CEC to Elect New General Secretary at Annual General Meeting in Greece

From 3rd June, the Central Committee of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) will meet for its annual session in Aghios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece.

Upon an invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church, the 40-member governing body of CEC will gather. The conference will be presided over by Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont, a Reformed minister from France. The Vice-president is His Beatitude Anastasios, Orthodox Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania, and the deputy Vice-president is the Very Rev. Margarethe Isberg, Lutheran Dean of Vasterås, Sweden.

Rev Clermont explained the significance of the geographic location where the meeting is held. Greece, as one of the geographical extremes of Europe, is the door to the Middle East and Africa.

"We shall meet at one of the geographical extremes of Europe", said Rev Clements. "Here Europe, the Middle East and Africa in a peculiarly intense way share a common agenda of concerns: inter-religious relations, migration, human trafficking, unequal development, and ecology. This will be recognised during our meeting."

A prime issue of concern at the conference will be the election of the new General Secretary of CEC. The current General Secretary, Dr Keith Clements, will be retiring at the end of November 2005, after eight years of service.

Other items for consideration will be plans for a third European Ecumenical Assembly and the future structure of CEC and its Commissions and desks. There will be two thematic sessions: one covering mission, local churches and the role of the CEC, and the other on migration and co-operation between European Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches.

The agenda also includes meeting with local churches and worship in the Orthodox Cathedral of Agios Nikolaos.

The meeting will close on 10th June. CEC is a fellowship of 126 Orthodox, Protestant, and Old Catholic Churches along with 43 associated organisations from all countries of the European continent. CEC was founded in 1959 and has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.