Commission, Council and Parliament bring together religious leaders to exchange ideas on future of European Union

The tenth edition of the annual high-level meeting of religious leaders will take place on Tuesday 10 June at the Commission's headquarters in Brussels, under the motto 'The future of the European Union'. Participants will exchange views on, amongst others, current societal developments in and outside the EU, on Europe's role in the world and in the immediate neighbourhood, and on the part religions can play in this context. The meeting will be hosted by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and co-chaired by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Parliament Vice President László Surján, representing European Parliament President Martin Schulz. The participants will observe a minute's silence in respect of the victims of the tragic attack in the Jewish museum in Brussels on 24 May and will adopt a joint declaration regarding Meriam Ibrahim, a Sudanese Christian sentenced to death for apostasy.

The following representatives from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Mormon communities will be present:

• Mr Syed Ali ABBAS, Joint Secretary of Majlis e Ulama e Shi’a Europe

• Professor Margaret S. ARCHER, President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Science

• His Excellency Chaim BURSTEIN, Chief Rabbi of Lithuania

• Imam Hassen CHALGHOUMI, President of the Conference of Imams of France

• His Eminence Bishop DOROTHEOS II of Syros, Tinos, Andros, Kea, Melos and Mykonos

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• His Eminence Metropolitan EMMANUEL of France, Representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the European Institutions

• His Excellency Chief Rabbi Pinchas GOLDSCHMIDT, President of the Conference of European rabbis

• His Excellency, Monseigneur Jean-Pierre GRALLET, Archevêque de Strasbourg

• His Excellency Albert GUIGUI, Chief Rabbi of Brussels and Permanent Representative at the Conference of European Rabbis

• The Right Reverend Christopher HILL, President of the Conference of European Churches (CEC)

• His Excellency Kari MÄKINEN, Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

• His Eminence Cardinal Reinhard MARX, Archbishop of Freising and Munich

• His Excellency Bhai Sahib MOHINDER SINGH, Chairman of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha Birmingham

• Imam Yahya PALLAVICINI, Vice-President of the "Comunità religiosa Islamica" in Italy

• His Grace Bishop PORFYRIOS of Neapolis, Director of the Representation of the Church of Cyprus to the European Institution

• His Excellency Dr Nikolaus SCHNEIDER, Chair of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)

• Ms Bharti TAILOR, President of the Hindu Forum of Europe and Secretary General of the Hindu Forum of Britain

• Elder José A. TEIXEIRA, European President of the Church of the Latter Day Saints

• Her Excellency Bishop Rosemarie WENNER, Presiding Bishop of the United Methodist Church in Germany

The open, transparent and regular dialogue between the European Commission and churches, religious communities, as well as philosophical and non-confessional organisations, is enshrined into primary law by the Lisbon Treaty (Art 17 TFEU). Beyond regular seminars with the different interlocutors, there is one annual high-level meeting with religious leaders and one with philosophical and non-confessional representatives. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the high-level meeting with religious leaders.

The High-level Religious Leaders meeting will take place in the Berlaymont building on 10 June 2014 from 10-14h. A press release and the list of participating religious leaders will be published on the day. A press conference of the two Presidents and Vice President László Surján together with the religious leaders will be held in the European Commission's press room at 12h00.

Information on the European Commission's dialogue with churches, religious communities and philosophical and non-confessional organizations.

Website of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso

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