Similarities and diversities between the countries of Central/Eastern and those of Western Europe, between the Churches, and between societies, were examined at the meeting of the heads of the Bishops’ Conferences of Central and Eastern Europe, held in Budapest from 12 to 14 February. Theme of the meeting: “What Christian concept of man today?”. “The countries of Central Europe are in a new situation said Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, as reported by the new Hungarian Catholic portal Magyar Kurìr -. The future members of the European Union must tackle new pastoral challenges: challenges that are posed not by economic or political changes: it is people themselves who have changed; they are different from what they were twenty years ago”. According to Cardinal Erdo, “the difference between Central/Eastern and Western Europe lies in the social reality. In our region we must cooperate with people with similar backgrounds. We must share our problems. Psychological or behavioural processes, or changes in attitude, must be evaluated in a different way here. Even the phenomenon of migration is conceived in a different way in those countries in which immigrants arrive en masse and in those from which people emigrate. Undeniably, too the question of national identity is treated differently in a country in which it is forbidden to speak of it. Some processes may come to the surface in an unexpected way. But many differences lie hidden within the social reality”. The archbishop of Budapest urged the bishops of the Churches of Central and Eastern Europe “to support each other, seeing that we share the same problems derived from our shared past and have similar aspirations for the future”. In the view of Archbishop Stanislav Hocevar of Belgrade “the Churches experience different legal situations in each country. Our aim is to make people perceive the Church as a religious community and to act in such a way that they appreciate our activities”.
