CCEE AND CEC MEET TO DISCUSS MIGRATION   

Annual Meeting of CCEE-CEC Joint Committee - Istanbul (Turkey), 7-11 March 2010

Istanbul (Turkey), the European Capital of Culture 2010, will host the annual meeting of the Joint Committee of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of Bishops´ Conferences of Europe (CCEE) which will be held from 7 to 11 March 2010, following an invitation by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

The Joint Committee was set up in 1972, and its task is to oversee the co-operation between CEC and CCEE. As well as the General Secretaries of the two bodies, it comprises seven members of CEC and seven appointed by CCEE.

CCEE members will meet the Presidency and the members appointed by CEC Central Committee last December for the first time.

The agenda of the meeting features:

• A round table on the theme of Migration with the contribution of the following experts:

Afterwards, participants will hold a debate-exchange on the actions, experiences and projects of the Churches and Bishops´ Conferences in the field of Migration;

• A communiqué on the current year agenda of both bodies and specifically on the 13th CEC Assembly (Lyon, France, 15 to 21 July 2009);
• A debate on pressing issues being tabled at the European institutions.

Times devoted to prayer will feature throughout the daily programme. Especially, the opening prayer on Monday March 8, will be for the numerous victims of the earthquake in Chile.

Working sessions will take place behind closed doors.

CEC Members:
H.E. Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, CEC President; Ecumenical Patriarchate
H.E. Metropolitan Michael of Austria, Ecumenical Patriarchate
Rt Rev. Bishop David Hamid, Church of England
The Most Rev. Rauno Pietarinen, Orthodox Church of Finland
Dr Joanna J. Matuszewska, Evangelical Reformed Church in Poland
Pasteur Claire Sixt-Gateuille, Reformed Church of France

Prof. Dr Viorel Ionitá, Acting General Secretary
Ms Doris Peschke, Director Churches´ Commission for Migrants in Europe

CCEE Members:
H. Em. Card. Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, CCEE President;
H. Em. Card. Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux, CCEE Vice President;
H. Em. Card. Josip Bozanic, Archbishop of Zagreb, CCEE Vice President;
H. E. Mgr Stanislav Hocevar, Metropolitan Archbishop of Belgrade;
H. E. Mgr Vincenzo Paglia, Bishop of Terni - Narni – Amelia;
H. E. Mgr Virgil Bercea, Bishop of Oradea;
Fr Piotr Mazurkiewicz, ComECE General Secretary;

Fr Duarte da Cunha, General Secretary
Mr Thierry Bonaventura, Media Officer

For further information, please contact:

CEC General Secretariat
phone: +41 22 791 6226
e-mail: GenSecretariatcec-kek.org

Thierry Bonaventura
CCEE Media Officer
phone +41 71 227 6040, mobile +41 78 851 6040
e-mail thierry.bonaventuraccee.ch

*****************
The Conference of European Churches – CEC – is a communion of 120 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches of all European Countries, and 40 associated organizations. It was founded in 1959. The offices of CEC are in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.

The Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE) gathers the Presidents of the current 33 European Bishops’ Conferences of this continent, represented by their Presidents, and the Archbishops of Luxembourg, the Principality of Monaco, and the Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus, as well as the Bishop of Chişinău (Republic of Moldova). The President is Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Primate of Hungary; the Vice-presidents are Cardinal Josip Bozanić, Archbishop of Zagreb, and Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux. The CCEE General Secretary is Fr Duarte da Cunha. The headquarters of the Secretariat is in St Gallen (Switzerland)

05.03.2010