Ecumenism" "
“Having committed ourselves to a common journey, we have sought to build mutual trust and understanding by working and praying together. We have also endeavoured to foster a spirituality that is rooted in God’s Word”: so says the final communiqué of the first stage of the Third European Ecumenical Assembly (EEA3), the ecumenical meeting of 150 delegates from 44 European countries, held in Rome, from 24 to 27 January 2006. Released by the Conferences of European Churches (CEC) and by the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences in Europe (CCEE), joint promoters of the meeting, the communiqué emphasizes “the existence of problematic aspects but also the hope of progress in ecumenical relations”. The Christians of Europe have a particular responsibility, challenged to stand together for Europe and for a peaceful order in Europe”. But we need to hope; “suspicion, inertia and impatience are the real enemies of ecumenism”. The second stage of AAE3 plans meetings at the national and regional level to be held from Pentecost 2006 to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January 2007. The third stage, which will be held at Lutherstadt-Wittenberg in Germany in February 2007, will be similar in size to the meeting in Rome. The final stage will be the great assembly with 2500 delegates at Sibiu, in Romania, in September 2007, on the theme “The light of Christ shines upon all: Hope for renewal and unity in Europe”. The communiqué can be downloaded from www.eea3.org
