EEA3 in Sibiu, Romania, in September

This year in September approximately 2500 delegates from all the different churches and Christian communities in Europe will be meeting in the Romanian city of Sibiu, known by its once predominantly German-speaking population as Hermannstadt, in Siebenbürgen. They will be taking part in the Third European Ecumenical Assembly from 4th to 8th September. Since Sibiu is also Cultural Capital of Europe 2007, it will be very much in the public eye this year.

The European Ecumenical Assemblies are a joint initiative of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Roman Catholic Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE). The first assembly (EEA1) took place in Basel, Switzerland, in the Pentecost octave in May 1989 and expressed the commitment of European Christians to "justice, peace and the integrity of creation". 700 delegates from every country in Europe took place in this first encounter of Christians from all over the continent since the great schism of 1054. It may well have been inspired by this assembly that the churches of Eastern Europe became instrumental in the non-violent freedom process in the Communist world resulting in the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and the tearing down of the Iron Curtain.

EEA2 was planned for Graz in Austria for the end of June 1997 on the theme of reconciliation. The assembly brought together 700 official delegates from 124 CEC member churches and the 34 bishops' conferences of the CCEE. But perhaps the most spectacular feature of the Graz meeting was that it was also attended by more than 10,000 "ordinary" Christians from all over the continent, dialoguing, praying and celebrating together for seven days.

The most important result of EEA2 was the Charta Oecumenica, signed in Strasbourg in April 2001, which forms the framework of ecumenical partnership in Europe today and has led to the EEA3 process. Unfortunately many are very sceptical about the impact of September's assembly. It would appear that several of those responsible for the organisation are wondering whether anything significant will come of it, whether there will even be a joint communiqué at the end and what if any public notice will be taken of the meeting. It may only be a coincidence but Pope Benedict XVI will be visiting the pilgrimage town of Maria Zell in Austria at the same time as the Sibiu assembly, and will no doubt attract much media attention.

At the recent preparatory conference in the Luther City of Wittenberg there was much despondency and frustration. The Evangelical Bishop of Hanover, Germany, Margot Kässmann, was herself critical of the fact that the churches have not yet been able to give a convincing signal that they are the decisive voice for justice, peace and maintaining the integrity of creation. She went on to say that is is no longer enough for Christians to meet, "what the people in Europe and the world are craving for is a Church which, while confirming its diversity and differences, jointly bears witness to Jesus Christ".

There will likely be no mutual recognition of baptism in Sibiu, no participation in each other's eucharists; the latter is not even on the agenda. What then could be achieved at all? Perhaps there will be some progress on the ecological front, perhaps in social affairs. But what should become clear is that ecumenism in Europe is still a difficult journey, with many churches fearing there will be left behind or marginalised by the Catholic and Orthodox churches.