CEC/KEK PRESS RELEASES 2004
TEMPLETON AWARD FOR RELIGIOUS WRITING - 16 December 2004 FR DE
In conjunction with the Templeton Foundation, CEC invites journalists to submit entries for the 2004 European prize for religious writing in the secular press. Entries will be accepted through February 2005.
WCC AND CEC EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN FACE OF RECENT PRESSURES AND DIFFICULTIES - 13 December 2004
In the face of the recent "new pressures and difficulties being brought upon the Ecumenical Patriarchate", the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) have expressed their solidarity to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, His All Holiness Bartholomew I.
CHURCH-RELATED ORGANISATIONS SUPPORT CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE FOR HIV/AIDS RESPONSE - 26 November 2004
19 faith-based organisations are among the 160 initial signers of a new Code of Good Practice for NGOs Responding to HIV/AIDS.
LAUNCH OF CAMPAIGN TO OVERCOME VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
- 22 November 2004
The campaign “On the Wings of a Dove: Overcoming Violence against Women and Children” will be launched tomorrow morning, Thursday 25 November 2004, at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva.
“COMMON VALUES MUST BE THE BASIS OF THE EUROPEAN PROJECT” Churches visit the EU Presidency, Den Haag 11 October 2004
- 12 October 2004
Values such as freedom and solidarity, democracy, human rights and human dignity must form the basis of the European project.
CHURCH & SOCIETY COMMISSION: ACCESSION OF TURKEY TO THE EU IS A MATTER OF VALUES, NOT RELIGION - 5 October 2004
For the European churches the accession of Turkey to the European Union (EU) is not a question of religious differences: it is much more a question of shared values such as justice, peace and freedom.
CEC EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ALBANIA - 4 October 2004
The Central Committee of the Conferences of European Churches (CEC), which met in Prague from 27 September to 3 October, expressed concern for the recent acts of aggression in Albania against the Orthodox Church.
CEC GRATEFUL TO ROMANIAN CHURCHES FOR INVITATION TO HOLD ECUMENICAL ASSEMBLY IN SIBIU - 4 October 2004 FR DE
The Central Committee of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) met in Prague from 27 September to 3 October.
CEC CENTRAL COMMITTEE OPENS IN PRAGUE: NEED TO FOSTER INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE AND TO RE-VISION THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT - 28 September 2004 FR DE
The Central Committee of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) started its annual meeting yesterday in Prague, at the International Baptist Theological Seminary of Prague.
CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF CEC MEETS IN PRAGUE, 27 SEPTEMBER - 3 OCTOBER - 23 September 2004 FR DE
The Central Committee of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) will meet for its annual session from 27 September to Sunday 3 October in Prague, Czech Republic, on the premises of the International Baptist Theological Seminary.
NEW EXECUTIVE AT CEC CHURCH & SOCIETY OFFICE IN BRUSSELS: DIETER HEIDTMANN SECONDED BY COMMUNITY OF PROTESTANT CHURCHES - 21 September 2004
Rev. Dr Dieter Heidtmann from the Evangelical Church of Württemberg, Germany, is a new executive secretary in the Brussels office of the Church & Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC).
21 SEPTEMBER: CEC GENERAL SECRETARY KEITH CLEMENTS CONTRIBUTES TO INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR PEACE - 17 September 2004
The General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), Rev. Dr Keith Clements, is among those supporting the International Day of Prayer for Peace called for on 21 September by the World Council of Churches (WCC).
MOLDOVA: TRAFFICKING DESTROYS HUMAN LIVES - 13 September 2004
“We are losing some of our best people, families are destroyed through trafficking. We need the help of the church to stop that. Your initiative is therefore very timely,” Ms. Ana Meleca from the Chisinau municipal police, told the participants at a Christian anti-trafficking workshop.
CHURCHES WELCOME PAN-EUROPEAN INSTRUMENT AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS - 21 July 2004
Three European Christian organisations actively involved in the fight against trafficking in human beings welcome the draft Convention of the Council of Europe against trafficking in human beings.
ORTHODOX AND PROTESTANTS CONTINUE DIALOGUE ON THE CHURCH - 2 July 2004
From 25-27 June 2004 a consultation on “ecclesiology” (the branch of theology dealing with the understanding of the Church) between Orthodox and Protestant representatives took place in Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Germany), the place of origin for the Reformation.
