European Council of Religious Leaders


European Council of Religious Leaders is a European interreligious council for cooperation between senior leaders of religious traditions represented in Europe ). The ECRL is one out of five regional interreligious councils within the global movement, Religions for Peace. The Council held its inaugural meeting in Oslo in 2002.
WWW rfp-europe.eu

Vision and work

Vision: The major religious communities in Europe cooperate effectively for peace and reconciliation, in Europe and beyond.
This vision grows out of the shared commitment of faith traditions to human dignity and the right to live in peace. On this basis religious leaders have committed themselves to work together in order to prevent conflict, promote peaceful coexistence
and encourage their communities to do the same. European Council of Religious Leaders works on the basis of mutual respect and appreciation for religious diversity.
Based in the different religious traditions and Holy Books, the Council encourages a common moral responsibility for the prevention of conflict and the promotion of dialogue. Values that are deeply held and widely shared offer guidance to the work. In a continent where religion has often been seen as a source of conflict, the European Council of Religious Leaders seeks to be a resource for peace.
The ECRL aims at promoting inter-religious cooperation in Europe and beyond. The work of the Council includes annual council meetings, participation in conferences, delegation visits to conflict areas and maintaining contacts across religious boundaries.
The secretariat of the ECRL is situated in Oslo.

The European Council of Religious Leaders' Berlin Declaration on Interreligious Dialogue

As a guideline for the work of the Council and to spread knowledge of inter-religious dialogue, the ECRL, on its Council meeting in Berlin in 2008, issued a declaration:

Members

The council consists of senior religious leaders representing religions/denominations of longer history of presence in Europe, religious traditions with shorter presence in Europe and currently one ex officio member representing the Religions for Peace movement.

Moderator (President)

The Moderator position was renamed as ‘President’ in 2018

Council members

Jewish

  • Rabbi Izhak Dayan, Switzerland
  • Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister, Austria
  • Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, Netherlands
  • Rabbi Yeshaya Dalsace, France
  • Gady Gronich, Germany
  • Shorena Mikava, Germany

Muslim

Christian: Orthodox

  • Rev Dr Andreas Andreopoulos, Great Britain
  • Fr Heikki Huttunen, Finland
  • Bishop Ioannis of Thermopylae, Greece

Christian: Catholic

  • Mr. Etienna De Jonghe, Belgium
  • Sister Madeleine Fredell, Sweden
  • Bishop William Kenney, Great Britain
  • Dr habil. Agata S. Nalborczyk, Poland

Christian: Protestant and Anglican

Dharmic Religions

  • Mr. Jamie Cresswell, Buddhist, Great Britain
  • Mr. Dorab Mistry OBE, Zoroastrian, Great Britain
  • Bhai Sahib Dr. Mohinder Singh, Sikh, Great Britain
  • Sivarama Swami, Hungary
  • Dr. Lakshmi Vyas, Hindu, Great Britain
  • Gandharvika Prema Devi Dasi, Hindu, Hungary

''Ex officio'' members

Vice-Presidents

  • Mr. Jamie Cresswell, Buddhist, Great Britain
  • Chief Rabbi Izhak Dayan, Switzerland
  • Metropolitan Emmanuel, France
  • Mufti Nedzad Grabus, Slovenia
  • Bishop William Kenney, Great Britain
  • Revd Dr. Thomas Wipf, Switzerland

Advisers

  • Professor Andreas Herrmann
  • Dr. Martin Affolderbach
  • Dr Brinder Mahon
  • Revd. Joachim Pothmann
  • Stein Villumstadt