U.S. and European churches took part in a conference last week in Geneva to discuss the ecumenical situation in Europe and the United States under the title “Europe and the USA today: common challenges, common ecumenical responsibilities”.
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Other focus topics at the joint-consultation, convened jointly by the National Council of Churches USA and the Conference of European Churches, included security, religion and conflict, and the role of European and U.S. churches in the process of globalisation.

“Inter-regional dialogue is going to be more and more important in the coming year, and this was a good example,” said Dr Keith Clements, CEC General Secretary.

“The churches of the USA and Europe face many common challenges and responsibilities including the basic one above all on how to be ecumenical in a fundamentalist age. We look forward to developing specific plans for cooperation,” he added.

The conference, held at the Ecumenical Centre of Geneva, was attended by 30 representatives from America, as well as representatives from ten European countries.

“For the well-being of the global community it is imperative that churches respond to the present challenge together,” said Rev. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the NCC USA.

“This consultation was an opportunity to tackle important issues. We know that some of them deserve deeper consideration and action, and we celebrate the fact that we were called to deeper action.”

The topic of the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina inevitably arose during the conference, Rev. Edgar predicting that the political and religious landscape of the United States will be permanently changed as a result: “Hurricane Katrina exposed racism and poverty in the United States.” He added that President Bush’s leadership was now in question as a result of the inadequate response.

CEC President Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont said at the conference that strengthening ties with Catholics and Evangelicals, the relations between majority and minority churches, as well as the development of a common understanding of mission in a secularised Europe, were among the ecumenical challenges facing Europe.

The member churches of the NCC USA said they would continue to work for a “larger ecumenical table” to include the Roman Catholic Church and Evangelical churches not presently members of the NCC.