WORKING TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE EU ASYLUM AND MIGRATION POLICY - 22 June 2004
‘The EU must not consider migration as a problem but as a phenomenon.’...
THE EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION: A MAJOR STEP IN THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION PROCESS AND A CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTURE - 19 June 2004 FR DE
“We welcome the adoption of a European Constitution by the EU Heads of Government in Brussels yesterday,” said Rev. Dr Keith Clements, General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC)...
WOMEN: FULL PARTNERS IN THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT - 14 June 2004
Women have often been seen as tradition bearers, but in society, as well as in the churches, they have also been agents of innovation...
THE RELEVANCE OF BONHOEFFER FOR THE ECUMENICAL FUTURE
- 11 June 2004
The 9th International Bonhoeffer Congress closed today with a panel discussion on “Bonhoeffer and the Ecumenical Future”. The first speaker was Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity...
CHRISTIAN WOMEN IN CONTEXTUAL INTER-CONFESSIONAL DIALOGUE - 11 June 2004
“How can we as Christian women be relevant to the world of today when the relevance of women’s contributions in the church and in society is often not recognised?”...
BONHOEFFER: ECUMENICAL THEOLOGIAN AND MARTYR - 10 June 2004
“Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a prominent ecumenical theologian”, said Prof. Wolf Kroetke (Germany) during the last-but-one plenary session today of the 9th International Bonhoeffer Congress, meeting in Rome from 6-11 June...
JACQUES FORTIER, FROM "DERNIERES NOUVELLES D'ALSACE" IS THE EUROPEAN RELIGION WRITER OF THE YEAR - 10 June 2004 FR
Mr Jacques Fortier, religion writer for the Strasbourg based daily newspaper "Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace" (France), has been named the winner of the 2003 John Templeton award for the "European Religion Writer of the Year"...
VALUES AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: A PROJECT IN THE BALTIC REGION - 8 June 2004
“Free movement of persons as challenge and opportunities in the Baltic Sea region - the role and the contribution of the churches”, is the title of the one year project launched at the initial meeting of the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and Theobalt, in co-operation with the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME)...
WHY IS BONHOEFFER ALIVE FOR US TODAY? - 7 June 2004
“Why does the ‘Bonhoeffer industry’ - as some like to call it - far from dying out, seem to flourish anew each decade?”. The Rev. Dr. Keith Clements, General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches, addressed this question in his sermon at the opening worship service of the 9th International Bonhoeffer Congress...
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER AND CHRISTIAN HUMANISM: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BONHOEFFER'S JOURNEY TO THE ETERNAL CITY - 4 June 2004
Since 1972, the Bonhoeffer Congresses have been held every 4 years. They are organised by the International Bonhoeffer Society whose purpose is to promote knowledge and research about the life and work of the German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
CEC PRESIDIUM AND GERMAN PROTESTANTS AGREE ON REFERENCE TO CHRISTIAN ROOTS IN THE EU CONSTITUTION - 4 June 2004 FR DE
The Presidium of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD) agree on the need for a reference to the Christian roots of Europe in the constitutional treaty of the European Union (EU).
CEC PRESIDIUM MEETS IN HANOVER, GERMANY - 1 June 2004
The new Presidium of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) is meeting today until Friday 4 June for its first full working session in Hanover, Germany.
NEW CEC-KEK WEBSITE - 28 May 2004
We are pleased to inform you that the new website of the Conference of European Churches is now on line...
WORKING TOWARDS DEEPER ECUMENICAL CLARITY - 28 May 2004
Theological reflection on dialogue and encounter with others is at the heart of the work of the new Churches in Dialogue Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). . .
CEC CHURCHES IN DIALOGUE COMMISSION TO MEET IN DENMARK, 23-27 MAY - 18 May 2004
The new "Churches in Dialogue" Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) will hold its first plenary meeting in Aarhus, Denmark, from 23-27. .
HOPES AND EXPECTATIONS FOR RURAL REGIONS IN EUROPE - 14 May 2004
People from rural areas are hoping for the creation of a common European identity, for the preservation of peace, freedom and regional identity, for the development of life in rural areas. .
CHURCHES CRITICISE EU POLICY ON REFUGEES - 13 May 2004
Protestant churches in Europe ask for improved protection of refugees in Europe . . .
EUROPEAN CHURCH REPRESENTATIVES WELCOME EU ENLARGEMENT - 3 May 2004 FR
Representatives of different churches from all over Europe adopted a "Statement on the occasion of the EU enlargement". . .
