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Overcoming Frontiers and Respecting Differences
More than 150 Christian women from 27 countries in Europe, from different national, ethnic, cultural and confessional backgrounds, met at Murten, for the VII General Assembly of the EFECW August 21-27, 2006.
16 women from Germany took part in the General Assembly - as delegates, co-workers, stewards or guests.
At the end of the conference the following message was unanimously accepted
1. We are united in our Christian discipleship and in our efforts to build a future for Europe which upholds the best traditions of solidarity and compassion, freedom and equality. Therefore we reach out to women of good will everywhere, regardless of background, with an invitation to participate with us in this task. Our goal is a just and inclusive Europe where every person has a place.
We cherish the rich heritage of Europe as a home of diverse cultures, languages and religious traditions. The opening of the borders of our countries, as well as the 2004 enlargement of the European Union enhanced the coming together of various cultures and traditions and strengthened our sense of belonging to a European commonwealth. At the same time we look with concern at the increasing polarization between various groups and the tendency to create new walls within and around Europe.
2. As Christian women and citizens of Europe we are deeply concerned about the many exhausted, impoverished and endangered people who land at the shores of Europe seeking a future. We see the migration movements from poor to rich countries within Europe, in the context of global economic developments, which have led to an ever widening gap between rich and poor countries and also within the rich countries. Because of poverty, women and men leave their homelands – just as Europeans have done throughout the centuries – and move in search of work and livelihood, often ending up in conditions close to slavery. We recognize that women are particularly vulnerable.
We realize that the presence of large numbers of migrants of other cultures and religions in European countries is a source of deep fear among many people. It causes tensions between majority cultures and various minorities, and it is seen as a threat to our European identities. We believe that tougher legislation to deal with this fear – such as is now being put in place in several European countries – is not the answer. Dialogue is the only way!
Europeans tend to forget that their values, above all the very idea of human rights, were forged during long historic struggles to acknowledge diversity. Our “we” itself is a fiction. There is no homogenous European culture – in all countries of Europe the “we” has always been a conglomerate of diversity.
3. We don’t own Europe. As Christian women we confess that the earth belongs to God and is only entrusted to us. All human beings are made in God’s image. Saying “we” leads us to saying “they” and, thus, to the exclusion of others who are also God’s beloved. We are called to question the notion of easy belonging to an exclusive “we”, to open ourselves and to allow for the possibility that our identities will be shaped in a new way: “This is love, not as sentiment, but as a deep resistance to all that does violence to, demeans or degrades other human beings”.
Into our emerging new identities we bring a deep respect for the other as a person and our firm commitment to human rights. We are aware that change should begin within ourselves. On this journey we need spiritual sustenance and a network of solidarity with each other. As Christian women we can build our common ground on the continuity of our biblical traditions, which are alive in the liturgical life of our communities. We commit ourselves to deepen our knowledge about each other’s theological thinking, liturgical practices, and church life.
4. Since its inception EFECW has understood itself as an instrument for building bridges and contributing to a culture of peace in Europe. We are concerned that at present some countries are living in the aftermath of wars – such as – or in situations of dictatorship – such as – where security and human rights are not guaranteed, and human relationships are strained. We are committed to making injustices visible (through upholding work such as the efforts of the Society for Threatened Peoples) and to strengthening efforts of civil society. We stand in solidarity with all who suffer, especially women, who suffer the consequences of their commitment to peace, and pray for them.
We also uphold work for peace, especially in those European countries which are still involved in the war in through military aid or the presence of troops and technical personnel.
Peace is a long process of rebuilding relationships and creating just conditions for living together. Countless women are involved in it at many levels. We strongly support the “1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize” initiative – that makes women’s peace work visible – and urge the organizers to bring the nomination before the Nobel Prize committee again.
5. We commend all initiatives of dialogue between people of different faiths and of no faith, and encourage all experiments to enhance good neighbourly living, “convivencia”. We affirm the rights and responsibilities of religious minorities, including the right to have their own buildings. We commend the Forum’s commitment to interfaith dialogue at regional, national and European levels, also through its partnership with the European Project for Interreligious Learning (EPIL).
6. We support in word and action all efforts to implement the Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence. Domestic violence, which happens also in Christian homes, is not acceptable.
EFECW also supports all efforts to stop forced prostitution and trafficking in women and children. In doing so we build on existing initiatives, such as the German campaign to stop forced prostitution. We urge our churches to do the same.
7. As Christian women we deplore the fact that women and gender issues are no longer given the priority that they had during the Ecumenical Decade “Churches in Solidarity with Women” and that progress that has already been achieved is being undermined. We are particularly concerned that the Reformed Church of the and the Lutheran Churches of and no longer allow the ordination of women, thus cancelling a long standing practice among the churches of the Reformation. We join forces with all those who urge these churches to revoke this decision.
In many churches women’s desks are disappearing and along with them women’s issues are being shelved. We are disappointed that the Conference of European Churches (CEC) has not managed to continue the work of its Women’s Desk since 2005. The policy of gender mainstreaming, envisaged by CEC and other ecumenical bodies, needs strong support and monitoring if it is to be implemented.
We demand that our churches live up to their commitment in the Charta Oecumenica, “to strengthen the position and equal rights of women in all areas of life and to foster partnership in church and society between women and men” – not only in word, but in deed.
8. Following Christ we stand in solidarity with all those who suffer from poverty, war, and other consequences of our economic system. We realize that this means that many of us need to give up privileges and share.
9. We are grateful to the women of the Swiss Forum for their outstanding hospitality and their many contributions to the VII General Assembly of the EFECW and congratulate them on the 20th anniversary of their organization.
We also gratefully acknowledge the generous support that the Fellowship of the Least Coin has provided to the Forum and many of its projects over the years and ask God’s blessings over our sisters in that worldwide prayer movement as they celebrate their Golden Anniversary.
As we commit ourselves to work on these issues in the coming years, we pray:
God of hope
God of laughter and fun
Send us out with joy
God of compassion
God of reconciliation
Lead us forth with peace
To live and share your new creation.
Murten, 26th August 2006
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