FINAL PRESS RELEASE ON THE EUROPEAN ECUMENICAL ENCOUNTER IN STRASBOURG, FRANCE
Charta Oecumenica Signing Ceremony
A new stage for the churches on the way to a common mission in Europe
Strasbourg, 22 April 2001 - With the solemn signing of the Charta Oecumenica in St. Thomas' Lutheran Church, the seventh European Ecumenical Encounter, 17-22 April 2001, ended today. The Encounter brought together 100 church leaders from the Conference of European Churches and the Council of European Bishops' Conferences and 100 youth from all parts of Europe in a four-day meeting of worship, fellowship and learning. The Encounter began on Thursday, 19th with a service in Strasbourg Cathedral.
The CCEE President, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk of Prague, and the CEC President, Metropolitan Jérémie Caligiorgis of Paris, today signed the protocol to the document, commending it as a basic text for all churches and Bishops' Conferences in Europe to receive and to implement in their various contexts.
The eight-page document is subtitled "Guidelines for the Growing Cooperation among the Churches in Europe". Its 12 points contain basic declarations on strengthening the churches' common faith; intensifying their sharing in catechetical and pastoral work; promoting greater cooperation in Christian education and theological training; deepening spiritual community among the churches through prayer, and getting to know one another's worship and other forms of spiritual life. The churches are to make visible their commitment as a community to defend human rights and to work for justice, peace and the integrity of creation; and to share in responsibility for the building of Europe, especially in the area of reconciliation and in developing a community of values such as humane attitudes, social consciousness and solidarity throughout Europe. Other important concerns are the strengthening of relationships with Judaism and cultivating relations with Islam. The document also encourages encounters with other religions and world views in what is increasingly recognised as Europe's pluralistic society.
The Charta Oecumenica seeks to stimulate anew the churches' common witness to their faith throughout Europe. It not only enumerates areas of cooperation, but also calls on the churches to commit themselves to work in these areas, by receiving the concerns described in the document and implementing them at practical levels in their church and national life. The Presidents of CEC and CCEE emphasised that the signing of the Charta Oecumenica does not mark the end of the process, but rather the beginning of a new process which has to do especially with the recipients of the guidelines - the churches and Bishops' Conferences - making them their own and putting them into practice. The younger generation's role in this will be especially important.
The European Ecumenical Encounter was held in the week after the celebration of a common Easter Sunday by all the churches in the first year of the new millennium. The Encounter theme was Biblical: "I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Matthew 28.20). The young people came from every corner of Europe to hold a preparatory meeting at which they discussed the Charta Oecumenica, shared their experiences in personal conversations and worshipped together. Parallel meetings of the CCEE Assembly and the CEC Central Committee were held 18-19 April at the Marc Bloch University, Strasbourg. The Encounter between youth and church leaders took place from 19 to 22 April, with a diverse programme including shared worship, Bible studies, work in groups, plenary discussions, personal conversations, and seven faith testimonials by participants during a visit to the Council of Europe headquarters. On this occasion, representatives of youth, church leaders and politicians witnessed to their personal faith and their concrete experiences of Christian living. These stories made it clear that spiritual witness and social-ethical commitment are inseparable in the Christian life.
The Encounter took place as among brothers and sisters; the atmosphere was one of collegiality and great openness, especially in the broad variety of encounters and conversations between the youth and the church leaders. The personal faith testimonies and the shared worship especially encouraged many participants to keep up the ecumenical dialogue at the beginning of this new millennium.
The next joint CEC and CCEE meeting will be held 12-16 September 2001 in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on the theme "Christians and Muslims in Europe: our joint responsibility in a pluralist and secular society".