CINGO – January 2012

This is an informal group of representatives of Christian NGOs represented at the Council of Europe. It met on this occasion at the Centre of the Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine. Reports were received of conferences attended since the last meeting in October. One of CINGO’s priorities is the Struggle against Extreme Poverty. Poverty is not only material but also cultural. The representative of the Christian Teachers in Europe described one of their projects in this context. Training for musicians had been established for entertaining in the local hospitals. It envisaged many types of music and has been working with medical teams, families and patients.
Brother Benedict Vandeputte presented a reflection on ‘Europe’s Christian Roots’, which generated much interest and questions.
It was proposed that at the next meeting there could be a sharing between the representatives of their involvement in the various working groups of the three NGO Committees.