Eurobishop

Yesterday Church and Christian organisations in Europe called for concerted and ambitious action to be taken by the European Council in response to refugees and migrants. Among those Christian organisations are the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC), both well known partners of the Church of England and this diocese, who work, in a certain sense on our behalf. The letter presents an excellent summary of policies that the Churches would recommend to governments and EU bodies. Many people I encounter in the diocese ask what should be done in the face of the refugee situation. This letter sets out some real aims such as provision of safe and legal passage for refugees, appropriate support services once refugees reach Europe, and more effective resettlement and humanitarian admission programmes (including family reunion schemes). It also also raises questions about the EU-Turkey deal reached last week, particularly...

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) has just issued a press release on the situation of migrants seeking to reach Europe. I am posting the full release below. There are some requests of the Churches in particular which I have emboldened. 21 June is a day recommended for us to focus our prayers in particular. The CEC is a fellowship of some 114 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from all countries of Europe, plus 40 national council of churches and organisations in partnership. CEC was founded in 1959. ________________________________________________________________________ Press Release No: 15/26, Strasbourg, 3 June 2015 "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it" ( Hebrews 13: 2) Statement on external borders of the EU especially the Mediterranean The Conference of European Churches (CEC) expresses its deep concern about the repeated loss of lif...

Once again our Mediterranean Sea has become a grave for hundreds of migrants who drowned as they desperately sought a better life in Europe. We continue to pray: Lord Jesus, help us by your grace to remember the plight of migrants, for they are all children of God. Strengthen all efforts to protect and keep safe those who flee  poverty, violence, war and persecution. Hold those who have drowned in your loving heart and comfort their families. May our leaders work together to build a world of peace with justice and prosperity, so no one need risk their lives on the seas to seek a better life. Amen. Below is a press release issued today, 20th April, by the Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) following this latest tragedy. _______________________________________________________________________________ Churches mourn loss of life on Mediterranean, call for preventative action Together the Churches’ Commission fo...

27 of the 44 countries covered by the Diocese in Europe are member states of the European Union. Tomorrow, 22 May, EU citizens go to the polls to elect members to the European Parliament.  From my discussions around the diocese, I have been heartened to learn how seriously the many EU citizens who are members of our congregations and resident in those countries will be taking their democratic responsibility.  Europe faces many problems. Yet the elections  present a chance for EU citizens to make contributions to overcoming  extremism, renewal of solidarity, respect of differences  and sharing responsibility. To encourage Christians who are EU citizens to cast their vote tomorrow, the General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the Revd Dr Guy Liagre, has issued a statement about the elections, entitled: It’s about Europe, it’s about you!   I have posted the statement below. The elections to the European Parliament are an o...

On Sunday 7 July, St Margaret's Budapest welcomed many visitors to their Sunday Eucharist from the Conference of European Churches Assembly. The congregation met in a relatively new venue which they use once a month in the suburban Buda hills. On the other three Sundays, services are held at the chapel owned by the congregation in the centre of the city. The service included 2 adult baptisms and 3 confirmations. The parish hosted a wonderful buffet lunch following the service. Joining with me and the the priest-in-charge of St Margaret's, the Revd Dr Frank Hegedus, were the former priest-in-charge, the Revd Canon Dennis Moss. Visiting Anglican and Old Catholic clergy also concelebrated, including Bishop Christopher Hill (Guildford), Bishop Dirk Schoon (Old Catholic, Haarlem), and a dear and old friend, Bishop Julio Murray (Panama). Bishop Julio was the keynote speaker at the CEC Assembly and is the past President of the sister organisation the Latin American Council o...

On Monday 8 July, the delegates from 120 member Churches of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), gathered in Budapest, gave final approval to a new constitution for the organisation. After 6 days of intense work, the details were agreed, thus charting a way forward for the CEC to be an effective instrument of the European Churches in support of their common mission in Europe. The Vision and Mission of CEC are summarised in a "strategic road map" for the future: Our Common Vision In faithfulness to the Gospel, CEC seeks the reconciliation and common witness of the Churches to help build a humane, socially conscious and sustainable Europe at peace with itself and its neighbours, in which human rights and the basic values of peace, justice, freedom, participation and solidarity prevail. Our Common Mission Through programmatic development and research CEC works to strengthen the bonds of Christian fellowship (koinonia) between all its members so that they might b...

