The 3rd European Ecumenical Assembly (EEA3) which convened in Sibiu, Romania, Sept. 4- 9, is deeply rooted in the world wide ecumenical movement as expressed through the World Council of Churches (WCC). From its founding in the 1950's the Conference of European Churches has brought the ecumenical movement close to home for Europeans by bridging the gap between the Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and more recently Roman Catholic churches.
In his address to the Assembly WCC general secretary Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia expressed support for the broad-based ecumenism being fostered by the Roman Catholic bishops' conferences of Europe (CCEE) in co-operation with the members of the Conference of European Churches (CEC).
WCC encourages regional ecumenism through regional and national councils
Following the inauguration of the World Council of Churches in 1948, leaders of the Council worked with member churches as they developed networks within their nations and geographical regions. The number of national councils of churches began to multiply as former colonies gained independence. During the 1950s, the first two "regional ecumenical organizations" (REOs) were formed with encouragement from the WCC: the Christian Conference of Asia, and the Conference of European Churches (CEC). In subsequent years, additional REOs have been formed in Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, the Americas and the Pacific.
Linking regional and global levels
While many of European council member churches are also members of the WCC, and the two organizations co-operate on various projects, there is no direct structural link between the world-wide and European ecumenical partners. CEC is currently made up of 126 churches of the Anglican, Baptist, Independent, Lutheran, Old Catholic, Orthodox and Reformed traditions of Christianity. As a former general secretary of CEC observed, "The notable absence from this membership was the Roman Catholic Church. However, from 1964 CEC developed a close working relationship with the Consilium Conferentiarium Episcoporum Europae (CCEE - Council of European Bishops Conferences) and a joint CEC-CCEE committee was set up." In 1989 CEC and the CCEE held a European Ecumenical Assembly in Basel, Switzerland. The success at Basel inspired the Second European Ecumenical Assembly of 1997 in Graz, Austria.
After Basel and Graz, the "Charta Oecumenica"
After Graz, a growing consensus in the churches represented by CEC and the CCEE led to the adoption in 2001 of a "Charta Oecumenica", an ecumenical charter or set of guidelines for relationships among European churches. The WCC, the Joint Working Group of the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church as well as the joint Commission on Faith and Order have accompanied the CEC/CCEE process in Europe amid hopes that this may serve as a model for ecumenical networking elsewhere. The Charta Oecumenica has been studied in exploring national "churches together" platforms with a broader base than traditional councils, and in dialogue considering the potential for a global Christian forum.
