Social situation, stability and solidarity are some of the main themes to be discussed during the annual meeting of the Bishops’ Conferences of Southeast Europe, which will be held in Sarajevo from 25 to 27 February. The meeting is being organized by the Council of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe (CCEE) and the Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Seven countries are represented: Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, International Episcopal Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Serbia and Montenegro – Macedonia), Romania and Turkey. The common denominator of all these countries is that they are mainly Orthodox in tradition or Moslem in religion. The participants will also include apart from members of the CCEE representatives of the Holy See, of the Commission of the episcopates of the European Union (CEMECE), of aid organizations and European and international institutions. The meeting is due to start on Friday 25 February when the president of each episcopate will describe the social situation in his own country and the humanitarian projects being carried out. On Saturday 26 February the delegates will debate the question of Christianity in relation to secularisation and modernity: Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims will examine the common challenges that the Churches and the religions are called to respond to today. The assembly in Sarajevo is the fifth in the series after those of Vienna (Austria), Celje (Slovenia), Scutari (Albania) and Belgrade (Serbia).
