Bridging the gaps

During the latest Assembly, the Conference of European Churches (CEC) adopted a radical change in its Constitution given the new circumstances in Europe, which require new answers along with “a new, lighter and more manageable structure”, CEC General Secretary Revd Guy Liagre (United Protestant Church of Belgium) told SIR Europe. Future prospects are now aimed at “boosting the involvement of all CEC members, without being separated in the various Commissions”.It has been decided to move CEC head offices from Geneva to Brussels. Why? “Our overall purpose is unrelated to interconnections with the political structures of the EU. In fact, the decision was dictated by the need to cut expenses, as the offices in Brussels are CEC property. Unquestionably, there is also a symbolical meaning, although the recent assembly in Budapest did not decide to give priority to political issues to the detriment of theological reflection. And the new Board is tasked with ensuring the continuation of this approach”.The new Constitution stipulates that only Christian Churches are entitled to be official CEC members, thus ruling out this possibility for ecumenical organizations, as it happened in the past. What is the meaning of this change?  “It has been decided to preserve the original title, Conference of European Churches, thereby restoring to the Churches – which in fact are its contributors – their CEC ‘ownership’. We intend to operate following an inductive approach, making the most of talents and resources present within the Churches. CEC could act as a bond uniting the Churches that are competent on the theoretical plane (theological, sociological, etc…) and the international ecumenical organizations with concrete experiences, thereby bringing together the two dimensions of contemporary ecumenism. CEC wishes to become a facilitator rather than a promoter of programs”.Will the absence of the Russian Orthodox Church from CEC come to a resolution? “The Russian Orthodox Church has always been an important presence within CEC. At the origins of its distancing there has been a local problem, in Estonia, with international diplomatic implications amongst Orthodox Churches. Two weeks before the latest assembly we were in Moscow for a very cordial and open meeting. We are aware that dialogue should be continued if we want to reach a solution to the Estonian problem. It also must be honestly recognized that there have been mistakes on the part of CEC, and when there are mistakes and suffering it’s important to leave the time for the Spirit to do the healing. Relations may take different forms compared to those of the past. In general, the Churches are focused on inner questions related to the economic downturn, the decreased numbers of faithful, confrontation with societal issues etc.). This situation impacts ecumenical relations for the worse. The challenge we are all called to address, to which we will respond in various ways, is the future of our churches: some attempt to return to tradition, whereas others follow more ‘progressive’ approaches. Some issues in particular – such as abortion or homosexuality – are a source of divisions even within the Churches themselves. But we all share the quest for the most appropriate and acceptable way to spread the message of the Gospel”.What is the future of cooperation with the Catholic Church? “It’s clear to everyone that this aspect of CEC engagement is extremely important, and that in the near future it will be necessary to step up cooperation with CCEE or continue along the present lines. I believe that we can continue living in harmony, even though a distance remains. That distance, as often happens in interpersonal relations, could be necessary, and it could help us delve into certain aspects of our identity”. What will be CEC’s contribution in next assembly of the World Council of Churches scheduled for next October in Busan?  Over the past years we developed a very important dialogue with the Council of Latin American Churches. Although we were two very distant Church bodies, we tried to focus our joint reflections on the problems stemming from economic globalization. The fruits of this work may be brought to Busan. At European level there is a lot going on. Tensions risk being triggered by the delicate economic and social situation. Our task is to build bridges to prevent misunderstandings and tensions which risk being viewed as projections of the conflicts within the political realm or within the Churches, which have almost nothing to do with theology”.