ecumenism" "
“We’ve succeeded in bearing witness to our faith in mutual trust, overcoming long-standing barriers”, said the Catholic Samuel, a final-year student of applied arts. “I greatly appreciated the ecumenical spirit, in particular the informal debates and the prayer in common”, says the Lutheran Johan, student of biology: just two comments on the second national ecumenical session of youth held in Nîmes, France, in the second week of August. Five young Protestants, seven Orthodox, seven Catholics and an Anglican met together for a meeting based on four main components: exhaustive information on each confession and on the burning issues of ecumenism; an experience of community life; prayer in common with participation in the various Sunday services; and exchange and dialogue with numerous witnesses: the sisters of Cabanoule, the bishop of Nîmes, the families that invited them to lunch. “The debates were prolonged until deep into the night reports pastor Gilles Daudé, delegate of the ecumenical service of the Protestant Federation of France which for the second year running promoted the meeting -; the young learnt to discover what’s positive in the identity of others”. “In Greece ecumenism did not exist as far as I was concerned confessed Georges, from Greece, an Orthodox student of theology ; here on the other hand I also discovered other Orthodox brothers and sisters … and friendship: I learnt a different mentality and now I consider even theology with new eyes”. His view is shared by Roxane, a student of law, she too Orthodox: “I feel strengthened in my faith and I’m convinced that there will eventually be communion between us”. “I intend to propose to my youth group to meet with other groups: we need to get to know each other if we are to go forward together” is the conclusion of the musician Pierre Etienne, reformed evangelical.