Today is the main arrival day for the delegates to the 14th Assembly of the Conference of European Churches, (CEC), which is being held in Budapest from 3 - 8 July. There are over 120 member Churches of the CEC, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and Old Catholic. The Church of England is a member and I am one of the delegates from that Church. The theme is "And now what are you waiting for? CEC and its mission in a changing Europe". The last Assembly took place in Lyon in 2009. Since Lyon a working group has been preparing proposals for a new constitution for CEC, to re-tool the organisation to be a more efficient and responsive ecumenical instrument of the European Churches. Member Churches want CEC to be re-shaped to better enable ecumenical dialogue and cooperation, including with the (RC) Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) and with the various European Institutions. So there will be much discussion here about what we want CEC to do, and how we can struc...

WCC / CEC Solidarity Delegation to Athens On 19th and 20th November, there was an official solidarity visit by a high level delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) to Athens. Our Anglican Chaplain in Athens, the Revd Canon Malcolm Bradshaw was part of the local team of Church leaders who were on hand to greet the delegation and to explain what was happening in Greece.  The international delegation was headed by the Revd Dr Olav  Fykse Tveit General Secretary of the WCC and the CEC General Secretary the Revd Dr Guy Liagre and also included Dame Dr Mary Tanner from the Church of England, and a WCC President.  Church in the Street Programme: Fr Malcolm Bradshaw (grey shirt), Dr Olav Fykse Tveit to his right, Dame Mary Tanner to his left. The delegation visited the ‘Church in the Street’ programme in Athens.Bishop Gabriel Papanicolaou of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese invited Fr Malcolm to explain to ...

Christian Faith in Europe: Residual or Potential . This was the intriguing title for a presentation given to the Synod of the Diocese in Europe on 12 June by the Revd Dr Keith  Clements, the former General Secretary of the European Conference of Churches, and a Baptist minister.  Dr Clements outlined four dimensions of Christian life in modern Europe, which resonated deeply with the experience of members of our own diocese, and which gave an analysis which will be very helpful as we seek to minister in the complex Europe of 2012: Migration: Europe is part of a migratory world (one in 35 people in the world today is a migrant) Secularisation: Churches are home to a wide spectrum of belief and unbelief. Are some of us Anglican, but not Christian?! Inherited Christendom is replaced by "Conscious Choice" Christianity, the move from "national church" to "a gathered church" The phenomenon of "vicarious Christianity". To what extent is this ...

European Churches have been asked to circulate within our networks a notice about a vacancy in a key ecumenical leadership position, that of General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). The job is presently based in Geneva and the mandate is for three years from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2014, and is renewable. This is a demanding position, providing leadership and strategic thinking for some 120 member churches of CEC, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and Old Catholic, in 38 countries in Europe. Details of the job, and instructions about how to apply can be found here . The position is open to suitably qualified men, women, ordained and lay. The deadline for applications is 15 April. The general CEC website is here .

For many years, the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) have held an annual joint meeting.  This year from 7-11 March 2010 the meeting was held in Istanbul, at the invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarch His All Holiness Bartholomew I. I went as part of the CEC delegation, as a proxy for Bishop Christopher Hill, one of the Vice-Presidents of CEC, who was unable to attend. The meeting focused on the issue of migration, as this is the European Churches' Year of Migration. This is of particular interest to our diocese, as we are largely a community of migrants ourselves  4 key presentations were given by the panelists above, from left to right: Doris Peschke, General Secretary of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME); Theodora Tzakri, Greek Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs; Alp Ay, Director for Public Affairs of the Turkish Government; and Johan Ketelers, General Secretary of the ICMC (I...

European Churches are being invited to observe 2010 as "The Year of European Churches Responding to Migration". The year long programme will be launched in Budapest on 25-27 November. The aim is to make visible the churches’ commitment to strangers, in response to the message of the Bible which insists on the dignity of every human being. It calls the churches to promote an inclusive policy at European and national level for migrants, refugees and ethnic minority groups. A calendar of events is in preparation with focus-themes for each month. International days around migration and religious and intercultural festive days are being organised. Local congregations are invited to identify major issues around migration in their region and to organize activities related to the themes of the calendar and to share their activities with each other. A special website gives more details. The President of the Conference of European Churches, the Revd Dr Jean-Arnol...

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a regional fellowship of Chu rches and 43 associated organisations from many countries on the European continent. From 15th to 21st July this year the 13th Assembly since the founding of the Conference in 1959 brought together over 300 delegates, advisers, observers and visitors from 126 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic member Churches to celebrate the jubilee year under the theme ‘Called to One Hope in Christ’. The Church of England is a member Church and sent a delegation headed by the Bishop of London. Due to the way the General Synod nominations committee works, the Diocese in Europe did not have a member on the delegation from the Church of England. However, our Anglican parish in Lyon was active among the host Churches, and an ordinand from the diocese, and member of the Chemin Neuf Community in Lyon, Mr Tim Watson, was also involved. The General Secretary of CEC is the Venerable Colin Williams, a Church of England pries...