Conference of European Churches - Office of Communications

Press release No. 08-02/e

28 January 2008

CEC MOURNS DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP OF ATHENS

The Venerable Colin Williams, General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), has sent the following message to the Church of Greece (Orthodox) on the death of His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and all Greece. Archbishop Christodoulos died today at his home in Psyhico (Athens) at the age of 69:

“A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN CHURCHES

Together with all who are part of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), I learnt of the death of His Beatitude Archbishop Christodoulos with great sadness. These last months of illness have been times of anxious prayer for all of us who have felt concern for him. We have watched with admiration as His Beatitude faced the development of his illness with great fortitude, placing himself within the gracious love and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom throughout his life, and especially in his years as Archbishop, he had served in so dedicated a way.

At the Conference of European Churches, we give thanks to God for the ways in which His Beatitude was supportive of the ecumenical movement in general and of the work of the Conference of European Churches in particular. Inter-Christian dialogue was of profound importance for His Beatitude. We were deeply appreciative of the support which His Beatitude offered to the work of CEC, not least when the CEC Presidium met in Athens several years ago. As a result of his leadership and example the Church of Greece continues to play an important and valued role within CEC. His concern for ecumenism had a wider dimension though than simply his support of the work of CEC. His Beatitude’s real concern for opening up ecumenical dialogue was also demonstrated by the building up of relations, with the Roman Catholic Church, as indicated by the visit of Pope John Paul II to Athens.

Important to CEC too was His Beatitude’s engagement with issues of our own day. He recognised the importance of the Church having a voice on issues which affect the whole of the European Continent and the importance of the Church’s voice being heard within the European institutions. He recognised the need for the Church to bear a public witness on issues such as drug addiction and the trafficking of women. He saw the need for all, lay and ordained, to have a voice within the Church. He was also open to new ways in a digital age of bearing witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In all of this, and so many other ways, His Beatitude was a spiritual leader of considerable stature and his public witness will be greatly missed among us. At CEC we pay tribute to all that he was able to achieve and we join our voices with those who express their sorrow at His Beatitude’s going from us. We commend His Beatitude to the love and care of Our Risen Lord whom in life he served so well.”

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.

For more information:
Luca Negro
CEC Secretary for Communications and Information
Phone +41 22 791 64 85 or 791 63 25
Fax +41 22 791 62 27
e-mail: Luca.Negro@cec-kek.org