For decades Christians of different confessions in Central and Eastern Europe were linked
together by the experience of totalitarian regimes of the 20th century which also
significantly codetermined the relationships between Christian churches. After 1989 these
churches became part of the life of a free society and found themselves in the midst of
profound social political economic and cultural changes. Thirty years after the fall of the
Iron Curtain presents an opportunity to reflect on what form the local ecumenical communities
of churches are taking in this process of transformation. The authors of this book not only
share experiences that reflect the specific historical and local context of churches in Central
and Eastern Europe but also seek to perceive particular issues in the context of the changing
global paradigm of the ecumenical mentality. The book explores the place of ecumenism in the
lives of individual churches opens up questions about the continuity of historical memory
analyzes new challenges addressed to the Christian community and asks about the form and
quality of mutual relations between Christian churches in the region. The volume wants to be a
contribution to the search for a valid and reliable ecumenical hermeneutics for the 21st
century which uses the immediate ecumenical experience in the midst of a changing world. The
book contains texts by Piotr Kopiec Péter Szentpétery Jaroslav Vokoun Cristian Sonea
Andriyj Mykhaleyko Robert Svato n L ubomír Batka and Reinhard Thöle .
