Press Release No: 10/26
05 October 2026
Brussels
The Conference of European Churches (CEC) has called for human dignity, peace and the common good to guide dialogue between churches and European institutions. Speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels on 30 September 2026, CEC General Secretary Rev. Frank-Dieter Fischbach urged both sides to keep Article 17 dialogue a priority amid growing global uncertainty.
Hosted by MEP Dimitrios Tsiodras, the event was entitled “Christian values in Europe: A new reading of Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) in view of the current global uncertainties”. It was organised in cooperation with the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy and the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Freedom of Religion, Belief and Conscience.
Fischbach highlighted the churches’ responsibility to help shape a humane and socially conscious Europe. He drew on the revised Charta Oecumenica, signed by CEC and the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) in 2025, and its commitments to peace, justice, freedom and solidarity.
He stressed that Christian understandings of human dignity connect each person to others and to creation. Political dialogue should therefore focus on protecting people, strengthening social cohesion and advancing the common good.
“For the Conference of European Churches, the European Union holds a unique and significant role in securing peace and freedom in Europe,” he said.
Amid conflict and instability, Fischbach highlighted the contribution churches can make: “But here is where churches and religions can offer something vital to politics and policymakers: confidence, trust, and hope.”
The programme included Bishop Mariano Crociata, President of CEC’s partner COMECE, and Bishop Apostolos of Tanagra, Director of the Church of Greece’s Representation Office in Brussels. Other named contributors included MEPs Miriam Lexmann and Vangelis Meimarakis, Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy representatives Maximos Charakopoulos and Ioan Vulpescu, and Alberto Lo Presti of the Focolare Movement and Together for Europe. A video message from European Parliament Vice-President Antonella Sberna, responsible for Article 17 dialogue, was also on the programme.
Article 17 provides for open, transparent and regular dialogue between EU institutions and churches, religious associations and philosophical and non-confessional organisations. CEC’s participation reflected its continuing engagement in this dialogue.
“For all these reasons, it is essential that dialogue under Article 17 remains a priority on the agendas of both European institutions and the churches,” Fischbach said.
Learn more about the Charta Oecumenica
Learn more about churches' dialogue with European political institutions
For more information or an interview, please contact:
Naveen Qayyum
Communications Coordinator
Conference of European Churches
Rue Joseph II, 174 B-1000 Brussels
Tel. +32 486 75 82 36
E-mail: naveen@cec-kek.be
Website: www.ceceurope.org
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