Geneva / St. Gallen, July 1999

Id.99ca8e

22 July 1999

Original: German

English translation

CHARTA ECUMENICA

Introduction

"Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit"

We give thanks to our God, the Three in One, whose Holy Spirit guides our steps towards an ever deeper fellowship. By listening together to God's word in the Holy Scriptures, by confessing our common faith in worship and in our search together for God's truth, we bear witness to the love and hope which is for all people. With this in mind, we are striving for a clearer and fuller unity of the church of Jesus Christ in this world. We are aware that it is only through our own inner conversion that we can reach the unity which God is working to bring about amidst the differences in the development and expression of our faith.

We know that the scandal of the turmoil among us prevents our witness from being credible. This means also that we recognise our responsibility for the divisions of the church, and seek to take away the shadows which darken the face of the church of Jesus Christ and cause misunderstandings and offenses in the world. There is no alternative to reconciliation and ecumenism.

We therefore commit ourselves, as member churches of the Conference of European Churches and as Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Europe, in the spirit of the Messages from the two European Ecumenical Assemblies of Basel 1989 and Graz 1997, to preserve and continue to develop the ecumenical fellowship which has grown up among us.

I. It is God who calls us to unity

"...that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (John 17.21)

1. We are called to follow Christ into unity in faith, love for God and our neighbours, and the hope of perfection in God. For us as Christians the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the heart and soul of all our ecumenical efforts. We confess and affirm together the ecumenical Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (of 381).

We commit ourselves

- to announce and witness to the saving works of Christ, especially the mystery of his death and resurrection, as hope for all people and for the whole world.

- hearing together the word of God, in the service of the Gospel and in prayer for and with one another, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to make visible the unity of the one faith and the one baptism, expressed in worship and the shared life in Christ;

II. On the way to visible fellowship among the churches in Europe

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13.35)

Coming to meet one another

2. Ecumenism in Europe begins, for Christians, with the renewal of our hearts and readiness for repentance and conversion. The history of the Christian churches has been full of divisions, enmities and even armed conflicts. Because of differences over questions of faith, but also because of human weakness and sin, the fellowship of the one church of Jesus Christ has been broken. These divisions, moreover, have spread throughout the world. However, the lack of credibility which this has caused for the Christian witness has been reduced in this century by the ecumenical movement, and has given way to reconciliation among Christians.

We commit ourselves

- in the spirit of the Gospel and the love of God, humbly to reappraise the history of our churches' guilt and ask one another's forgiveness;

- to ban self-satisfaction and do away with prejudice;

- to recognise the spiritual riches of the different Christian traditions, to learn from one another and thus receive these gifts;

- to seek encounters with one another, to be there for one another, and to work together in every way possible;

- to promote ecumenical learning in Christian education and in theological training and further education.

Praying together is the heart of ecumenism

3. The ecumenical movement lives because we hear God's word and let the Holy Spirit work in us and through us. By the power of the grace we thereby receive, there are today many and diverse efforts, through prayer and worship, to reach the unity which Jesus Christ wants for his church. Christians' prayer together is therefore the heart of ecumenism. Our ecumenical spirituality is marked by many shared liturgical prayers and hymns, and by many and diverse new experiences of spiritual fellowship.

We commit ourselves

- to pray for and with one another, since the unity of the church of Jesus Christ is ultimately a gift of God;

- to hold ecumenical worship services regularly, and to promote prayers and prayer services for the unity of Christians;

- in the search for a common ecumenical spirituality, to learn to know and appreciate the worship and other forms of spirituality of one another's churches.

Witnessing together to our faith

4. In the face of the advancing secularisation and ebbing of Christianity in Europe, we resolve to strengthen one another in a common Christian witness to our faith, to a common evangelisation and mission in Europe. For this it is indispensable to restore trust and agreement among the churches, in order to avoid hurtful competition and the danger of new divisions. It is important here to distinguish between church communities and sects.

We commit ourselves

- to discuss our mission and evangelisation work with the other churches;

- not to induce people to change their church membership, and never to use physical force, moral constraint, psychological pressure or material incentives to motivate people to conversion;

- to support the conversion of the churches, and to make it possible for them to have open contacts with one another.

