CCEE/KEK: CARD. ERDÖ, THE CHRISTIANS’ ECUMENICAL TESTIMONY IN EUROPE IS “URGENT”

“We are living through moments in history in which our ecumenical consultation, reflection and prayer are really urgent”. This is the realisation that opened in Belgrade, this morning, the yearly meeting of the joint committee of the Conference of European Churches (KEK) and the Council of European Bishops Conferences (CCEE). The meeting, which is due to end on February 220th, is attended by the delegations of the two European bodies, led by the Metropolitan bishop Emmanuel of France, President of Kek (Ecumenical Patriarchate), and card. Péter Erdõ, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and president of Ccee, respectively. “In this city of Belgrade – the cardinal and Catholic archbishop said –, the importance of the messages that Christians can and must give to show how to persevere along the path of reconciliation, peace and the unity wanted by our Lord, Jesus Christ, is particularly clear”. This year, the Belgrade meeting is focussed on peace and the contribution that Christians are called to make for its full accomplishment. Peace – said card. Erdõ – “is not a misuse of the word, it is not a mere lack of war, or a shallow, passive tolerance”.
The peace that Christians are called to build in Europe today is inspired by a commitment “to discover the beauty and wealth of the different forms of identity and communion”. In other words, to acknowledge and respect “the value of the nations, as communities of language, history, culture, of historical experiences, of religious traditions”. It is a particularly important and urgent pledge “in a world that tends to forget its own roots and ends up flowing into an undistinguished mass of standardised consumers, or that, feeling threatened, draws back into nationalism or extremism”. “I think – the archbishop went on – that our presence here, in Belgrade, is an important sign of our longing for peace. However, I have a feeling that this peace of ours is not easily understood by many of our contemporaries. We must not forget that the unity of the Christian Churches cannot be built merely through a confessional ‘peace agreement’ on the lowest common denominator!” Christians must be “grateful” for the ecumenical progress that has been made over the last few years” and aware “of what still needs to be done and that we, as directors and members of organisations that work for the visible unity of the Christian Churches, cannot neglect”.

© SIR - 18 february 2011

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