CCEE" "
A firm rejection of “any form of terrorism, of the conflicts in course and of the feared war in Iraq” was reaffirmed by the presidents of the seven Episcopal conferences of the regions of the Balkans and South-East Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro, Romania, Turkey), who met at Scutari, in Albania, on 10-11 March, at the invitation of the CCEE (Council of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe). “The fervent appeal of the Pope and the fact that they live in a land that has experienced so much violence in its history declared the communiqué of the talks have led the presidents of the Episcopal Conferences to reaffirm their opposition to a war in Iraq and to invite prayer and fasting for peace. The meeting hosted by the metropolitan archbishop of Scutari, Msgr. Angelo Massafra was dedicated to the theme: “Ecumenism: from tolerance to dialogue as basis for partnership”. Archbishop Stanislao Hocevar of Belgrade thinks it is possible to establish “ecumenical laboratories of reconciliation” throughout Europe. But he also stresses the need to reinforce “links between the episcopal conferences of the region”; to give concrete form to the commitments assumed on signing the Charta Oecumenica; and to rediscover the elements peculiar to the oriental tradition of the Church, such as the wealth of symbols, the language of art, the sense of the sacred. In the bishops’ view, “encouraging signals are emerging about the relation between the various Churches and communities: a new air is beginning to be breathed. It leads us to hope that persisting problems may be overcome”, that “prejudices may be overcome” and that the Churches may learn to walk together. During a round table between the bishops and a group of young Catholics, Orthodox and Moslems from Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania, the young proposed various issues on which dialogue could usefully be focused: the trafficking in human being and in drugs, corruption, human rights, the responsibility of the Churches and ecumenism, the question of peace, and the need to form persons capable of assuming political responsibilities.
