Christianity in Europe: towards bridge building between East and West: a case study

The political changes of 1989-90 put an end to the cold war and the decades-long division of Europe into two mutually hostile political blocs. Suddenly what had been blocked for so long became possible -- exchange on many levels and a more differentiated perception of the other. During this process of opening and transcending borders which had been closed for generations, it became clear -- for some as a surprise -- that the far older division of Europe through the mutual condemnations of the Eastern and Western churches was not only still effective but had suddenly taken on meaning again, and also in a political sense.

So the churches in Europe, and the ecumenical movement linking them with each other, face the task of building bridges to get to know each other and achieve better mutual understanding across that old and deep divide between Eastern and Western Christianity in Europe. They need to provide as many occasions as possible for encounters and common activities. The ecumenical fellowship of the Christian churches across confessional and geographical boundaries can show that attachment to one's own tradition and identity does not depend on disparaging other traditions, and that the interlinking of the different traditions in Europe may bring them to complete and enrich rather than exclude each other.

Already before the political change bilateral Orthodox-Protestant theological dialogues (between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)) contributed to a slow process of better mutual understanding of our separate theological traditions. Yet by their very nature those discussions were limited to a select group of leading theologians and their results were received by a small number of other interested theologians or church leaders only. So far those dialogues have not greatly altered the average attitude of Protestant and Orthodox Christians: widespread mutual prejudice nurtured by ignorance and/or misinformation has not yet been overcome.

However, the two European ecumenical assemblies of Basel (1989) and Graz (1997) did achieve a certain breakthrough. Lay Christians and theologians from the main branches of European Christianity -- Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic -- came together to try to respond to common challenges to the churches in the areas of witness and service. Beyond the limited number of official delegates, thousands of ordinary Christians from Eastern and Western Europe took the initiative to travel to Basel or Graz and participate in the visitors programme. Thus they got to know Christians from other traditions and learned to appreciate their spirituality and their way of expressing the common Christian faith.

The experiences of Basel and Graz, and those of partnership relations between local congregations across borders and confessions, show that direct personal encounters are the best way to overcome prejudices and ignorance and to stimulate interest in the differences and common roots of our traditions.

During my time as staff member of the WCC, I cooperated closely with Orthodox colleagues in launching platforms of encounter between Orthodox and Protestant Christians in Europe, such as seminars for theology students or young lecturers of theological seminaries, or a week-long meeting of groups from local congregations. After my return to Berlin, I tried to use the "space" of my new position to pursue further this goal of bridge-building between Eastern and Western Christianity. As a grandfather, I am convinced that the young generation deserves special attention. Young Christians need opportunities for direct personal encounters across the borderlines of Eastern and Western Christianity, and for joint study of the different situations of the various churches in Europe.

This was the main reason behind the plan to launch a European ecumenical youth exchange project carried through by the member churches of the World Council of Churches in eight European countries. The German Evangelical Church of the Union (with its seven regional united member churches) had successfully run an inter-Protestant global youth exchange project called Oikos with the participation of united churches in the USA, Canada, the Philippines and Germany in 1996-97 and nitiated by the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. The structure of that project could serve as a pattern for this new project initiated by the Evangelical Church of the Union, named Bridge.

It was necessary first, to find partners for the project. I convinced the youth department of the WCC, the international Orthodox youth organization Syndesmos and the Council of Evangelical Youth in Germany of the desirability and feasibility of such a project. During the first part of 1998 churches and church youth structures in seven European countries -- Germany, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Italy, France, Greece and Romania -- agreed to participate in the exchange project, to delegate two young adult Christians for the duration of the project, and to accept responsibility for the programme of the whole group for one month in their country. It was not possible for any of the Scandinavian countries to be involved.