wfn.org | THIRD EUROPEAN ECUMENICAL ASSEMBLY

["Ruth Gill" <rag@cec-kek.org>]

Conference of European Churches * Office of  Communications
Press Release No. 06-01/e     10 January 2006

LAUNCH OF THE THIRD EUROPEAN ECUMENICAL ASSEMBLY

Rome:  first stage of the European "pilgrimage"

>From 24-27 January 2006, 150 delegates from Europe's churches, Bishops'
Conferences, ecumenical bodies, communities and movements will gather in
Rome for the start of the process of the Third European Ecumenical
Assembly (EEA3) organised by the Council of European Bishops' Conferences
(CCEE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC). The Assembly theme
is The light of Christ shines upon all. Hope for renewal and unity in
Europe.

Along new lines the EEA3 follows the tradition of the European Ecumenical
Assemblies held at Basle (1989) and Graz (1997). The novelty of this
Assembly lies in the fact that it is not just a one-off event but a
process. Through four stages, the EEA3 aims at being a type of symbolic
pilgrimage encountering the richness of different Christian traditions and
rediscovering Europe's Christian roots:

1. The first and third stages will take place in Rome (24-27 January 2006)
and Wittenberg-Lutherstadt, Germany (15-18 February 2007) respectively.
They will bring together 150 delegates from churches, Bishops' Conferences, ecumenical bodies, communities and  movements.
2. The second stage will consist of national and/or regional meetings
throughout Europe in the second half of 2006 or at the start of 2007.
3. Finally, the Assembly itself, which will take place in Sibiu, Romania
(4-8 September 2007)  with the participation of 3000 delegates. At the
same time, meetings will be held in European cities wherever possible.

First stage, Rome (Italy) 24-27 January 2006
Significant events during the first stage of the process include participation at Vespers in the Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls at the end
of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, (25 January), presided over by
Pope Benedict XVI, and a meeting with the Holy Father.

The ecumenical meeting will be opened on 24 January at 15:00 with
addresses from Bishop Amédée Grab, CCEE President, Pastor Jean-Arnold
de Clermont, CEC President, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, President of the
Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), Prof. Gianni Long, President of the
Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI) and a representative of
the Orthodox Church.

The meeting will then split up into a number of thematic sessions:

24 January, 17:00 - The ecumenical scene in Europe
Speakers: Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for
the Promotion of Christian Unity, and Bishop Dr. Margot Kässmann,
Evangelical Church in Germany

25 January, 09:00 - Signs of the light of Christ in Europe
There will be a presentation of some ecumenical examples of collaboration
in pastoral areas (migration, twinning, 20th century martyrs, mixed
couples, etc.).

25 January, 11:00 - Aims and themes of the EEA3
Speakers: Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O' Connor, Archbishop of Westminster and
Metropolitan Daniel of Moldavia and Bucovina.

26 January, 09:00 - The EEA3 process and national/regional meetings.
Speakers: Mgr Aldo Giordano, CCEE General Secretary, and The Venerable
Colin Williams, CEC General Secretary.

26 January, 11:00 - Themes of the EEA3
Speakers: Prof. Dr. Viorel Ionita, CEC Study Secretary, and Ms. Sarah
Numico, CCEE Collaborator

In addition, meeting schedules will be mixed with various opportunities
for prayer in the different Christian traditions (24 January: Vespers in
the Basilica of S. Maria in Trastevere), meetings with local communities
from different denominations (evening of 25 January: Lutheran Church and
the Romanian Orthodox Church) and two pilgrimages "to the tomb of Paul the
Apostle" (25 January, 15:00) and "to the tomb of Peter the Apostle" (27
January 08:30).

The meeting will also be broadcast live on the official website of the
Third European Ecumenical Assembly (www.eea3.org).

Geneva/St Gallen, 10 January 2006
***

A special invitation is extended to journalists for the following events:

News Conferences:
· Tuesday 24 January, at 12:00 at the Sala Marconi, Vatican Radio
(Piazza Pia, 3 - 00193 Roma). The following will be present to answer
journalists' questions: Bishop Amédée Grab, CCEE President, along with
the General Secretary Mgr Aldo Giordano, and Pastor Jean-Arnold De
Clermont, CEC President, with the CEC General Secretary, The Venerable
Colin Williams.
· Friday 27 January, at 12:00, at the Sala Marconi, Vatican Radio
(Piazza Pia, 3 - 00193 Roma).

Work sessions: journalists can attend the opening session on Tuesday 24
January from 15:00 until 18;00.  News of other sessions open to the public
will be communicated in time.

Venue. The meeting will take place at the Clarhotel, Largo Lorenzo Mossa 4
(via Aurelia, near Ergife), Rome.

On the Assembly website http://www.eea3.org journalists will find:
- the programme for the meeting
- the working document
- some technical details for the media

For further information:
Thierry Bonaventura, CCEE Media Officer
Tel. +41 71 227 6040, mobile +39 347 0360923 e-mail thierry.bonaventura@ccee.ch

Luca Negro, CEC Secretary for Communications and Information
Tel: +41 22 791 6485, mobile +41 78 870 81 17 or +39 335 68 69 974,
e-mail Luca.Negro@cec-kek.org

The Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) comprises all the 34
Bishops' Conferences in Europe. The president is Bishop Amédée Grab of
Chur, and the vice-presidents are Cardinal Josip Bozanic, Archbishop of
Zagreb, and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster.
The secretary general is Mgr. Aldo Giordano. The secretariat is in St.
Gallen, Switzerland (www.ccee.ch).

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship of 125 Orthodox,
Protestant, and Old Catholic Churches along with 40 associated organisations from all countries on the European continent. CEC was founded in 1959
and has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.
(www.cec-kek.org)