand at the extreme right. David Pollock took advantage of it to expose the dissatisfaction of the humanist and secularist movement with the way the Commission is implementing the dialogue under Article 17. The EHF… read more »
[Français] [Deutsch] [Italiano] On the occasion of the World Aids Day, 1 December 2011, the European Parliament adopted a resolution about the EU’s work to fight against AIDS in the European Union and its neighbouring countries. This resolution defines the position of all political groups in the EP. The text underlines the necessity of strengthening EU and member states’ action to fight against HIV, by increasing access to exhaustive information, testing and efficient protection and… read more »
16 November 2011
Matt Cherry writes on the IHEU website: The inauguration of Michael D. Higgins as President of Ireland on Friday, November 11 2011, broke new ground by including a ‘reflection’ by a Humanist. Susie Kennedy, a representative of the Humanist Association of Ireland, spoke at the ceremony immediately after an inter-faith service. The President-elect specifically requested a female Humanist celebrant to ‘broaden the range and diversity of the occasion’. In her statement at the presidential inauguration,… read more »
18 September 2011
The Swiss Freethinkers Association reports: The Swiss Freethinkers Association’s “Denkfest” has triggered a very positive response from the skeptics community and the public at large. From 8 – 11 September 2011, more than 400 people attended the conference in Zurich, many staying for several days. They grasped the opportunity to meet some 40 experts coming from 4 continents to engage in the promotion of critical thinking, science and a general understanding of “how the world… read more »