Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain Elected as President of the Council of European Churches

OCP News Service – Archbishop of Thyateira – 21/06/2023

Tallinn- Estonia: General Assembly of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) elected Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain Elected as President on 19 June 2023. The 16th general assembly of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) was held in Tallinn, Estonia from 14 – 20 June 2023.

Bishop of the Anglican Church Dr. Dagmar Winter and Frank Kopania from the Protestant Church in Germany were elected as Vice-presidents.

Archbishop Nikitas is the coordinator of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Working Group on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery, while he has served as President of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Committee on Youth, as well as Co-President and Member of the Board of Directors of the “Elijah” Interfaith Dialogue Foundation. He also happens to be Co-President of the Catholic-Orthodox Forum of Europe.

After his election, the Archbishop stated that being a Christian means entering into dialogue with other people and other Christian Communities. ” Yes, of course we have our differences but we have so much in common: Jesus Christ ,” Archbishop emphasized, continuing, “we must know each other, we must work together.”

For the Archbishop of Thyateira, being President of the CEC means being a shepherd of a flock. “When you’re president of an organization, you deal with problems and numbers, but being CEC president means you also have to work for people’s souls – and that gives me the opportunity to get to know CEC in a more meaningful way,” he said . , adding, “above all, I want to build bridges and collaborative relationships.”

He emphasized that many times there is fear for the other. “I want my relationships to be full of Christian love, truth and honesty,” he declared. “I want to actively contribute to the stability of CEC services, its financial structure and relationships.”

“It is very important to hear more young voices and bring young people to the CEC to learn how it works. We need to know what young people think and feel,” the new President emphasized. “We hear from so many people that churches and parishes are shrinking.”

Archbishop of Thyatira and Great Britain Mr. Nikitas wants to revitalize these churches and give hope. “We cannot say that young people are the future of the church because they are the reality, they are the present” , he stressed.

Source:
OCP News Service