VIENNA - A consultation for young theologians and the 105 member churches of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) has been arranged, the CPCE council decided on Saturday at its session in Vienna.
The consultation has been arranged to facilitate the establishment of a working group which in a subsequent phase of study will take responsibility for the topic 'New Challenges in Social Justice for the Protestant Churches' resolved on by the last CPCE general Assembly.
With this development the council is meeting the wishes of the general assembly, which pointed out the "importance of incorporating the experiences and competences of young theologians and church members".
The consultation will take place between 18 and 20 April 2007 in Bad Godesberg, in collaboration with the Evangelical Academy in the Rhineland.
Social ethics thus remains a central area of work for the CPCE. Accordingly the mandate of the expert group on ethics which has existed since 2005 has been confirmed. This group will continue to make statements on important questions of politics, society and the ecumene and thus build up the presence of the Protestant churches at a European level.
The 13-member council carries on the business of CPCE between the general assemblies. It was elected by the last general assembly in Budapest and meets twice a year. The next meeting will take place in Brussels from 17 to 19 September 2007.
