Meeting of the CEC Church and Society Commission

MEETING OF THE CEC CHURCH AND SOCIETY COMMISSION

The Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CSC/CEC) met for its regular plenary session from May 5 to 8, 2000, in Moscow. Through this Commission the CEC maintains cooperation with European inter-governmental organizations including OSCE, Council of Europe, European Union, and a number of UN agencies. The Commission is also engaged in research work and holding discussions on such socially significant issues as peacemaking and security, human rights and religious freedom, economy, ecology and social issues, bio-ethics and bio-technologies, European integration and the EU legislation. The Russian Orthodox Church is represented in the Commission by Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, secretary for church-society relations at the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, who is vice-moderator and member of the executive committee of the CSC/CEC. The plenary session and working groups meetings took place at Universitetskaya Hotel.

Several presentations were made on the key-theme of the meeting, “Values for Europe”. A discussion followed, which revealed different points of view. For instance, an opinion was expressed that the Orthodox and the Protestant traditions, while sharing basic moral values, differed in defining their priorities. The meeting also considered the annual report on the work of the Commission’s executive committee and staff working in the Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg offices of the CEC. Having considered the development of a draft European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Commission supported on the whole the idea of the development and adoption of this international agreement and made a number of recommendations. The decision was made by a majority vote, since a group of the participants, mostly Orthodox, abstained. A hotter discussion arouse around the draft Ecumenical Charter written to meet the call made to the Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants by the 2nd European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz, Austria, in 1997. The CSC/CEC members failed to reach a consensus on this matter. Some participants, especially Orthodox, posed a question of how far the planned document may be effective at all if it does not reflect the profound problems dividing Christians in Europe. Differences were recorded in an appropriate resolution recommending, in particular, “to note initiatives of Orthodox Churches aimed at expressing their views on the Charta draft and the process of its development. CEC should promote dialogue between its member Churches on this issues, and special attention should be given to Orthodox concern”.

On May 3, the staff of the Commission attended the divine service conducted by the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, in the church of the Life-giving Trinity at Khoroshevo. They also took part in the DECR staff Easter party. On the same day, they met with the Human Rights High Commissioner in the Russian Federation, Mr. O. O. Mironov, and a group of representatives of the Union of Orthodox Citizens. They talked about general problems of European policy today, the inter-Christians dialogue and the situation in the North Caucasus.

On the following day a seminar took place on “Christianity, the Changing Europe and New Political Realities” during which the Commission’s staff had a comprehensive discussion with representatives of Russian research institutions, Orthodox and other public organizations and religious communities. The CSC/CEC staff also met with the president of the Union of the Evangelical Christians-Baptists in Russia, Rev. Peter. B. Konovalchik.

On May 5, the CSC/CEC executive committee and staff members were received by the Russian Foreign Minister I. S. Ivanov. During a long talk they discussed the attitude of the Russian State to the processes of European integration, cooperation with the European Union, attitude to the NATO expansion and activity, the architecture of the continental and world security, and the general structure of the system of international relations. They also discussed at length the situation in the Balkans and the North Caucasus. The head of the Russian diplomacy explained in detail the respective positions of the Russian Government and answered a number of questions.

On the same day a regular session of the CSC/CEC executive committee took place the Universitetskaya Hotel. The meeting considered practical aspects of the work of the Commission. The opening of the plenary session that took place in the evening was attended by representatives of the CEC member churches in Russia, as well as cochairmen of the Christian Interconfessional Consultative Committee — Archbishop Tadeuzs Kondrusiewicz, apostolic administrator for the Lating rite Catholics in European Russia, and Rev. Peter Konovalchik. Hegumen Hilarion (Alfeyev), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, welcomed the Commission on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church which hosted the meeting.

On the following day most of the CSC/CEC members attended the divine liturgy at the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Moscow, which was celebrated by Archbishop Arseny of Istra. His Eminence was assisted by the Orthodox participants in holy orders including Bishop Emmanuel of Reghion, representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinole at the European Union, Archimandrite John (Sakellariou), rector of the Pendeli monastery (Church of Greece), Archpriest Christian Popescu (Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia), and Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin. At the end of the service Archbishop Arseny and Bishop Emmanuel exchanges speeches. After the service a meal was shared. Some members of the Commission and other participants in the meeting attended divine services at the Anglican, Lutheran and Baptist communities. On the same day there was a tour of the Church of Christ the Saviour and other sites in Moscow.

On May 8, the Commission was addressed by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations. He spoke about the participation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the work of the CEC in the past and the present and explained in detail the position taken by the Moscow Patriarchate on the European integration processes. He pointed to the need to involve the Orthodox public thought in the review and further elaboration of the European international standards. He spoke negatively of the draft Ecumenical Charter distributed, questioning the prospects for its signing. He also spoke in detail on the situation in Chechnya, describing some cases of glaring violations of human rights committed by the militants. At the same time Metropolitan Kirill emphasized that the Russian Orthodox Church called and continues to call the Russian government to show consideration for the needs of the civilians and to prevent their victimization. His Eminence also answered a number of questions.

In the afternoon, the participants were received by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia in his residence at St. Daniel’s monastery. His Holiness spoke about the position of the Russian Orthodox Church on church-society questions and on relations with international Christian organizations. The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church also dwelt on the situation in the North Caucasus, pointing to the lack of objectivity in the assessment of the situation there by some foreign organizations. His Holiness the Patriarch called the Commission members to mutual cooperation in the spirit of trust. The participants in the meeting made a tour of the monastery.