Less structures, more life

“National Identity and European integration: Christians’ contribution.” It is the theme of the annual meeting of the Joint Committee of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), held in Belgrade February 17-20. “This theme – says  Father Duarte da Cunha, CCEE General Secretary – was chosen as a result of the themes of the Joint Committee’s meetings held over the past years. The theme for 2009 was the protection of the creation, in 2010 the theme was migrations. This year’s theme was supposed to be peace, but last year we concluded not to address the theme of peace in generic terms, as it would have been too nebulous, so we decided to address the question of national identity and European integration”.What is the relationship between the theme of the meeting and the theme of peace?“The question is to identify a mode of living national identity that will not trigger conflicts or wars. We believe that Christians can give an important contribution to this regard, by proposing the logic of charity as a parameter of social and political life, as it is capable of enhancing national identities and the love for national population, for the historical development of a country and culture, received with sense of responsibility towards others, openness towards friendly relations capable of engendering harmony and solidarity. It is a parameter that doesn’t deny identity, in fact, it enhances it”.What are the effects of this logic of charity on European life?“We have identified 4 sub-themes. The first is the theme of religious freedom, namely, simultaneously living national and religious identity. It is a question of reflecting on the relationship between minorities and majorities in the different Countries, between a sound form of laity and the promotion of religion. We will afterwards address the economic situation: it is evident that Countries cannot thrive on their own. On the one hand there is the need to acknowledge with realism the diversity of single States in the framework of different stages of development, economic culture, and of different levels of poverty and wealth. Thus Europe cannot call for mandatory measures if these cannot be implemented at national level. At the same time, a sound economy should necessarily be marked by solidarity. We will also speak of ecumenism and of the ecumenical movement, of the fact that Christians are called to live this communion within an ecumenical experience. Finally, a Serbian government representative will address the theme of peace at political level”.The city of Belgrade, involved in a war that ended just a few years ago, is a warning for Europe…“Belgrade is a true neuralgic point which bears high symbolic value for Europe. The Balkan war hasn’t ended yet. In Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia especially, history is still in the making. However, it is our belief that Christians from different confessions ought to set the example of social and political maturity by reaffirming that not only coexistence is possible, but also showing that living together doesn’t mean erasing diversity. Coexistence means proceeding together towards unity, in full respect of diversities”.The “Charta Oecumenica” was ratified ten years ago in Strasbourg. Since then, has there been progress, or have things developed for the worse?“I think that these past 10 years brought new difficulties within the ecumenical movement, but not necessarily for the worse. There is widespread realism today. Maybe a certain degree of optimism, aimed at overcoming difficulties by enhancing similarities, has waned. However, when it came to concrete terms things didn’t turn out to be as simple. Perhaps, viewing this situation some could say that there no longer is the ecumenical enthusiasm experienced a few years ago. But this isn’t true. Consistent steps have been made even today: theological dialogue is ongoing, personal relations are progressing. An international form of ecumenism is giving ground to local ecumenism, whereby local achievements are shared at international venues. Namely, suggestions are proposed not from above but at grassroots level. There is also another movement that implies the shift from multilateral ecumenism to bilateral ecumenism. These all are discrete, scarcely visible steps, which however constitute significant yeast that is bound to ferment. Finally, contemporary ecumenism is called to implement joint initiatives, rather than work on grandiose projects that are hard to coordinate. It is an ecumenism that requires less structures and more life”.