ENLARGED EU: WHERE LARGE AND SMALL HAVE A SAY - 30 April 2004 FR
The enlarged 25 member European Union (EU) must be a place "where large and small have a say, a Europe which puts social justice at the heart of its projects, a Europe which does not deny its roots". . .
CHURCHES AND POLICE - TOGETHER AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS - 28 April 2004
Some 70 representatives of Churches, governments, police and NGOs from 13 European countries will meet for a public international conference in Neuss/Germany to discuss how they can through effective cooperation better combat trafficking in Human Beings. . .
NEW CHURCH AND SOCIETY COMMISISON OF CEC MEETS IN WAVRE, BELGIUM, 28 APRIL - 2 MAY 2004 - 22 April 2004 FR
The first plenary meeting of the new Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) will take place in Wavre . . .
EU ENLARGEMENT - A CHALLENGE FOR THE CHURCHES - 20 April 2004
More then 50 participants met from 18 to 20 April 2004 for the consultation "Impact of the European Union (EU) Enlargement in the new Member States - the Role of the Churches" in Budapest. . .
ECUMENICAL SERVICE IN BRUSSELS TO MARK ENLARGEMENT OF EU - 19 April 2004 FR
On Thursday 29 April 2004, an ecumenical service will be held to mark the occasion of the accession of ten new Member States into membership of the European Union (EU). . .
CHURCHES INITIATE DISCUSSION ON RESETTLEMENT AS ADDITIONAL INSTRUMENT FOR REFUGEE PROTECTION IN EU - 16 April 2004
Churches initiate discussion on resettlement as additional instrument for refugee protection in EU Consultation in Brussels aims at "Making Resettlement Work!". . .
CHURCHES AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS: SOLIDARITY AND DIVERSITY AS BASIC FEATURES OF THE EU - 5 April 2004
Four European ecumenical organizations have issued a "Briefing Document for Churches" about the elections to the European Parliament . . .
CEC PRESIDENT AND GENERAL SECRETARY VISIT THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE - 2 April 2004
The President and General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) have just concluded a three-day visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul . . .
KOSOVO: RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS PARTNERS IN LONG-TERM PEACE-BUILDING - 30 March 2004
The "failure to see and prevent" the recent outbreak of violence in Kosovo "must not be downplayed in the desire to see a speedy return to normality" . .
CEC AND WCC APPEAL FOR PEACE IN KOSOVO, WARN AGAINST MISUSE OF RELIGION IN CONFLICT - 19 March 2004
Churches and religious communities "must reject any attempt, from any quarter, to use religion as a motivating factor for conflict," . . .
CHURCHES MEET IRISH PRESIDENCY OF THE EU - 11 March 2004 FR
Church representatives today praised the European Union's support for dialogue with religious communities at a meeting in Dublin with the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern T.D., and President-in-office of the European Council. . .
CHRISTIAN GROUPS CALL FOR CHANGES TO EU ASYLUM DIRECTIVE - 17 February 2004
Five Christian organisations say that a draft EU directive on asylum "does not provide adequate protection for genuine refugees" and "infringes the right of an asylum-seeker to have his or her case judged on its merits". . .
CHURCHES CONTRIBUTE TO EUTHANASIA DEBATE AT COUNCIL OF EUROPE - 10 February 2004
The Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) has issued a memorandum on euthanasia . . .
RESEARCHER IN EUROPEAN MISSION BEGINS WORK - 6 February 2004
A new step in Christian mission in Europe is being taken this week, with the start of a project sponsored by the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Church Mission Society (CMS). . .
CCEE AND CEC MOVE TOWARDS THE THIRD EUROPEAN ECUMENICAL ASSEMBLY - 3 February 2004 FR DE
The Joint Committee of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) and of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) met in Kamien Slanski, Poland. . .
JOINT CCEE-CEC COMMITTEE MEETING IN POLAND - 26 January 2004 FR DE
The annual meeting of the Joint Committee of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe (CCEE) is to take place in Opole, Poland . . .
EUROPEAN TEMPLETON FILM AWARD TO "THE RETURN (VOZVRASHCHENIE)" BY ANDREY ZVYAGINTSEV - 26 January 2004 FR DE
For the 7th European John Templeton Film Award of the Year (2003), an Ecumenical Jury has chosen "The Return (Vozvrashchenie)" by the Russian Director Andrey Zvyagintsev . . .
