Archbishop invites people to European digital meeting

A Week of Neighbours brings together people who work practically and concretely, across religious boundaries and often under difficult and risky conditions, for and with refugees in Europe. 

Their experiences will be presented and discussed during the week. Many good examples are highlighted, but also critical challenges, such as the current situation on the border between Belarus and Poland. 
 
For Archbishop Antje Jackelén, the meeting encapsulates a theme that has characterised her commitment during her time in office – the importance of interfaith cooperation as an expression of Christian faith and a prerequisite for peace and societies that guarantee the worth and dignity of all people. 

“A Week of Neighbours is a manifestation to preserve our humanity and our compassion. The meeting will provide knowledge and awareness, and in particular hope, from people whose lives are at the heart of the struggle for an inclusive and cohesive Europe.  
 
“Preserved compassion and courageous hope are exactly what we need at a time when the climate surrounding refugee and migration issues has hardened,” says Antje Jackelén. 
 
In total, there will be around 50 events during the week – workshops, webinars, films, lectures and more – which are open to all via a link. 
 
Live broadcast 
A Week of Neighbours concludes with a 90-minute live broadcast, Keeping our humanity alive, featuring guests, performances, films and testimonies from around Europe. The broadcast can be seen on YouTube, Facebook and on the Church of Sweden website. The programme will be presented by Thabo Motsieloa. 
 
An Archbishop’s meeting 
A Week of Neighbours is also an Archbishop’s meeting. Ever since Nathan Söderblom invited the world’s churches to the great ecumenical meeting in Stockholm in 1925, it has been a tradition for the Archbishops of the Church of Sweden to invite the world’s churches to a major meeting with a particular theme during their term of office. 
 
The last time an Archbishop’s meeting was held was in 2012, when the then Archbishop Anders Wejryd invited people to a meeting on the rights of children and young people. 

A European network  
The meeting A Week of Neighbours is part of the programme A World of Neighbours (“En värld av grannar”) initiated by Archbishop Antje Jackelén. The programme is run by the Church of Sweden and has been in place since 2018. The aim has been to create a network of people from across Europe working for and with refugees and for social sustainability. This network has now taken shape under the name A World of Neighbours. 

With A Week of Neighbours, the programme will come to an end and the network will continue its work on the basis of the platform it has created. 
 
Read more about A Week of Neighbours and the programme during the week 

Facts 
A World of Neighbours (“En värld av grannar”): a four-year programme in the Church of Sweden, initiated by Archbishop Antje Jackelén. 
A World of Neighbours: European interfaith network, created within the framework of the A World of Neighbours programme. 
A Week of Neighbours: European digital meeting, 20–24 February 2022, marking the end of the A World of Neighbours programme.