There is no alternative to dialogue

5. The belonging together in Christ which we already experience is of fundamental importance in relation to our differing theological and ethical positions. Differences in belief, in teaching and in dealing with moral issues account for the divisions among the churches. In order to increase our ecumenical fellowship, efforts towards a consensus based on belief must be continued, for communion among churches can have its theological basis only in agreement with the fundamental truths of our faith. Therefore dialogues must be conscientiously and intensively pursued at the various levels of church life.

We commit ourselves

- to cultivate and deepen a culture of dialogue within and among the churches;

- to make sure the results of theological conversations among our churches are received at all levels of church life, and to take the consequences of such results;

- in cases of controversy, especially with regard to ethical questions which threaten to split the ecumenical fellowship, to continue our dialogue together.

III. The ecumenical community in service to Europe

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 5.9)

6. Until we reach the goal of full church communion, we intend to act together in all matters in which no deep differences of conviction compel us to act separately. This principle shall be valid for all levels of the life of the churches in Europe.

We commit ourselves

- to strengthen the co-operation between the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) in Europe;

- to hold European Ecumenical Assemblies;

- to clarify, at local, regional, national and international levels, in bilateral and multilateral conversations, on which statements of principles agreement is indispensable, and in which issues difference need not lead to division and can be mutually tolerated;

- to help resolve conflicts between churches and bring about peace;

- to defend the rights of minorities and help to reduce misunderstandings and prejudice;

- to make sure that all the churches in each of our countries have the opportunity for public activities.

A soul for Europe

7. The churches are in favour of European unity. Ecumenism means, for Europe, that the process of European integration is not limited to politics and economics. Thus, on the basis of our common faith, we seek to preserve "Europe's soul" by standing for values such as justice, freedom, tolerance, participation and solidarity, and by helping to make these values fruitful for the common life of the people of this continent.

We commit ourselves

- to promote the unity of Europe in all its cultural, ethnic and religious diversity;

- to represent, in as united a way as possible, the concerns of the churches to the secular European institutions;

- to protect basic values against infringements by governments;

- to recognise and reinforce our responsibility in Europe towards all of humanity, especially for the poor in the countries of the so-called "Third World".

- to promote a climate of peace, which gives preference to non-violent means of conflict resolution.

Reconciling peoples and cultures, preserving creation

8. We in Europe acknowledge particularly our responsibility to reconcile peoples and cultures with one another. We affirm the diversity of our regional, national, cultural and religious traditions as greatly enriching Europe. We direct our common efforts towards evaluating and resolving political and social issues in the spirit of the Gospel.

We commit ourselves

- to respect the person and the dignity of every human being as made in the image of God, and equality for all people; to preserve and defend human rights and to stand up against injustice;

- to promote democratic processes in Europe and social justice among all peoples;

- to ban every form of nationalistic exclusivity and marginalisation, when love of one's own country leads to oppression of other peoples or of national minorities;

- to promote openness towards the increasing numbers of foreign persons, asylum-seekers and refugees, and to give homeless persons a refuge and a home in Europe;

- to stand up for the rights which belong to every person without distinction or discrimination, especially by strengthening the position and equal rights of women in all areas of life and upholding the well-being of children and families;

- to stand up against every form of violence against persons, especially women and children;

- to preserve the environment for all creatures, in particular also for coming generations.

Fostering relations with other religions

9. There is a particular sense of community between us and the people Israel, God's chosen people for all time, the people of the Covenant and of the promise, from whom Jesus Christ arose. Together with our Jewish brothers and sisters we pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We deplore all the outbreaks of hate, persecution and manifestations of prejudice which have been directed at the Jews, and we ask God to grant us forgiveness and reconciliation. We support the many and diverse forms of Christian-Jewish cooperation. We enter into meetings with Muslims and adherents of other religions in a spirit of respect and appreciation, and we are making efforts towards mutual understanding.

We commit ourselves

- to recognise and protect freedom of conscience and of religion for humankind;

- to recognise the right of every person to seek truth and witness to this truth according to his or her own conscience;

- to initiate, cultivate and support encounters, conversations and sharing with communities which hold other religious and world views.

"May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15.13)

Geneva / St. Gallen, July 1999

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