A joint working group from the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Catholic Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) met from 1 to 3 March in Lodz, Poland to update and revise the ecumenical Charta Œcumenica document.
The Charta Œcumenica is a joint CEC and the CCEE document. It was signed by the presidents of the two organisations in 2001 and it seeks to uphold and develop fellowship amongst churches. It marked the beginning of the century by calling the churches in Europe to dialogue, unity and action, and particularly to their common responsibility of realising peace and justice in Europe.
The aim of the working group is to revise the current Charta Ecumenica and update areas to reflect the changing circumstances in European society, as well as among Christians. The goal is to preserve the document's relevance in today's world.
The decision to update Charta Oecumenica was adopted by the CEC-CCEE Joint Committee.
Archbishop of Łódź Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś led the discussion, representing CCEE, with Ms Lea Schlenker from the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) representing CEC.
The group discussed the progress in current revisions of the Charta Oecumenica and outlined steps to finalise the revision process by 2025, which marks the 25th anniversary of the birth of the Charta.
The CEC-CCEE working group also included Fr Luis Okulik, CCEE Social Pastoral Care Commission, Sr. Minsey Estelle Mical Sogbou, Chemin Neuf Community, Rev. David White, Church of Ireland, Dr Nikos Kouremenos from Volos Academy for Theological Studies attending as a proxy for Fr. Œcumenius Amanatidis, Ecumenical Patriarchate Istanbul. The group was supported by Fr. Martin Michalicek, CCEE General secretary and Rev. Dr Peter Pavlovic, CEC Study Secretary.