Press Release 10-05e

25.02.10 09:57

First step in a study project on Church Unity

A study project on Church unity was launched at a meeting hosted in Geneva by the Churches in Dialogue Commission (CiD) of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) on 22 February 2010. The four theologians who participated were: Prof. Dr. Paul M. Collins, University of Chichester, UK, Anglican; Prof. Dr. Myriam Wijlens, University of Erfurt, Germany, Catholic; Dr. Minna Hietamaki, from Helsinki, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and Prof. Dr. Viorel Ionita, CiD, Orthodox.

The aim of the project is to investigate the understanding of the concept of “Church unity in relation to the concept of identity”. In order to achieve this aim the group will examine “Church unity” and “identity” at a theological-theoretical level and also at the level of lived experience; this will entail examining church practices.

The idea to launch this project came from the experiences of all four participants at the WCC Plenary Commission on Faith and Order, held last October in Crete. Through Prof. Collins, who is the coordinator of this group, the project is connected with the network on “Ecclesiological Investigations”. The main purpose of the meeting on the 22nd was to shape the whole project in terms of aims, working methodology, partners and timing. For that purpose each one of the four participants prepared a paper on unity from their respective theological traditions.

The project will last until September 2012 and will include presentations at the European level (CiD) as well as world wide levels (network on Ecclesiological Investigations and the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion). The final outcome will be a publication with all the findings in order to promote the search for the Church unity world wide.

Viorel Ionita stated that, “the meeting on 22nd of February was very dynamic and constructive. The four theological traditions represented were presented in a complementary way and we hope that in the future other theological traditions could be included such as those from a free-church background. As CEC we were happy to facilitate this first meeting and I hope that this project will very well fit into the CiD work on Church unity as recommended by the 13th  CEC Assembly which was held in Lyon (July 2009)”.

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The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship of some 120 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from all countries of Europe, plus 40 associated organisations. CEC was founded in 1959. It has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.

For more information:
CEC General Secretariat
Phone +41 22 791 6226
Fax +41 22 791 62 27
e-mail: vio@remove-mecec-kek.org
Web-site: www.ceceurope.org

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