ecumenism" "
The president of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont, has just concluded an official three-day visit to the ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and his Holiness Bartholomew I (31 March-2 April). Accompanied by a delegation of the European Churches, he was also able to meet with members of the Interconfessional Affairs Commission of the Holy Synod. Questions on the agenda included: the reception and future of the Charta Oecumenica; the contents of the new European Constitution, with the challenges and opportunities it represents for dialogue between the Churches and the European Union; and Turkey’s possible admission into the EU (supported by the Patriarchate). “Three things said de Clermont at the end of his visit particularly struck me. First, the warmth and atmosphere of friendship, signs of the deep involvement of the ecumenical Patriarchate in the work of the CEC. I felt myself to be a friend among friends, anxious to work together in Europe. Second, the strong conviction of Patriarch Bartholomew of the need to intensify inter-religious and ecumenical dialogue to give genuine witness in society. Third, Turkey’s admission into the European Union and the Patriarchate’s hope that CEC would act as the promoter of its requests and those of the minorities in Turkey”.
