Press Release No: 06/26
23 June 2026
Brussels
The Conference of European Churches has published its 2025 Annual Report: Resilient hope in the risen Lord. The report illustrates how churches, together, have continued to show the way toward resilient hope.
“As Europe—and the world—face challenges that have proven, while not intractable, certainly complex, CEC has responded by expanding its Pathways to Peace initiative, deepening unity, and engaging in substantive dialogue with European political institutions,” write H.E. Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, CEC President, and Rev. Frank Dieter Fischbach CEC General Secretary, in the introduction.
“The year 2025 showed us that prayers, dialogue, and action can make a difference.”
The report is divided into the following sections: Pathways to Peace, Charta Oecumenica, Dialogue with European Political Institutions, Communications, and Finance.
Archbishop Nikitas and Rev. Fischbach write that they are greatly encouraged and inspired by the steadfast commitment of CEC Member Churches, donors, and contributors of all kinds. “Your open hearts and minds keep us all moving together as we show the way toward resilient hope,” they write.
Pathways to Peace
The Annual Report details the new facets of CEC’s Pathways to Peace initiative, which focuses on promoting justice, reconciliation, and peace in Ukraine, following Russai’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Pathways to Peace develops cooperation between church leaders, intellectuals, and academics in preparation for peace in Ukraine.
From visits to Ukraine, to meetings with the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, to confronting “Russian World” ideology, during 2025, as Archbishop Nikitas said: “Now more than ever, our solidarity must be matched by concrete action for a just and lasting peace.”
Charta Oecumenica
The Charta Oecumenica got a makeover in 2025—and churches across Europe were involved in very positive ways.
The Annual Report explains how, while the Charta Oecumenica is a complex document, at its heart the Charta has a straightforward aim: to preserve and develop fellowship among churches.
When CEC and the Council of catholic bishop conferences in Europe (CCEE) presented the revised Charta to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in a private audience at the Vatican during 2025, Pope Leo underlined the importance of revisiting the Charta 25 years after its first signing, stating, “Certainly, the challenges Christians face on the ecumenical journey are constantly evolving.”
Dialogue with European institutions
In 2025, CEC deepened its dialogue with European institutions, expressing the hopes and concerns of churches with regard to just peace, citizenship and participation and other issues that affect the daily lives of countless Europeans.
CEC also stressed the need for a new European security architecture as well as fair migration. In its advocacy role CEC influenced the European political landscape at high levels, amplifying voices from the grassroots that called for strengthening democracies and social cohesion.
During a high-level meeting hosted by Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Archbishop Nikitas urged preserving space for honest and respectful dialogue. “Religious leaders, educators, parents, and all public voices share a duty to promote understanding, rather than hostility and hatred,” he said. “Overcoming hate is not only a legal or technological challenge; it is a moral and spiritual one, calling each of us to repentance, renewal of conscience, and a return to our true humanity in God’s image.”
Download the 2025 Annual Report: Resilient hope in the risen Lord
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
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ceceurope
Twitter: @ceceurope
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