On Friday, 6 February, the Czech Catholic bishops appealed to the faithful of the country to participate in the “pilgrimage of peoples” to the Marian sanctuary at Mariazell on 22 May, culmination of the Congress of the Catholics of Central Europe (MEKT). Participation, says the document, expresses the “sense of responsibility” for Europe. “On the basis of our long experience, we Central Europeans intend to remind the whole of Europe that Christ is the one hope for the world and for the continent”, declare the bishops. The bishops’ document also underlines the role of prayer for the continent: “The future of Europe also depends on our hands being joined in prayer”. In their appeal, the bishops stress the actuality of MEKT: “no one imagined that its culmination would coincide with the entry into the EU of the majority of the participating countries”.
