A sing of hope” “

The state of ecumenism in Europe, the contribution of the Christian Churches to the European Convention and the preparation of the third European Ecumenical Assembly: these are some of the issues that the joint committee of the Council of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe (CCEE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) tackled during a meeting held at Kamien Slanski (Poland) from 29 January to 2 February. A UNITED EUROPE WITH DIVIDED CHURCHES INTOLERABLE. “A united political Europe with divided Churches would be intolerable”. With these words, Bishop AMÉDÉE GRAB, CCEE president, opened a lively debate on the situation of ecumenism in Europe. He drew attention, among other things, to the challenges posed to the Churches by the multireligious context and the process of European reunification. Since many divisions at the theological level – as has been said – “often have roots in historical, cultural, jurisdictional and psychological causes”, CCEE and CEC stressed the importance of “overcoming disagreements through deep and co-responsible dialogue”. With regard to the European Convention, the members of the committee expressed “satisfaction” about article 51 relating to the legal recognition of the Churches and religious liberty. “The question remains, however, why there is a kind of ‘allergy’ to recognizing the historical fact of the presence of Christianity as an essential element of the history of the continent”. But if “their contribution to the future of Europe is to be effective”, CCEE and CEC agree that the Churches must “find points of agreement on questions on which they are still divided today (especially in the fields of ethics and values)”. That’s why “collaboration needs to be intensified, and dialogue continued, to understand more deeply such questions as the Eucharist, the ministries, and the role of Mary”. OBSTACLES TO ECUMENISM. Apart from these challenges, Metropolitan DANIEL of Moldavia and Bucovina, member of the CEC Executive, pointed out a further two obstacles to ecumenism today: religious fundamentalism and the aggressive proselytism of the “sects”. “Created by God who is communion of three persons, we can only exist in communion”, he declared. The Churches therefore need to overcome disputes through deep and co-responsible dialogue and by fostering a genuine spirituality. From the debate it also emerged that there is now a risk of ecumenism being no longer a priority for the Churches, since they are worried by their very survival and their own identity, and therefore withdraw from the dialogue, as if this represented a threat to their further existence. “There do exist fears among us, the fear of each other because we don’t feel ourselves accepted”, said Cardinal Husar of Ukraine, and he added: “Perhaps we don’t desire unity sufficiently strongly, thinking that it may be given us without an effort, without sacrifices”. THIRD EUROPEAN ECUMENICAL ASSEMBLY. After Basel in 1989, and Graz in 1997, the European Christian Churches are preparing for a third ecumenical assembly. This time, however, the Assembly won’t be a unique event, but a real process that will lead the Churches for three years (2005-2006-2007) to reflect, at the local, national, regional and European level, on the theme “Christ is the light of the future” and on the responsibilities and contribution that Christians can make to Europe and the world today. There are two main elements in the reflection: first, developing together the theological reflection round a central theme of the Christian faith, Jesus Christ; second, reflecting on the contribution, the “light” that Christianity can give to Europe and the world today. This process ought to lead the Churches to gain a shared understanding of the Christian spiritual traditions that have built Europe and existing ecumenical experiences. A work group has been entrusted with the task of formulating the proposal that will be officially presented in the autumn. This process will take forward the progress so far made by the Charta oecumenica, which remains the basic document for the process of reconciliation between the Churches in Europe. The CCEE-CEC committee is the one official body in Europe in which all the main traditions of the Churches are represented. It is therefore a sign of hope, and is called to play a greater role in reflection on the “reshaping” of existing ecumenical structures.