The Third European Ecumenical Assembly due to be held in Sibiu, in Romania, in 2007, is “fully” supported by the Orthodox and Protestant Churches of the country. This is one of the findings of the first visit that the president of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), Jean-Arnold de Clermont, made to the Romanian Churches represented in CEC from 28 August to 2 September. De Clermont was accompanied by Viorel Ionita, Orthodox priest and member of the CEC secretariat. During their visit to Romania, the two European representatives were able to meet His Beatitude Teoctist, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. At the end of the meeting and during a press conference, De Clermont emphasized the importance of the role that the representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church play within CEC and in the preparation of the Third Ecumenical Assembly. “The CEC said De Clermont is pleased to ascertain that the European Ecumenical Assembly, as His Beatitude Teoctist assured me, enjoys the full support of the Romanian Orthodox Church”. The same support was also expressed by the country’s Lutheran and Reformed Churches during a series of meetings in Cluj and Oradea. Apart from the great ecumenical event, the city of Sibiu is also preparing to be European capital of culture in 2007.
