Islam, Europe and Emerging Legal Issues brings together vital analysis of the challenges that Europe poses for an expanding Islam and that Islam poses for Europe, within their ever-evolving religious, legal, and social environments. This book gathers some of the best thinking on Islam and the law affecting current and contested issues that can no longer be ignored, particularly as they have found their way before the European Court of Human Rights. Contributors include leading authorities who are working at the heart of this generation's law and religion questions in Europe and across the world. This book outlines implications for all those who look to Europe-from both within and without-for models of human rights implementation and multi-cultural accommodation.

Islam, Europe and Emerging Legal Issues brings together vital analysis of the challenges that Europe poses for an expanding Islam and that Islam poses for Europe, within their ever-evolving religious, legal, and social environments. This book gathers some of the best thinking on Islam and the law affecting current and contested issues that can no longer be ignored, particularly as they have found their way before the European Court of Human Rights. Contributors include leading authorities who are working at the heart of this generation's law and religion questions in Europe and across the world. This book outlines implications for all those who look to Europe-from both within and without-for models of human rights implementation and multi-cultural accommodation.

Human rights in the Church...The combination, human rights and the Church, is not always an easy one, although church authorities increasingly promote human rights and their meticulous application in civil society. This book aims to describe human rights in the Church as they already exist today (in the 1983 Code of Cann Law, in everyday practice) and as they can be developed in the future. Human rights in the Church could be promoted by the development of a health legal culture and by simulating independent responsibility among the Christian faithful. By using existing canon law as creatively as possible and by promoting reasonable changes with an eye to the future, the quality of internal church life can be improved without endangering theological foundations. Indeed, good legal structures are a matter of justice. Finally, this book is a plea for constructive dialogue in the Church. The faithful and the hierarchy are not enemies. They share a common source of inspiraton which is not vitiated by their choice of rival philosophical or pastoral options. Indeed, a healthy rivalry between committed Christians can be a real gain for the life of the Church. Rik Torfs, Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law K.U.Leuven, Lic. Iur., Not., J.C.L., J.C.D. (Leuven). Before joining the faculty of Canon Law, he taught at the University of Utrecht (K.T.U.). He also teaches at Antwerp University (U.I.A.). He is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Consortium for Church and State Research (Milan) and editor of the "European Journal for Church and State". His research and publications are in the field of general norms of Canon Law, Catholic hospitals and schools, marriage law and the realtions between Church and State.

This volume contains the lectures of The Monsignor W. Onclin Chair 2004. The first lecture was given by R. Torfs and was titled "Ten Years Monsignor W. Onclin Chair. An Interim Report or a Testament?." B. De Gaay Fortman tiltled his lecture "Quod omnes tangit," while J. van der Vyver spoke about the "Contributions of the Holy See to the Refinement of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court."

In this booklet the lectures given at the Monsignor W. Onclin Chair 2005 are published. R. Torfs' address is titled '(No) Separtion between Church and State', wheras that of M.P. Hilbert is called 'The Canons on Juridical Acts Applied to Marriage'. G. Robbers gave a lecture on 'Living Values. The Constitution for Europe and the Law on Religion'.

Tijdens de Monsignor W. Onclin Chair, een jaarlijks terugkerend evenement aan de Faculteit Kerkelijk Recht van de K.U.Leuven, geven bekende vakspecialisten lezingen over een actueel kerkrechterlijk thema. Het thema van 2006, 'Homoseksualiteit en kerkelijk ambt', was brandend actueel - niet alleen voor kerkjuristen, maar ook voor een ruimer geinteresseerd publiek - naar aanleiding van de door Rome uitgevaardigde recente instructie die duidelijke richtlijnen geeft voor het al dan niet toelaten van homoseksuelen tot de kerkelijke wijding. Dit thema werd in de lezingen vanuit verschillende invalshoeken benaderd: zowel vanuit kerkjuridisch standpunt, als vanuit psychiatrisch standpunt en vanuit de praktijk van kerkelijke ambtenaren. During the Monsignor W. Onclin Chair, an annual event held at the Faculty of Canon Law of the K.U.Leuven, known specialists in the field of canon law give lectures on a topical subject. The theme of 2006, 'Homosexuality and Holy Orders' was particularly relevant for specialists as well as for a wider audience because of the recent instruction from Rome that gave explicit directions for the admittance of homosexuals to the holy orders. This theme was considered from an ecclesiastical as well as from a psychiatric point of view. Other speakers based themselves on the practical experience of church administrators.

In the growing international discussion on diversity and multiculturalism, religion plays an increasing and overwhelming role. A lot has been written on religion, but an overall standard work in the form of an Encyclopaedia is lacking, namely systematic information how each State deals with religion, the role it plays or can play in society, the status of the church involved, of the clergy, school, culture and media...So, an Encyclopaedia on religious law, would really fill a gap as it would have a world wide coverage. At the same time, next to national monographs, there will be regional and international monographs concerning the place and role of religion in international treaties, as a universal human right and so on. The Encyclopaedia would also contain monograph describing and giving an in depth picture of the most important religions like Christianism, Protestantism, island, Buddhism.