Affolderbach, Hannover, 8 October 2001

Migrant Churches want to enhance co-operation

In nearly all European countries the number of Christian migrants has increased. In the Protestant churches in Italy, for example, migrants are already clearly in the majority. New migrant congregations and churches are seeking to find their place in European societies.

These challenges were on the agenda of a European conference which took place 4-7 October at the Missionsakademie in Hamburg, Germany, organised by the Protestant Church of Germany (EKD) on behalf of the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME). Thirty representatives of migrant and mainstream churches from 13 European countries stated in a final document that congregations and churches of other languages and origins need to be acknowledged and increasingly involved in ecumenical co-operation at different levels. Mutual awareness and sharing of different cultural and spiritual traditions not only make an important contribution to societal integration, but also signify a considerable step towards a more visible ecumenical unity.

The participants in the conference agreed on closer co-operation at national and European levels. A world-wide conference on this topic is being planned, to be held in Thailand under the auspices of the World Council of Churches.