EUROPE/SERBIA-MONTENEGRO - Annual Meeting of the South-East European Bishops’ Conference with strong ecumenical and interreligious emphasis

Wednesday, 18 February 2004

Belgrade (Fides Service) - At the invitation of the Catholic Archbishop of Belgrade, Archbishop Stanislav Hocevar, Presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences of South East Europe are to meet in Belgrade from 20-22 February. The nations represented - Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Serbia Montenegro, Romania, and Turkey - have Orthodox or Muslim majorities, with the Catholic Church in a minority. The meeting will also be attended by representatives from the Holy See Archbishop Eugenio Sbarbaro papal nuncio to Serbia Montenegro and Archbishop Faustino Sainz Munoz papal Nunico to the European Community, the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE) and the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (ComECE).
The meeting will open on Friday 20 February with ample opportunity to share thoughts about the present urgent problems in these countries in the spheres of ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue, and social and political affairs.
On Saturday 21 February there will be a study session on the theme ‘Poverty: a challenge for the Church’. Another session will concentrate on ‘Europe and Christianity’ in the context of European unification. The Orthodox Bishop of Niš, the Right Reverend Irinej, will take part in this debate.
On Saturday morning there will be an opportunity to exchange fraternal greetings when the participants are received by His Holiness Pavle, Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In the evening, in Belgrade Cathedral at 1700, there will be a youth Prayer Vigil for Christian unity and witness in Europe. It will be followed by Solemn Mass presided over by Bishop Amédée Grab, President of CCEE, with singing provided by an Orthodox choir. Concelebrants will include the Cardinal Archbishops of Vrhbosna (Sarajevo) and Washington. Also present will be the Serbian Government Minister for Religion.
The meeting will end on Sunday morning (22 February) with a summary of the work and the elaboration of some definite proposals for the future. There will also be a Solemn Mass in the Church of Christ the King in Belgrade. MS (Fides Service 17/2/2004 EM lines 6 Words: 46)


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