07.11.2025
Green Shoots in European Churches
The Revd David White reports on the signing of the updated Charta Oecumenica in Rome this week.
Rome is a busy place at the moment with many pilgrims marking the holy year of Jubilee. On 5 November, a significant ecumenical document for the churches in Europe was signed by His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, President of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), and Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius, President of the Roman Catholic Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE).
The Charta Oecumenica is an ecumenical charter for Churches in Europe and was published in April 2001. It marked the beginning of the century by calling the churches in Europe to dialogue, unity and action, and particularly to their common responsibility in facing issues of peace and justice in Europe.
Obviously, Europe and the churches have changed in the interim period, and this is reflected in new or updated sections such as Engaging with New Technologies, Journeying with Migrants, Refugees and Displaced People, and Youth in Churches and Ecumenism. This updated version of the Charta Oecumenica was signed on November 5.
The members of the joint CEC and CCEE Charta Oecumenica working group were: Ms Lea Schlenker (Evangelical Lutheran Church, Germany), Sr Estelle M. Sogbou (Chemin Neuf Community, France), Cardinal Grzegorz Rys (Poland), Fr Luis Okulik (Trieste), Fr Oecumenius Amanatidis (Orthodox Patriarchate, Istanbul) and Rev David White (Church of Ireland). Later, they were joined by Dr Nikos Kouremenos (Greek Orthodox Church) and Rev Canon Prof Charlotte (Scottish Episcopal Church). The day after the signing, the working group and representatives of the churches across Europe were received in audience by Pope Leo.
The document can be found here: A4-Charta-2-guideline-online.pdf