The meeting in the Central Romanian town of Sibiu, the European Capital of Culture in 2007, comes at a sensitive time for the search for Christian unity after a recent Vatican document angered Protestant leaders by stating that their denominations are not churches "in the proper sense" of the word.
"If the Vatican says the churches of the Reformation are not churches in the proper sense, then it is setting up an ecumenical roadblock," German Protestant Bishop Huber reportedly said in a speech at the end of August. In remarks obtained by BosNewsLife, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, Rev. Samuel Kobia, said however that "Europe needs Christian unity".
The WCC links some 347 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing over
560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works "cooperatively" with the Roman Catholic Church.
CHURCH UNITY
"Now more than ever, the unity of the churches in Europe is needed to bear witness to a future that transcends the vision of a common economic and political future, to embrace a future in which abundant life in Jesus Christ gives hope to all people, everywhere," Kobia added.
He spoke to some 2500 delegates and other official participants from most European church traditions attending the opening session of the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu, following previous assemblies in Basel, Switzerland, in 1989, and Graz, Austria, in 1997. Kobia referred to the theme of the meeting,” The light of Christ shines upon all Hope for renewal and unity in Europe."
He said, "We expect to hear the churches of Europe speak with one voice, not only concerning the future of those countries admitted to an integrated Europe, but also the future of people living in all European countries and the future of the millions of immigrants from Asia, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East and the Pacific, living and working in Europe."
The Sibiu meeting also comes as the Romanian Orthodox Church seeks to elect a new leader after the death of Patriarch Teoctist at the end of July. He became Patriarch in 1986 during the era of Romania’s communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, when especially active Christians were persecuted. Teoctist stood down following the country’s December 1989 revolution amid controversy surrounding the role over the Orthodox Church during Communism, but he was reinstated as head of the church after four months.
POLITICIANS ATTEND
Beside church leaders, European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, was to attend the gathering, seen as a sign that politicians still take religion seriously, despite a past debate over whether "God" should be mentioned in the European Constitution.
The 4-9 September meeting has been organized by the Council of European (Roman Catholic) Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEE). Archdeacon Colin Williams, the CEE general secretary, reportedly said he hoped the meeting would "give impetus to the search for greater unity between the churches of Europe".
"CEC and CCEE are determined that all that we do together in Sibiu will enable the voice of the Church to be heard more clearly in relation to the issues which affect our continent today – migration, justice, peace, environmental issues, relationship between faiths," the Ecumenical News International (ENI) agency quoted Williams as saying.
