Conference of European Churches - Office of Communications

Press release No. 08-69/e

Brussels, 9 December 2008

Jointly issued with the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME)

European Churches celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) has joined the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10 December (Human Rights Day).

In honour of this anniversary, the Church and Society Commission of CEC has produced a specific postcard and a bookmark which contains a prayer following the articles of the UDHR. The bookmark and postcard are being widely circulated within the CEC constituency and the European institutions and can be downloaded at: www.cec-kek.org/content/human_rights.shtml and used in celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration, reaffirming the churches’ ongoing commitment to human rights.

In the spirit of Article 14 of UDHR, CSC invited all people of good will to pray “for refugees and asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution, that they are welcomed and feel safe.” On the occasion of the Human Rights Day, churches will join NGOs expressing their profound concern over the continued drama of persons dying at the EU’s external borders trying to enter in search of protection or a better life.

The churches have also appealed to the current French EU Presidency to promote the rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, a concern taken up by the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME). Representatives of the churches in Europe - CEC, the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) and churches in France – recently met with the EU Presidency. In anticipation of the European Council for Justice and Home Affairs which met on 27 November, they highlighted a number of pressing issues: the need for stronger EU participation in refugee protection through resettlement, such as of Iraqi refugees, as well as concern over the return policies in the European Union. The delegation emphasised the need for a truly common EU policy on migration and asylum, which protects the human rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. It underlined the conviction that integration needs to be seen as a two-way process, involving both migrants and host communities. (See our press release at www.cec-kek.org/content/pr-cq0862e.shtml)

Beyond working for a fair migration and asylum policy, churches have a long-standing record of involvement in promoting human rights. Currently, the Church and Society Commission of CEC is developing a Human Rights Manual for churches around relevant issues such as religious freedom, freedom of expression, and anti-discrimination. The Commission is involved in the work of the OSCE Advisory Council on Freedom of Religion and Belief, the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee on Human Rights and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.

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The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship of some 120 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from all countries of Europe, plus 40 associated organisations. CEC was founded in 1959. It has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.

The Church and Society Commission of CEC links member churches and associated organisations of CEC with the European Union’s institutions, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, NATO and the UN (on European matters). Its task is to help the churches study church and society questions from a theological and social-ethical perspective, especially those with a European dimension, and to represent common positions of the member churches in their relations with political institutions working in Europe.

For further information:
Ms Elizabeta Kitanovic
Church and Society Commission of CEC
Rue Joseph II, 174
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel. +32 2 230 17 32
Mob. + 32 498 666 260
Fax +32 2 231 14 13
E-Mail: eki@cec-kek.be