08619
August 28, 2008

Delegation of the Conference of European Churches to visit Georgia

by Luca Negro
CEC secretary for communications and information

GENEVA — A delegation from the Conference of European Churches (CEC), currently in Armenia as guests of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, will pay a short visit to Georgia on Aug. 28-29.

At the invitation of the Evangelical Baptist Church (EBC), the CEC member church in Georgia, the delegation will arrive in Tbilisi tonight, spending all Friday in Tbilisi in order to carry out a program organized by the EBC.

“This longstanding invitation dates from before the outbreak of the recent conflict. It was offered more than twelve months ago to combine a visit to the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church with a visit to our member church in Georgia,” explained CEC General Secretary Colin Williams.

“The primary aim of  the program,” he explained, “is to enable the delegation to experience the life of the EBC, and also to meet with representatives of other churches present in Georgia. In addition, the delegation will be briefed on the current situation in Georgia following the recent conflict in the Caucasus.”

The delegation is comprised of  Williams; the Rev. Margarethe Isberg, CEC’s deputy vice president; the Rev. Rüdiger Noll, director of the Church and Society Commission and associate general secretary; and the Rev. Viorel Ionita, director of the Churches in Dialogue Commission of CEC.

The aim of their visit in Armenia from Aug. 23-31 is to experience the life and witness of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, also a member church of CEC.

In order to gain as complete a perspective as possible on the current situation in the areas affected by the recent conflict, prior to their visit to Georgia the delegation received a briefing from the minister counselor of the Russian Embassy in Yerevan. In addition, the Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont, CEC president, and Williams are planning a visit to South Ossetia in the coming weeks in order to experience the situation there first-hand and to hear the voices of those affected by the conflict.

CEC and the World Council of churches recently published a joint statement on the situation in Georgia.

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship of some 120 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from all countries of Europe, plus 40 associated organizations. CEC was founded in 1959. It has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.