Precedence to charity

"We have a great common challenge: bringing God to the life of Europe". With these words, pronounced by Cardinal Péter Erdõ, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, the annual meeting of the Joint Committee of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) was opened in Istanbul on 8 March. The meeting is being held at the invitation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. Established in 1972, the Joint Committee has as its task the supervision of cooperation between the CEC and the CCEE. It comprises, apart from the general secretaries of the two organizations, seven members of the CEC and seven of the CCEE. It is the first time that the CCEE is meeting the newly elected President of the CEC, Metropolitan Emmanuel of France (Ecumenical Patriarchate). "We welcome him – said Cardinal Erdõ – to his new post with sincere joy and great satisfaction. Be sure that the Catholic bishops, and in particular the CCEE, are willing to continue to do all in their power to promote the good of everyone and the unity of Christians". At the joint CCEE/CEC meeting the delegates spoke of the phenomenon of immigration which is affecting in an ever more pronounced way the countries of Europe, especially those of Western Europe. Below we cite some of the reflections that emerged from the discussions.Immigration: a balance between legality and acceptance. According to the CCEE President, Cardinal Péter Erdõ, Christians in Europe are called to tackle the great challenge of immigration by maintaining a balanced approach between justice and charity. The archbishop then added: "Justice and charity are the guiding principles of all social conduct, especially that of Christians. The personal dignity of everyone, even illegal immigrants, must everywhere be recognized. That does not mean the abolition of all legal regulation in the field of immigration. The legal order of all countries must at the same time be safeguarded". "So legality and justice on the one hand, the due and absolute recognition of the human dignity of everyone and compassion for those most in need on the other, together form an organic whole". "Immigration, furthermore – continued Cardinal Erdõ – leads to the arrival of Christian populations of different confessions". This presence – said the CCEE President – "must be for all of us an appeal to promote dialogue and seek Christian unity". It must be a spur to practice "a genuine and sincere form of ecumenism without relativism or proselytism". Significant in this sense is the opportunity to use places of worship that is being offered by Catholic bishops, especially in Western Europe, to Christian migrants of other confessions, especially those of Orthodox faith and Catholics of oriental rite. "Charity – urged the cardinal – must always take precedence in ecumenical dialogue and may also have mutual responses in Christian charity itself in those countries where Catholics find themselves in a position of immigrants or diaspora. This mutual acceptance between Christian brothers is a sign of God’s love and brings great hope for everyone".Not only manpower. "The causes of migration are complex and multiple – said Doris Peschke, Director of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) – and often the reactions of host societies are mainly focused around the fears and challenges which migration poses. They fail to see the opportunity it provides both to migrants and to host societies". In Peschke’s view, "the role of the Church should therefore be to stand with migrant brothers and sisters and to uphold their rights and dignity. This should be grounded in the belief that Christians in meeting migrants do not only meet brothers and sisters but Jesus himself, particularly in migrants in need". The Churches, she concluded, can also "play a crucial role in educating host societies in their encounter with migrants". According to Johan Ketelers, general secretary of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), it is "essential to acknowledge that migrants are not simply providers of manpower and economic opportunity, but first and foremost fellow human beings". That’s why, stressed Ketelers, "we need to recognize that only a situation of safety and stability for migrants and their families, including undocumented migrants, will enable them to develop their full potential as actors of development".Earthquake in Turkey. During the meeting of the Joint Committee in Istanbul, Turkey was struck by an earthquake of magnitude 6 on the Richter scale in the province of Elazig, causing over 40 deaths and at least 60 injured. In a joint press release the CCEE and CEC expressed "their sympathy and prayer for all those struck by this tragic event".