Hope on march” “

The first stage of the “ecumenical pilgrimage” that will lead the Churches of Europe, after the Assemblies of Basel (1989) and Graz (1997), to the Third European Ecumenical Assembly, to be held in Sibiu (Romania) from 4 to 8 September 2007, on the theme: “The light of Christ shines upon all. Hope for renewal and unity in Europe”, opened in Rome on 24 January. The Roman meeting – organized by the Council of the European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) and the Conference of the Churches of Europe (CEC) – was attended by 150 delegates from 44 countries of Europe, representing some 40 Churches, 34 Bishops’ Conferences and 50 confederations, alliances, ecumenical organizations, movements and associations involved in ecumenical dialogue. (Another report in the next number of SirEurope) THE ROMAN STAGE. The delegates were greeted on arrival by the representatives of the Italian Churches: Cardinal Camillo Ruini for the Catholic Church, Gianni Long for the Evangelical Churches and Metropolitan Gennadios for the Orthodox. “We are in Rome – said Monsignor ALDO GIORDANO, CCEE general secretary, at a press conference – to rediscover together the Christianity of the origins, witnessed by the apostles Peter and Paul and by the martyrs”. During their days in Rome the 150 delegates will twice meet Benedict XVI: first on Wednesday 25 January, in the basilica of St Paul’s outside the Walls, during the vespers presided over by the Pope himself on conclusion of the Prayer Week for Christian Unity, and on Thursday 26, in a private meeting. So, in contrast to the previous two Assemblies, that of Sibiu envisages a series of preparatory stages that will begin from Rome, lead through Wittemberg, city of the Reformation (15-18 February 2007) and then reach Sibiu, in Romania (4-8 September 2007), a country with an Orthodox majority. “Instead of the great Assemblies – explained Giordano – we have privileged the idea of a journey of the Churches together for Europe, in order to involve as many people as possible in this process”. A PILGRIMAGE. “Time is needed – added Bishop AMÉDÉE GRAB, CCEE President – to learn how to enter into the way of praying for and thinking of others. Our purpose is not to arrive at the formulation of a new document but to participate in the spiritual life of others and this participation requires time. What begins today is a pilgrimage”. The Roman meeting will end with a letter to the Churches in which the Christians of Europe will be invited to unite in this journey. “We invite – said the Anglican COLIN WILLIAMS, general secretary of the CEC – all the Christians who live in Europe to organize meetings to reflect on the questions to be addressed at Sibiu. Many have already been put on the agenda in Scandinavia, in Spain, and in Italy. The hope is that through these meetings it will be possible to create and forge a strong message to Europe and to the world on how the light of Christ can illuminate the life of man in our time”. “We live – said Metropolitan GENNADIOS DI SASSIMA – in a Europe that is still seeking its Christian roots, its identity, which is undergoing a crisis of moral and spiritual values: a Europe in which the Churches are divided, and in which hope is lacking. It’s a Europe that has need for a spiritual therapy. To this Europe, the Churches wish to reply, by saying that Christ is the light of hope for the sick, the poor, the seekers of unity. That is a challenge for all the Churches of Europe”. THREE PRIORITIES. As Churches we are awaiting concrete steps of unity but we are here today to help give witness of Christian life in the world”, said JEAN-ARNOLD DE CLERMONT, President of the Council of European Churches (CEC) and also President of the Protestant Federation of France. With regard to the meetings that the delegates will have with Pope Benedict XVI, De Clermont said: “I think that not even the smallest Churches will place in doubt the primacy of honour that the bishop of Rome has in the universal church, but unfortunately this does not yet solve the question on primacy in its jurisdiction”. In short, “there is still a great deal of work to be done, in the line of Ut unum sint“. De Clermont spelt out three priorities for the Christian churches of Europe. The first, “the most important, is the challenge posed by the secularisation of the contemporary world, to which the Churches must respond together. Often too much time is lost in working on the ecclesiastical nuances, while it becomes ever more urgent to deepen the biblical theology and the way in which Christians can put the Word of God into practice”. The second priority is the commitment to the questions placed on the agenda by the Charta Oecumenica signed by the Churches at Strasbourg in 2001 regarding “theological and spiritual deepening and concrete commitment at the social level”. Lastly, the third challenge is that of “breaking down the frontiers. We are too enclosed in our national ecumenical environments – said De Clermont -. We must try to network more and appeal to the Christians of Europe to meet together, get to know each other and work together”.