The first constructors

Youth and Europe: an important equation for the construction, and not merely political, of the Old Continent in coming to terms with the process of integration and enlargement, but also for the mission of promoting peace and freedom on the basis of growing understanding and trust between Europeans. Walls and frontiers, both material and spiritual, need to be demolished, and prejudices of an ethical, religious and political nature removed, if the way towards a new Europe is to be paved. The young are the first constructors of the Europe of the future. That is the gist of the address given by frère Alois, head of the ecumenical community of Taizé after the death of its founder, frère Roger, to the youth who work with and for the European institutions and who gathered in Brussels on 30 January for a meeting promoted jointly by COMECE, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, and by Taizé, on the theme “Your life is important for Europe”. NARROW ROADS. “We need to find roads, however narrow and difficult, to demolish walls and frontiers and bring the peoples of Europe closer together”, said frère Alois, in his exhortation to the youth present in the “European” capital”. “Forgiveness and reconciliation” are the keywords of this process in which, according to frère Alois, Christians “are personally and directly involved”. “If we truly believe in God – he said – we ought to be the first to become reconciled to each other by conducting a pilgrimage of faith. Only thus shall we be able to give meaning to our life. Christians cannot live separated. May your commitment in the European institutions – he concluded – not be divorced from a life of deep faith”.IMPORTANT FOR EUROPE . A person who believes in the family, in solidarity as a means of forging unity among peoples, a person whose faith is often put to the test by the events of life, both positive and negative, and who is dedicated to the rediscovery of the common values that form the foundation of Europe: that’s the identikit of the young Christians who work with and for the European institutions and who met in Brussels on 30 January to debate the theme “Your life is important for Europe”. Some forty youths, from all the countries of the EU, subdivided into workgroups, tried to reply to such questions as “What frontiers do we need to overcome in Europe today?”, “How are the values of faith reflected in work in the EU?”, and “What role do forgiveness and reconciliation play in the construction of Europe?”. For the young participants at the meeting, the family remains one of the founding values of Europe, as also does solidarity. Work too remains of central importance, so long as it be inspired by “mutual understanding and a willingness to listen as essential ways of overcoming divergences”. In the context of their involvement within the European institutions, the young especially lament a gap between these institutions and the citizen”. This gap must be closed by fostering “the European identity and shared values, especially those of Christianity”. In this regard, the proposal was made to “promote moments of ecumenical prayer”. “The spiritual dimensions are important for Europe – declared the President of COMECE and Bishop of Rotterdam, Adrian van Luyn, at the end of the meeting -. I am convinced that the young have a great responsibility in this phase of European integration. Your life – he concluded – is important for Europe”. The same concept was also underlined by the general secretary of COMECE, Monsignor Noël Treanor, who declared: “The work of the young is irreplaceable. With their ability in human relationships, and their desire for mobility, travel and study, they can export the know-how and trust that are essential for the construction of a Europe increasingly based on human and spiritual, and not just on economic, values”.A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR EVERYONE . The value of intercultural and interfaith dialogue was underlined, in turn, by the new President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, in his closing address at the meeting with frère Alois in Brussels. “Intercultural and interfaith dialogue, which will form one of the priorities of my term as President of the EP, is an important contribution to the future of Europe – he declared -. Mutual understanding, tolerance and trust are the foundations on which we can build a future of peace”. According to Poettering “the experience of Taizé is a valid example of how intercultural and interfaith dialogue can work in practice. The young who meet at Taizé each year in search of a shared spiritual journey are – he concluded – a good example for us all”.