The following is a joint Easter message from Rt Rev. Christopher Hill KCVO, DD, president of the Conference of European Churches, and His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa, president of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences.
This message is available in French - German - Russian - Italian - Portuguese - Spanish - Romanian - Polish - Dutch.
Press Release No: 17/14
13 April 2017
Brussels
Joint 2017 Easter message from the Presidents of CCEE and CEC
Christ is risen!
Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate son who came to us and was killed on the cross for human sin, is risen from the dead! This is the good news of our faith we would like to share with the entire world. The Christian Easter celebration means that through Jesus Christ life triumphs over death, hope over despair, and peace over conflict. The raising of the Lamb of God from the dead cleaves history; nothing is as it was before Christ’s resurrection.
The crucifixion is an ongoing reality: human life is violated and creation is exploited. Through war, greed, and injustice, life is under threat and being destroyed. For too many, too often the world is marked by violence and by fear, but Jesus Christ is stronger than our closed doors or walls in our heart. He enters to say: “Peace be with you” (John 20: 21).
We hold especially close in our prayers those Christians who are persecuted and are unable to celebrate the resurrection in freedom and peace. They are the suffering body of Christ. We also hold especially close in our prayers our many brothers and sisters in Christ who have died for professing their faith, and those who continue to witness and work for mutual respect and dialogue in dangerous situations. They are an exemplar for us. They call Christians in Europe to be courageous in their faith, and to witness with joy and conviction the infinite love of God. They call Christians in Europe to stand with those most in need, without regard for nationality or religion—the poor, sick and elderly, mothers and children, the imprisoned, refugees, and all those excluded from our societies.
The current divisions among Christians wound the body of Christ, but today—when the Churches in the east and the west celebrate the cross and the resurrection at the same time—we proclaim our common faith in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer who stood up and rose from death. We renew our commitment to the path of unity and we invite our Christian communities be a sign of joy in faith, of selfless love, and a presence of hope for a world called to be reconciled with itself and with God.
Together, we share in the joy of the decisiveness of the resurrection of Christ, who stands in our midst and assures us, “I will be with you until the end of times.” (Mt 28:20)
For further information please contact:
Erin Green
CEC Communication Coordinator
Tel: +32 2 234 68 42
e-mail: eeg@cec-kek.be
Website: www.ceceurope.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ceceurope
Twitter: @ceceurope
Thierry Bonaventura
CCEE Media Officer
Tel. +41 71 227 6044, cell. +41 79 12 80 189
e-mail bonaventura@ccee.eu
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The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship of 115 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from all countries of Europe, plus 40 National Councils of Churches and Organisations in Partnership. CEC was founded in 1959. It has offices in Brussels and Strasbourg.
The Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) currently gathers 33 European Bishops’ Conferences, represented by their Presidents, plus the Archbishops of Luxembourg, of the Principality of Monaco, the Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus and the Bishop of Chişinău (Moldova Rep.), the Eparchial Bishop of Mukachevo and the Apostolic Administrator of Estonia. The President is Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa; Vice-Presidents are Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, and Msgr Stanisław Gądecki, Archbishop of Poznań. The Secretary General is Mgr Duarte da Cunha. The Secretariat is based at St Gallen (Switzerland) www.ccee.eu