Values, Religion and Identity
European Church Leaders Meeting, Brussels, 12-13 December 2006
Values – Religion – Identity
Recent developments in the European Union have drawn increasing attention to the role of values in determining the Union’s policies and their link to people’s identities. On a number of occasions, the EU has been repeatedly introduced as a value project. Values linked to the EU construction and their connection with a broader understanding of the whole Continent and its history are the subject of concerns and in-depth studies. Themes of values and identity are increasingly on the agenda of debates related to the future of Europe. Churches and religions are expected to play a prominent role in this discourse.
The project Values – Religion – Identity is a contribution to this discussion. The project was prepared by the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches in cooperation with the Comité Européen de Coordination, the United Reformed Church in the UK and the EKD. Its objectives are:
- To clarify the contribution of churches and religions to the current debate on the Future of Europe and Dialogue of Cultures;
- To discuss the relationship between values, identity and religious expression in the EU context;
- To address the issue of the presence of churches and religions in the public sphere;
The first event of the project was the ‘Church leaders Conference’ on 12-13 December 2006 in Brussels. Up to 100 church leaders from CEC member churches and other guests participated in the Conference. The Conference was addressed by Commissioner Jan Figel, who is responsible in the European Commission for the Education and Culture portfolio. Participants at the meeting adopted ‘An open letter from church leaders to political leaders in Europe’. The final event of the project was held in London on 15 March 2007.
Values - Religion - Identity Final Report: A project organised by the Church & Society Commission of
the Conference of European Churches with partners. Brussels, December 2006 London, March 2007
Programme
Presentations:
“European Values - Churches in Dialogue with European Political Institutions”
•Counsellor Harri Syväsalmi, Finnish Presidency of the European Union
•Archbishop Jukka Paarma, Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Finland
“On which Values is Europe built? Contribution of the Churches”
•Metropolitan Krystof, Primate of the Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands and Slovakia
•Rev. Anna Maffei, President of the Baptist Union in Italy
•Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria, Russian Orthodox Church, Representative
of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions
•Rev. Thomas Wipf, President of the Community of the Protestant Churches in Europe and
President of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches
Sermon by Rev Dr Guy Liagre President of the Synodical Council of the EPUB
in English -French - German
“Future of the European Project”
•Bishop Dr. Wolfgang Huber, Chairman of the EKD Council, Evangelical Church in Germany
(EKD)
•Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania,
Vice-President of the Conference of European
Churches (CEC), Orthodox Autocephalous
Church of Albania
“What is the specific Contribution of the Churches to the European Project
and how can this Contribution be made?”
•The Rt. Rev. and Rt. Hon. Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, Church of England
•Bishop Dr. Gustav Bölcskei, Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Church in Hungary
•Metropolitan Michael of Austria, Ecumenical Patriarchate
•Mr Jérôme Vignon, Director, European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs
and Equal Opportunities, Directorate - Social Protection and Social Integration
•Rev. Arlington Trotman, Moderator of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants
in Europe, Wesleyan Methodist Church in the UK
“The role of the Churches and Religions in European Culture
and developing European Identity”
•Mr. Jan Figel, EU Commissioner in charge of education, training, culture
and miltilinguism
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